It is a transfer of power strewn with pitfalls for Joe Biden, who officially succeeded Donald Trump at the White House, Wednesday, January 20.
On the one hand, the 46th President of the United States is urged by part of the Americans to mark a break as clear as possible with his predecessor.
On the other hand, the most pro-Trump fringe of the population has still not accepted the defeat of its champion and can, at the slightest provocation, show violence as it demonstrated during the assault on the Capitol on January 6.
Joe Biden thinks he can perform this high-risk political balancing act.
He did not fail to highlight his ability to work with Republicans during the campaign for the Democratic primary and has repeated over and over since his victory that he wants to be the president of all Americans.
But, from words to deeds, how can he go about keeping everyone happy in a country that is politically and socially more divided than ever?
The shock of unraveling Trump's legacy
This is the main challenge of this beginning of mandate, recognizes Jean-Éric Branaa, specialist of the United States at the University of Paris II and author of "Trumpland, portrait of a divided America", contacted by France 24. This concern to break without hurting has already "been the common thread of the composition of his government", recalls this expert.
Faced with the image of a Trump administration marked by appointments of relatives not always qualified for their position and dominated by the figure of the white and rich male, Joe Biden's future cabinet "meets two requirements: competence and diversity", underlines Jean-Éric Branaa.
Former Fed chief to take charge of finances, veteran diplomacy becomes secretary of state, while transgender first returns to government (pediatrician Rachel Levine as deputy health minister) .
Additionally, more than half of its transition team is made up of women and people of color.
However, most of this new team is politically at the center.
Not enough to scare conservative voters.
Republicans, on the other hand, may find it more difficult to swallow the first days of the Biden presidency.
"It will be the time to unravel the Trump legacy and the shock will be violent," confirms Jean-Éric Branaa.
The new president has already announced that he will take 17 steps as soon as he takes office to reverse his predecessor's most shocking decisions in the eyes of Democrats.
He will put an end to the "Muslim ban", bring the United States back to the club of signatory countries of the Paris climate agreement, or even regularize the situation of the "Dreamers", these children of migrants who came illegally to the United States. United.
It is difficult not to tackle this task, as it appears essential for the Democratic electorate.
But Joe Biden does not forget the opposite camp.
He intends to complete his major cleaning of the Trumpian stables in two weeks.
The idea is to turn the page as quickly as possible "to move on to the appeasement phase of his mandate as soon as possible", analyzes Jean-Éric Branaa.
Weapons to appease
According to him, Joe Biden intends to calm the spirits by first putting a little order in the organization of powers in the United States.
Gone are the days of the president who, like Donald Trump, thinks he can do anything.
"It will rehabilitate the role of Congress and ensure that the separation of powers is well respected," notes the researcher from the University of Paris II.
It is the strategy of appeasement by a return to institutional normality.
At the same time, he intends to use the economic weapon to stroke Donald Trump's voters in the direction of the hair.
It is no political coincidence that "his recovery plan is very strongly focused on supporting the middle and underprivileged classes," notes Jean-Éric Branaa.
It is in these categories of the population, frustrated to see their purchasing power decrease in an increasingly unequal country, that Donald Trump recruited the majority of his voters.
Joe Biden also had the political intelligence to choose a unifying theme for his first steps in foreign policy: China.
In this area, "it is placed in the continuity of its predecessor", underlines Jean-Éric Branaa.
Antony Blinken, who is to become the next Secretary of State, acknowledged on Tuesday January 19 that Donald Trump had "reason to be tough on China", while Janet Yellen, future Secretary of the Treasury, assured that Washington would use "all the tools at its disposal to counter unfair business practices" from Beijing.
Statements that are sure to reassure supporters of Donald Trump, who have been showered with anti-Beijing diatribes for four years.
Elements difficult to master
But he will hardly be able to play the big unites on all subjects.
What, for example, about the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, which represents one of the most urgent files of the new administration?
Democrats are overwhelmingly in favor of social distancing measures, while the mere idea of wearing a mask appears to supporters of Donald Trump as an intolerable attack on their individual freedom.
Joe Biden knows he is advancing in minefield on this subject and has opted to make it mandatory to wear the mask only in federal buildings and spaces.
It's better than nothing, but maybe already too much for the Conservatives ...
The new president has also been particularly eager to postpone immigration issues and racial tensions.
It will thus instruct each administration to assess the impact on racial inequalities of their programs and to propose solutions in the next… 200 days.
Finally, there are the things Joe Biden can't master.
Starting with Donald Trump who promised, when he left the White House, to "come back one way or another".
Will he found a new party?
A new medium?
No matter: his shadow may still weigh heavily on the efforts of the new president to appease the country.
It is also difficult to anticipate the reaction of the ultra-conservative media - from Fox News to Newsmax - which have done so much to preach the Trumpian good word.
External forces which could also contribute to bring down the balancing act Joe Biden, even if he managed to make a clear course.
And in the current explosive social context in the United States, if the new president fails to rally, the consequences can be severe.
The Capitol police can attest to this.
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