January 20, 2021 will go down as one of the most historic days in American history. The 59th Presidential Inauguration was the first to take place during a global pandemic, and it saw the swearing in of the first female Vice President in American history.
The day kicked off shortly after 8am when former President Donald Trump departed from Washington for the last time as President. The Trumps boarded Marine One on the White House lawn, which took them to Joint Base Andrews where Air Force One was waiting to fly them to Florida.
This was only the fifth time in U.S. history where a living outgoing President did not attend his successor's Inauguration. The only other Presidents to do this were John Adams (1801), John Quincy Adams (1829), Martin Van Buren (1841), and Andrew Johnson (1869). On his way out, however, Trump left a note in the Resolute Desk for Biden, who would later go on to call Trump's words "generous." Despite this, Vice President Pence skipped Trump's sendoff, and instead attended the Inauguration.
Shortly after 11am, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their families arrived at the steps Capitol Building. The soon-to-be first and second couples then walked up the stairs together, accompanied by Inauguration co-chair and Minnesota Senator, Amy Klobuchar. At 11:19am, President-Elect Biden would make his way down to his seat, and remain there for the next half hour.
At 11:42am, history was made as Kamala Harris was officially sworn in as Vice President, making her the first female, first Black, and first south Asian person to hold the office. The oath was administered by Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, who became the first female to swear in a Vice President.
Then, at 11:48am, Joe Biden took the oath of office using a treasured Bible that has been in the Biden family for well over a hundred years. Immediately after being sworn in, President Biden delivered his inaugural speech to the nation, in which he preached unity, pledged to be a "president for all Americans," and promised to fight as hard for those who did not vote for him, as those who did.
As soon as the ceremony was over, President Biden got to work. Biden started his presidency by signing three documents, including the Inauguration Day Proclamation, as well as nominations for cabinet positions and sub-cabinet positions.
President Biden and Vice President Harris then headed over to Arlington, where they attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of an unknown soldier. The President and Vice President were accompanied to the event by three former Presidents in Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
On his way to the White House, President Biden walked the Inaugural parade, which had a limited crowd due to the pandemic. The President stopped along the route to greet familiar faces such as NBC's Al Roker, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Shortly after 4pm, President Biden entered the White House for the first time as President, and the first time since he left the office of Vice President four years prior. While this was going on, Vice President Harris carried out her first duty as President of the Senate, by swearing in three democratic senators, giving democrats the majority for the first time since 2011. The Vice President swore in Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, as well as Alex Padillia, who was filling the seat that Harris resigned from to take the job as Vice President. Harris described swearing in her replacement as "very weird."
Back at the White House, President Biden made his way to the Oval Office, where he immediately signed 17 executive orders. Most notably, these orders included a mask mandate on federal property, an end to the Muslim travel ban, and the re-entering of the United States into the Paris Climate agreement.
The rest of the night was filled with a virtual celebration, which included speeches from the President and Vice President, as well as musical performances by many celebrities. The night also included the first press-briefing of the Biden administration, which saw new White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki use a completely different tone and style than that of the Trump White House. Psaki said that the media will not be considered the "enemy of the people" under the Biden administration, and reiterated that disagreement is a party of democracy, but she will make sure to deliver facts to the American people.
Overall, Wednesday was a day that most people won't ever forget. We saw the swearing in of this nation's oldest President and first female Vice President. We also saw an outgoing President absent from an Inauguration for the first time since 1869, and the smallest crowd in recent Inauguration history due to a pandemic.