Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States and Kamala Harris will take the oath of office for vice president at an inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20.
The inauguration will be held on the same risers in the same spot at the U.S. Capitol where a violent, pro-Trump mob descended last week.
Biden’s inauguration will look different from other presidential inaugurations because of last week’s riot, with extremely tight security around the entire capital region. At least 10,000 National Guard troops will be in place by Saturday. Some will be obvious: officers in uniforms, checkpoints, metal detectors, fencing. Some won’t.
And with the coronavirus pandemic still raging, social-distancing guidelines will be upheld. Instead of the inaugural parade past a reviewing stand in front of the White House, where Biden will be escorted, organizers plan to hold a televised “virtual parade across America.”
President Donald Trump will not be attending the inauguration, making him the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson to skip his successor’s swearing-in. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation’s peaceful transition.
