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It's 11:48 a.m. and the sun is breaking through when Joe Biden raises his right hand in an oath on the west side of the Capitol.

The left hand rests on the voluminous, old family Bible held by his wife Jill Biden.

Opposite him is John Roberts, Chairman of the Supreme Court.

"I solemnly vow that I will faithfully administer the office of President of the United States and that I will preserve, protect and defend the United States Constitution to the best of my ability," said Biden.

This makes Joseph "Joe" Robinette Biden II the 46th American President - at 78 the oldest and, after John F. Kennedy, the second Catholic President.

Immediately, it is 11:51 a.m., Biden turns to the people, gives a 21-minute speech, precisely at the place where exactly two weeks ago an angry, extremist mob used violence and yelled at the election result.

"At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed," Biden opens his speech.

He speaks of a “day of democracy”, evokes hope and renewal.

One comes together as "an indivisible nation under God", as it is called in the oath of allegiance.

Biden thanks his predecessors from both parties who were present.

He especially thanks Jimmy Carter, the 96-year-old ex-president who is unable to attend due to illness.

Donald Trump's name leaves Biden unmentioned.

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It doesn't take long before Biden addresses the deadly coronavirus - the number of his victims now exceeds that of America's dead in World War II.

The president mentions other current threats to the US, white racism, as well as domestic terrorism.

All of this will be defeated.

His speech is reminiscent of much that Biden has said over and over again in recent years, for example when he announced his candidacy in Philadelphia in spring 2019.

Biden congratulates Vice President Kamala Harris after she was sworn in

Source: dpa

“With unity we can do great things, important things,” says Biden.

“This is our moment in history.

And unity is the way forward. ”In addition to Jimmy Carter, he mentions Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, his mother and father.

Biden doesn’t talk nicely about the US situation.

It refers to anger, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, illness, unemployment.

He knows that the forces of division are "deep and real".

But with unity one can achieve so much, such as overcoming the deadly virus, as the "

United

States of America", as Biden likes to emphasize.

Listen to each other, differences of opinion belong to America.

Democracy includes being able to peacefully disagree.

"I will be a president for all Americans," promises Biden: "I will fight for those who did not support me as well as for those who supported me." That could be the biggest difference to his predecessor.

Even if Biden does not mention Trump and who has long been in Florida at this hour, he is still present.

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For example, when Biden describes it as his task not only to defend the country, its constitution and democracy, but also to reject lies.

The world is looking at the USA.

Regarding foreign policy, Biden says he will rebuild the alliances that had been strained over the past four years.

“We can make America the leading force for good in the world again,” he says.

America was put to the test "and emerged stronger from it".

"We'll get through this together," says Biden, referring to the epidemic.

He wants to lead with the power of example.

At the end of the day, Biden, a devout Catholic, asked his audience to pray for silence for all who died as a result of the pandemic.

He tilts his head, pauses for a moment, then says, "Amen".

Now hope is needed, not fear;

Light, not darkness, also decency, dignity and the power to heal.

Joe Biden swears the oath of office, his hand on the family Bible held by his wife Jill

Source: dpa

The USA will experience what is perhaps the most unusual inauguration in its history this winter Wednesday.

Only a few people are present as a result of the pandemic, the event is not open to the public.

A few snowflakes will fall before the ceremony, then the sun will prevail.

A field full of American flags on the National Mall commemorates the more than 400,000 Covid deaths in the USA.

The congress members were allowed to bring a maximum of one person, the guests sit at a physical distance from each other.

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For security reasons, Biden had had to give up his plan to take the train from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington - just as he had done for decades as a senator and even as a vice president.

The Bidens flew to the capital on Tuesday.

They started their program in the evening with a souvenir of the Corona victims in front of the Lincoln Memorial, at the opposite end of the National Mall.

Also present: Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.

The Bidens stayed at the government guest house, the Blair House, near the White House.

They attended a service on Wednesday morning in Matthew's Cathedral, seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Washington.

The couple delayed their departure, initially waiting for Trump to finish his speech before his flight to Florida.

Biden knows the unwritten rules and norms of democracy, without which it cannot exist.

Before the ceremony began, it became clear that the non-partisan tradition is not dead yet.

Vice President Mike Pence and wife Karen attended the inauguration, as did the Republican leaders in Congress.

Pence had offered his successor Harris the use of "Air Force Two" even before inauguration.

On January 6th, the storm on the Capitol, Pence had led the certification of the election result in Congress, sealing his own defeat and the Trumps, so to speak.

Ex-President Barack Obama welcomes Kamala Harris

Source: AFP

Pence was greeted with bipartisan applause;

He stayed away from Trump's farewell at Andrews Air Base.

Ex-President Bill Clinton, four years younger than Biden, tried to talk to Pence.

The last President Barack Obama was cheered.

George W. Bush, his predecessor, was also present.

Later, the married couples Biden, Obama, Bush and Clinton wanted to visit Arlington National Cemetery - as a symbol of unity.

Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar highlighted the introduction of Harris as the first African-American, first Asian-American, first female vice president.

In America, "anything is possible," said Klobuchar, and that is an important sign for all children.

Like Klobuchar, Republican Senator Roy Blunt recalled the "attack on the Capitol" two weeks earlier.

The circumstances of this inauguration are "unprecedented".

A friend of the Biden family, Jesuit Father Leo O'Donovan, opened the ceremony with a prayer.

O'Donovan, who once lived in Münster in Westphalia and did his doctorate in theology there, invoked American patriotism, "with charity for all".

He asked God to help Biden in his quest for reconciliation.

Lady Gaga sings the national anthem

Source: REUTERS

Lady Gaga, wearing a voluminous red skirt, sang the national anthem, accompanied by the United States Marine Band.

The 34-year-old singer had already supported Biden in the election campaign.

A firefighter took the oath of loyalty.

Then, around 11:40 a.m., Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President.

Constitutional Judge Sonia Sotomayor faced her.

It is tradition that the Vice President takes the oath first.

In the event that something happens to the new president, a succession should be clearly arranged.

In an expressive performance, Jennifer Lopez sang the song "This land is your land, this land is my land".

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The ceremony ended after a closing prayer.

While still in the Capitol, Biden signed several proclamations, including the nomination of his ministers and other posts.

In the afternoon, three hours after Biden's oath, a “Parade through America” was on the program - with participants from all states and territories.

Musicians from the University of Delaware and Howard University Washington, where Biden and Harris had studied, had been selected to lead the presidential escort.

Your job: to escort Biden and Harris from 15th Street to the White House.

The heavily secured center of Washington

Source: AFP

The parade was to be moderated by actor, director and producer Tony Goldwyn and would include 1,391 virtual participants, 95 horses and nine dogs.

Biden and Harris wanted to pay tribute to actor Jon Stewart, the band Earth, Wind & Fire, figure skater Kaitlyn Saunders and several Olympic athletes.

The Coast Guard band would play, "heroes" from all over the country performing.

Such a resident doctor and a teacher who did extraordinary things in the epidemic, and a twelve-year-old trumpeter from Atlanta who had played all summer during the hospital staff's breaks to cheer them up.