President Joe Biden is kicking off his term with a message of appreciation for democracy.
“We celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded,” Biden said after he was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States.
He added, “We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile and at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”
Watch his remarks below:
“Democracy has prevailed,” Biden says #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/q2FYcZYDyd
— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) January 20, 2021
Biden was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday, as IJR reported.
Before Biden was sworn in, Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
President Donald Trump left for Florida in the morning after delivering remarks at Joint Base Andrews, as IJR also reported.
He wished the Biden administration “great luck and great success.”
ABC’s Jon Karl told George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday Trump left a note for Biden.
“That’s what we are told. He left a note in the Oval Office for Joe Biden. As I mentioned… a friend of the president’s who spoke to him last night believed he did,” Karl said.
He continued, “Now we have confirmed, in fact, he left the note. What that note said, George, we don’t know.”
Biden is entering office in the face of a raging pandemic.
He, along with Harris, visited the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday night to honor the victims of COVID-19.
“To heal, we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation. That’s why we are here today,” Biden said.
He went on, “Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all who we lost.”
Harris followed with her prayers for the nation moving forward.
“For many months, we have grieved by ourselves. Tonight, we grieve and begin healing together. Though we may be physically separated, we the American people are united in spirit,” Harris said.
She added, “My abiding hope, my abiding prayer, is that we emerge from this ordeal with a new wisdom… to cherish simple moments, to imagine new possibilities, and to open our hearts just a little bit more to one another.”