Consider This from NPR - President Biden Hails 'Democracy's Day' In Unprecedented Transfer Of Power

Episode Date: January 20, 2021

"Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew," President Biden said in his inaugural address on Wednesday. "And America has risen to the challenge." Outgoing Vice President Pence was present for the inauguration of the 46th president. President Trump was not. He left the White House in the morning after an overnight issuance of commutations and pardons — including for Steve Bannon, his former adviser who was arrested on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports on what President Biden did during his first day in office. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [e-mail] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., do solemnly swear I, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute that I will faithfully execute There's never been a transfer of power like the one that unfolded on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution of the United States. So help you God. So help me God. Congratulations, Mr. Brown. Just before noon Eastern time, Joe Biden, after winning the presidency with the most votes of any candidate in history, became the oldest president ever to hold the office. This is America's day. This is democracy's day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve.

Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew, and America has risen to the challenge. In his inaugural address, Biden spoke to a national mall filled not with cheering supporters, but decorated with hundreds of thousands of small flags stuck in the grass representing American states and territories. Behind him sat Kamala Harris, the first woman and first person of Black or Indian heritage ever elected vice president. Former presidents, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress sat in socially distanced chairs on the same inaugural stage that was trashed by rioters just two weeks ago. Biden, who will now face the historic challenge of a pandemic, called for unity and did not mention his predecessor by name. We're entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.

We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation. One nation. And I promise you this, as the Bible says, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this together. Together. Consider this. An unprecedented presidency is over. A new one has begun in unprecedented fashion. Coming up, more from today's historic events in Washington, D.C., and what President Biden did on his first day in power. From NPR, I'm Audie Cornish. It's Wednesday, January 20th. This message comes from NPR sponsor Comcast.

Since 2011, Comcast has connected more than 4 million students from low-income families to the Internet. Now, they're launching more than 1,000 Wi-Fi-connected lift zones across the country. More at Comcast.com slash education. President Biden campaigned on uniting the country. He now takes office just weeks after a pro-Trump insurrection. The NPR Politics Podcast is there every day to break down the transition of power as Biden takes the reins in Washington. It's Consider This from NPR. In his inaugural address, President Joe Biden invoked another president in another January, Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation on New Year's Day in 1863.

When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, if my name ever goes down into history, it'll be for this act. And my whole soul is in it. My whole soul is in it. Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this, bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Again and again in his speech, the president tied America's ability to overcome challenges with its ability to unify. He called for an end to what he described as America's, quote, uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. And he challenged the idea that change was not possible. Here we stand, looking out in the Great Mall, where Dr. King spoke of his dream.

Here we stand, where 108 108 years ago at another inaugural. Thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today, we mark the swearing in of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. Don't tell me things can't change. One thing Biden didn't do in his speech was thank his predecessor for facilitating a peaceful transfer of power. New presidents typically do. Instead, Biden spoke about the mob that descended on the Capitol exactly two weeks ago. We've learned again that democracy is precious.

Democracy is fragile, and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now, on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation. We come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. Beyond President Biden's speech itself, January 20th was a remarkable day to take in. In some ways, things played out as they do any time a new president is being inaugurated. And here is President-elect Biden and soon-to-be First Lady Jill Biden. There was Joe Biden in the morning, exiting the Blair House. That's the residence across

the street from the White House where incoming presidents spend the night. Lord Jesus, you came to bring us to one another and to the Father. Lord, have mercy. There was Joe Biden attending church, where he was accompanied by House and Senate leaders, both Democrats and Republicans. And there was the usual pomp and circumstance of the inaugural itself, a national anthem performed by, in this case, Lady Gaga. And there was a reading from inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, just 22 years old, the youngest in history. Being American is more than a pride we inherit.

It's the past we step into and how we repair it. Those were some of the traditional parts of the day. What was not traditional was an outgoing president who checked out of the peaceful transfer of power as no modern president ever has. Donald and Melania Trump exited the White House a little after 8 a.m. He said a few words to a group of reporters before boarding Marine One. I just want to say goodbye, but hopefully it's not a long-term goodbye. We'll see each other again. Thank you all very much. The group shouted questions about whether Trump left Joe Biden a note.

Reportedly, he did. In the overnight hours, Trump had also issued 143 pardons and commutations, including for Steve Bannon, his former advisor arrested for fraud and money laundering. And at 1 a.m., Trump released an order revoking his own ethics rule, enacted in 2017, that banned members of his administration from serving as lobbyists over the next five years. The outgoing president traveled to Joint Base Andrews, where he made unscripted remarks in front of staff and invited guests. I wish the new administration great luck and great success.

I think they'll have great success. They have the foundation to do something really spectacular. And again, we put it in a position like it's never been before. Trump thanked his family for their work in the White House. He boasted about the stock market, cutting regulations and confirming judges, and said, quote, we left it all on the field. Then he spoke his last words in public as the 45th president. So have a good life. We will see you soon. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

And then they left for Florida on Air Force One, in the final hours that the plane would bear the designation with Trump on board. The last time a sitting president skipped inauguration was in 1869. With the oath sworn and his speech delivered, President Biden's work begins on what he called a, quote, time of testing. A raging virus, growing inequity, a sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. America's role in the world, any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. White House correspondent Franco Ordonez spent Wednesday at the White House. As Biden wrapped up the day's ceremonies, Franco spoke to NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the new president's plans for his first day of work. Before we get to the executive actions and everything else,

you're at the White House today. What's it like? What's the mood? You know, this morning I saw the now former President Trump's aides saying their final goodbyes. They were doing their last bit of cleanup. But at noon, as soon as President Biden was sworn in, one of the first things that we saw here at the White House was the website switching over. And then they also took over the POTUS Twitter account. Biden's first tweet, by the way, was that there's no time to waste. You know, and soon after that, photos of the Bidens were actually being put up on walls inside the West Wing that had been left bare. And then staff started to show up. They were getting their

computers set up, saying hellos. It all moved very fast. And soon Biden arrived at the White House. All right. So let's get to the work ahead. We heard there his policy priorities. COVID-19, the economy, climate, racial justice. These are huge things, not things anybody can fix in a day. What can he do on day one? Right. Huge issues. Well, his chief of staff and other top advisors told us last night that he plans to sign 17 executive auctions today from the Oval Office. And these are things that he's been talking about for a while. He's going to require people to wear masks in federal buildings, for example.

He will officially rejoin the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. He's going to revoke a ban that Trump had on diversity training. And he's also going to stop construction of the border wall and the Keystone pipeline. But some of these orders are actually just to get the ball rolling on things that are going to take more time. Just for example, like they've identified more than a hundred of Trump's environmental rollbacks to reverse, and that actual reversal will take some more work. Right, because to accomplish a lot of things on his agenda, he's going to need some help from Congress. What is top of his legislative agenda?

Well, today he's planning to send a comprehensive immigration proposal to the Hill. This was something that he promised to do on day one. It will offer a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country. And because of that, before the bill even got to the Hill, we saw one senator say he will put a hold on Biden can marshal some kind of unity is his proposal for a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. That plan would cover vaccines, economic relief for families, and he says it's all desperately needed. In the immediate hours and then coming days, we know that there's not going to be a traditional inaugural ball, but there'll be some celebration tonight. And then what is top on Biden's calendar just for these next few days? Well, we're told to expect more executive orders every day out through next week and beyond. And next month, President Biden will propose another recovery bill to Congress. This one will involve spending on things like infrastructure,

manufacturing, research and development. And he's got big plans and a big shift for U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy. NPR White House correspondent, Franco Ordonez. You're listening to Consider This from NPR. I'm Audie Cornish.