How Joe Bidens inauguration ceremony will be different from Donald Trumps?

Joe Biden will
be sworn-in as the 46th President of the United States in the 59th
Inaugural Ceremonies to be held on January 20, marking the first day of a new
Presidential term.

Although the
78-year-old Democrat will utter the same words – “I do solemnly swear (or
affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States…So
help me God” – as Presidents have in taking the oath of office since 1884, this
year’s ceremony is set to be starkly different from the one four years ago.

Here is how
Biden’s inauguration will be contrasting to Trump’s:

Curbed audience and virtual events:

Among the
many controversies Donald Trump stoked in the build-up to and during his first
few days in office were claims of large masses gathered for his swearing-in
ceremony on the traditional January 20 Inauguration Day. A day after his
inauguration, Trump claimed there were a “million, million and a half” people
“packed” in the National Mall during the ceremony.

While the
audience for Trump’s ceremony was significantly smaller compare to Barack Obama’s,
it will still be larger compared to Biden’s, with the Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), the organiser of the event, confirming
a much scaled-down ceremony this year in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also Read | Biden inauguration to focus on unity, with strong turnout of ex-presidents

Members of
Congress usually get up to 200,000 tickets to distribute among their
constituents, however, this year, each member will just the two, one for
themselves and a guest, The Washington Post reported.

For Biden
and the JCCIC, the priority is to secure the health-safety of Americans, having
urged people not to travel to the capital and attend the ceremony. The viewing
stands along the parade route have been taken down this year, and the ‘pass in
review’ ceremony – which entails the newly sworn-in commander-in-chief
inspecting the troops – will be held virtually instead of the usual parade from
Pennsylvania avenue to the White House.

Absence of outgoing President:

Another
major change this year will be absence of the outgoing president. Traditionally
the outgoing president escorts the incoming one to the White House and the two
then ride together in the same vehicle to the Capitol Building for the swearing-in
ceremony.

However, Trump
announced on January 8 that he will not attend Biden’s inauguration ceremony, a
decision which will make him only the fourth president in American history to boycott
the event.

John Adams,
John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson are the other three to have done the same,
with the last one of those being in 1869.

Two other Presidents, Martin Van
Buren and Woodrow Wilson, also missed their successors inauguration, but their
absences were down to health and other reasons and were not seen as an outright
snub.

Heightened Security:

The unprecedented
attack on the US Capitol Building on January 6, when an angry mob of Trump
supporters stormed an ongoing Congressional session to certify Biden’s
electoral victory, has heightened concerns over Biden’s inauguration.

Also Read | Donald Trump denies all responsibility for the US Capitol violence ahead of potential impeachment

Apart from
a shocking lack of preparedness on part of the Capitol Police, there was a lapse in intervention as rioters wreaked havoc throughout the building
before the mayhem was brought to an end.

In
anticipation of another such attack on January 20, the Secret Service, along with
federal law enforcement agencies, has launched an unprecedented security mobilisation,
The Washington Post reported.

As many as 15,000 National Guard troops and thousands
of police and tactical officers will back the Secret Service agents in securing
the US Capitol and other federal buildings.

No congressional luncheon:

Among the comprehensive
COVID-19 measures being imposed this year is the cancellation of the congressional
luncheon, a symbol of bipartisanship where lawmakers formally welcome their new
President and Vice-President.

It was initially
set to be conducted changed format, although after consulting with Biden’s
team, the JCCIC concluded cancelling the activity was in the best interests,
according to a Bloomberg report.

Memorial for COVID-19 victims:

A day before
Biden being sworn-in as the 46th President, the JCCIC will honour
the over 381,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the coronavirus
pandemic since its onset in December, 2019.

Also Read | Who will perform at Joe Biden’s Presidential inauguration?

The
memorial will include a lighting ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting
Pool in Washington, the first-ever lighting ceremony to commemorate American
lives lost around the Reflecting Pool.

Churches
around the country have also been invited to ring bells at 5:30 pm to pay
tribute in moment of national unity.