A Brief Reflection on the Biden Inauguration (op-ed)

(Image credit: NBC News)

Joseph R. Biden is now the 46th President of the United States. It's not an exaggeration to say that he has spent his life fighting for this moment. Biden has previously run for President in 1988, 2008, and now, 2020. President Biden is entering his office in a time of domestic and foreign strife. Biden is inheriting an economic recession, a pandemic, and a politically divided America among many other challenges. A lot is expected of him, his administration, and the Democrats, who currently hold a majority in both houses of Congress after Vice-President Kamala Harris swore in the newly elected/appointed senators. Of the many who feel disenfranchised in America, all of them expect Biden to shoulder the burden where the previous Trump administration failed. In his Inaugural speech, he preached a message of unity and bi-partisanship. This is certainly a contrast from the "America First" rhetoric we heard in Trump's speech just four years ago. He's pledged to be an "American President" rather than just a democrat. His broader appeal is aimed to bring both sides of the aisle together even in the face of rising division between the two parties. He aims to be just the opposite of the divisive figure that was our 45th President.

Going off that point, on his first day in office he introduced a series of executive orders that were meant to reverse some of the more controversial policies of the Trump Administration. Several of these executive orders will make changes to the U.S. response to COVID-19 and try to ease some of the financial strain on Americans resulting from the pandemic. One notable change is a new mask mandate on federal property. Other executive orders directly target and undo Former President-Trump's actions on the environment, immigration, the U.S. census, and regulatory changes. Specifically, Biden has moved to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords and stop the construction of the border wall. According to sources within the Biden Administration regarding the recent executive orders, "In the coming days and weeks, we will be announcing additional executive actions that confront these challenges and deliver on the President-elect's promises to the American people, including revoking the ban on military service by transgender Americans, and reversing the Mexico City policy."

Biden was eagerly motivated to begin issuing executive orders saying, "I thought there's no time to wait. Get to work immediately." President Biden seems to be getting off to a strong start on his first 100 days in office. It looks like he intends to make do on his promises and lead the country out of the dark state that it is in. And as far as I am concerned, he seems like just the man to do it. Personally, I'm really interested to see how this administration will differentiate itself from the Trump administration and its tactics. I see a lot of potential in his cabinet picks and his domestic policies. I for one am looking forward to the next four years.