19:21 (IST)
Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews
At the Joint Base Andrews, Trump listed a series of achievements he claimed for his administration, including creating the US Space Force, tax cuts, and his repeated that he built the greatest economy the US has ever seen, reported The Guardian.He described the development of a coronavirus vaccine in nine months as “a medical miracle”, although in truth the US is not the only country to have aided the development of vaccines in such short order.
19:16 (IST)
Trump revoked ethics ban on aides before leaving White House
In the midst of last minute Executive Orders signed overnight, President Donald Trump revoked a rule he signed early in his term that included a five-year lobbying ban for administration officials and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign governments, reported CNN. Trump had signed the order "Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Appointees" within his first week in office as part of his campaign promise to "drain the swamp" in Washington.
The January 28, 2017 executive order required appointees to pledge that they will not "engage in lobbying activities with respect" to the executive agency they were appointed to serve within five years after "termination of their employment" – effectively allowing them to lobby other areas.
18:58 (IST)
Biden's speech 'forward looking', won't mention Trump
Two of the Biden administration’s top communications officials have described the incoming president’s inaugural address as a forward-looking speech that will make little to no mention of his predecessor, reports news agency The Associated Press. Communications director Kate Bedingfield told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that President-elect Joe Biden’s address would “speak to the moment that we are in, but it will also lay out a vision for the future.” Biden press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN that Biden’s inaugural address is “definitely not a speech about Donald Trump” and she “wouldn’t expect” to hear about him in it. Bedingfield said Biden had not had any contact with the outgoing president.
18:53 (IST)
Donald Trump departs from White House
As per reports, Donald Trump has left the White House for the last time as president, hours before Joe Biden will be sworn in to office. According to the Guardian, he is headed to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for a “sending off” ceremony . Speaking to reporters, he said he had accomplished a lot in office and that he and his wife Melania loved the American people. After the ceremony at the military base , Trump will proceed to Florida to his Mar-a-Lago resort.
This is the first time in more than a century that a sitting president has rejected the tradition of attending his successor’s inauguration.
18:44 (IST)
Joe Biden to be sworn in as 46th US president
Joe Biden will take the oath of office at noon (10.30 pm IST) on Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. The inauguration unfolds at a US Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago, encircled by security forces evocative of those in a war zone, and devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Inauguration Latest Updates: Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris will take oath as the first woman Vice President on Wednesday, amidst heightened security concerns after a mob of pro-Trump extremists violently breached the Capitol two weeks ago.
Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to 78-year-old Biden just after the clock strikes 12 local time (10.30 pm IST) at the West Front of the Capitol — the traditional location for presidential inaugural ceremonies.
The historic inauguration will be held under the unprecedented security umbrella of more than 25,000 National Guards, who have transformed the capital into a garrison city, mainly because of the threat of more violent protests by the supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump, who is skipping the event.
Biden will take the oath on his 127-year-old family Bible, which will be held by his wife, Jill Biden.
Biden, who will be the oldest president in American history, will deliver his first presidential address to the country shortly after taking the oath. The historic speech, with the theme of unity and healing, has been prepared by his Indian-American speech writer Vinay Reddy.
Harris, 56, will be sworn in as 49th Vice President of the United States by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina member of the Supreme Court. She will make history as the first female, first Black, and first Indian American vice president of the United States.
Harris will be sworn in on two Bibles — one that belonged to a close family friend named Regina Shelton and another that belonged to Thurgood Marshall —the country's first African American Supreme Court justice.
The ceremony is likely to be attended by former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton. Former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton are also set to attend the event.
Trump, a Republican, has said he will not attend the inauguration. He, however, extended "best wishes" to new administration in a farewell video address on Tuesday.
"We extend our best wishes, and we also want them to have luck - a very important word," Trump, 74, said on the eve of his departure from the White House for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
This year the transition stands out for its acrimony. The process usually starts straight after the election, but it started weeks late after Trump refused to accept the result of the 3 November election won by Biden, a Democrat.
The scaled-down inauguration is expected to begin around 11 am (local time) with an invocation by Leo Jeremiah O'Donovan, a Jesuit priest who is a close friend of the Biden family. Andrea Hall, the first African American female firefighter to become captain of the Fire Rescue Department in South Fulton, Georgia, will recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem and Amanda Gorman, who became the country's first Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, will read a poem she has written for the occasion called "The Hill We Climb." She would be followed by a performance by actress-singer Jennifer Lopez.
Silvester Beaman, pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware, will deliver a benediction.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Biden and Harris will attend a traditional Pass in Review with members of the military on the East Front of the Capitol, signifying the peaceful transfer of power to a new commander-in-chief.
Biden, Harris and their spouses will visit Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, where they will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
After the wreath ceremony, they will head to the White House, where they will get a presidential escort. That will kick off the virtual "Parade Across America," featuring performances from all 56 states and territories.
Traditionally, when the new president arrives at the Oval Office and occupies the chair in front of the resolute desk, a letter from his predecessor awaits him. Given the circumstances that Trump is leaving, speculation is rife that there might not be any letter at all. Trump not only refused to concede the elections for more than two months, but also did not invite his successor to the White House as is the custom.
At night, Biden is forgoing the traditional inaugural balls because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he will instead take part in a television event called "Celebrating America."
Biden enters the White House with the top challenge to lift the country from the devastation of a raging pandemic that has killed more than 4,00,000 Americans and thrown millions into economic distress. Revival of the economy, which has been badly bruised by the pandemic, is another challenge that he faces.
Meanwhile, the American capital has been virtually turned into a garrison city, amidst multiple reports of threats and more armed violence by pro-Trump supporters to disrupt the events.
The area in and around Capitol Hill, a large part of Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House has been made out of bounds for the general public with eight-feet high iron barricades being erected.
In addition to converting downtown Washington DC into a fortress, security in and around 50 State Capitols has also been put on high alert to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
US defence officials say they are also worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing Biden's inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops deployed for the event.
Via Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/2Nairz4
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