I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here. Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. Of light, not darkness. The 2007 song “American Anthem,” performed by Norah Jones and written by Gene Scheer, has become something of a Washington baby boomer staple. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength. I believe we must. From his opening words, President Biden made clear this would be a sober summons to service largely stripped of the rhetorical filigree often associated with inaugural addresses. Liberty. We will rise to the occasion is the question. See more moments from the inauguration . Full text: Joe Biden inauguration speech transcript "Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. President Joseph. Democracy is fragile. Biden's inauguration address 22:16. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. Mr. Biden deployed this exact phrase, “dark winter,” at his final debate against Mr. Trump to hammer his predecessor for failing to take the pandemic seriously. President Joe Biden delivers an address during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2021. If we show a little tolerance and humility. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. On March 3, 1913 — the day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat — thousands of women, including a contingent of Black suffragists, were blocked from marching to the Capitol by a crowd of curious onlookers and male hecklers who opposed their demands for voting rights. Mr. Biden is picking up the mantle of Mr. Obama here. We can overcome the deadly virus. The memo allows Justice Department prosecutors to more easily use the tool, which mandates changes at some police departments and other agencies. Here, then, is Mr. Biden’s winning 2020 message in a distilled paragraph: Accept the magnitude of the pandemic, summon the nation to fight it, attack racial injustice (justice “deferred” evokes the Rev. Not ever. Thinking about their families, about what comes next. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. America has been tested anew, and America has risen to the challenge. The people, the will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. And I promise you that this, as the Bible said, weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. President Biden used his Inaugural Address to urge Americans to come together to take on the challenges ahead. As my mom would say just for a moment, stand in their shoes. This is America’s day. See one another. And we’ll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. I know the forces that divide us are deep, and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Mr. Trump is said to be considering the creation of a new “Patriot Party” to compete with Republicans. We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation. Can Democrats really expand the Supreme Court? I will defend the Constitution. Lies told for power and for profit. Mr. Biden never mentions Mr. Trump by name. That is what we owe our forebears, one another, and generations to follow. Entertainment. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit, and each of us has a duty and a responsibility — as citizens, as Americans and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and defeat the lies. Look, you all know, we’ve been through so much in this nation, and my first act as president I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all of those we lost this past year to the pandemic. Look, folks, all my colleagues I serve with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today. We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together. Let me know in my heart when my days are through. Let’s add — let’s us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. In each of these moments, enough of us, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward, and we can do that now. Folks, this is a time of testing. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. It’s time for boldness for there is so much to do. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear; of unity, not division; of light, not darkness; a story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America’s role in the world. There is truth and there are lies. You can watch a video of him giving his speech. That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. Free food and tickets: How China’s trying to boost lagging vaccination rates. “Disunion” is a startling word to hear from an American president in the post-Civil War era, but its inclusion — when added to Mr. Biden’s references to Lincoln — indicates the seriousness of the threat he sees in the current discord. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. Mr. Trump steadfastly refused to say he would accede to the peaceful transfer of power — and here Mr. Biden declares, curtly and defiantly, that the process has been successfully completed without his predecessor’s participation. Let us listen to one another. But some have quit the job hunt. When he put pen to paper, the president said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”. Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? Rehearsals were scheduled for Sunday and Monday (Jan 17th and 18th) but were To all of those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward, take a measure of me and my heart. Look, you all know we’ve been through so much in this nation. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Mr. Biden used his favorite expression — “folks” — only a couple of times in this speech, a sign of his determination to stay serious and on script. Up Next. May this be the story that guides us. Copy link. This is the section of Mr. Biden’s speech — his call for Americans to reject misinformation and embrace facts — that was expanded and fortified in the days after the Capitol riot, several of his aides said. It’s time for boldness, for there is so much to do. Share. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. (Kent Nishimura / … Of unity, not division. We can put people to work in good jobs. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. This is a great nation. The Inauguration of Joe Biden I January 20, 2021. And, we can do so now. We can overcome this deadly virus. Gen. Merrick Garland rescinded Friday restrictions on Justice Department’s use of consent decrees to force police departments to reform. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. Honor. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We can deliver racial justice, and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world. President Joe Biden speaks during at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. We have never ever, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together, and so today at this time in this place, let’s start off fresh, all of us. Joe Biden delivers his inauguration speech after being sworn in as the 46th US president on 20 January 2021. I’ll defend America. I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail. Copy link. Litman: Want more gun control? There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. Info. Of love and of healing. And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh. The Constitution leaves it to Congress to decide on how many justices will serve on the Supreme Court. From January 1, 2021 to Inauguration Day more than 194k stories were published across traditional and online media, globally. (He called the racist riot in Charlottesville in 2017 “a battle for the soul of this nation.”) His definition of “soul” is rhetorically elastic, but most often, as here, it comprises unity, respect for democracy and personal empathy. America has to be better than this, and I believe America is so much better than this. Today on this January day, my whole soul is in this. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. All of us. Ask her about Prince, Freddie Mercury and her extensive Funko Pop collection. But the American story depends not in any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, “If my name ever goes down into history, it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”. We can teach our children in safe schools. We stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome as was mentioned earlier completed amid the Civil War when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Thank you, America. Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. This is democracy’s day. We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts if we show a little tolerance and humility and if we are willing to stand in the other person’s shoes as my mom would say just for a moment stand in their shoes because here’s the thing about life, there’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. I understand they worry about their jobs. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. In using “patriot,” Mr. Biden is trying to reclaim a resonant term in American history connected with the nation’s founders that has been appropriated in recent years by the right. The invocation of America’s soul is at the heart of nearly every major Biden speech. Biden's Inauguration Day speech, annotated By Zachary B. Wolf and Curt Merrill, CNN Published January 20, 2021 Read Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration speech transcript Joe Biden speaks after being sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. Senate Bill 93 requires employers in hospitality and business services industries to offer new positions for similar work to employees laid off during the pandemic. It echoed, in a muted way, President George W. Bush’s summons in his 2005 inaugural address to confront violent Islamic extremists. To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. So, I ask you let’s say a silent prayer for those who’ve lost their lives and those left behind and for our country. I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington. Watching the ceremony, it was clear the messaging from the commander-in-chief couldn't be more different than in was back in 2017, when Trump was sworn in. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. The 2021 inauguration was faked. The biggest lie, in the view of Mr. Biden, is Mr. Trump’s false claims that the election had been stolen. The leaders’ talks Friday focused on economic and security threats from China, as well as climate change and deterring nuclear-armed North Korea. See below the transcript of his full inauguration speech: Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America’s day. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, and to drive us from this sacred ground. Together. Disease, joblessness, hopelessness. To all of those who supported our campaign, I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. I believe we will. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. Look, folks, all of my colleagues I have served with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today, so here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. It did not happen; it will never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do. We will get through this together, together. And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans. COVID-19, immigration, and climate change are top priorities for his first day in office. I promise you we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. Read the full transcript of his inauguration speech. And this is certain. A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country. We can teach our children in safe schools. Before God and all of you I give you my word. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. With unity, we can do great things, important things. This is democracy’s day. 2021 Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris | WSJ. Capitol in washington, d.c., jan. Joe biden and kamala harris take office. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. (AP) Full text of US President Joe Biden’s inaugural speech The dilemma in pausing J&J vaccine over risk of blood clots: Will it save lives or cost them? Mr. Biden, a Catholic who attended a Mass in Washington before his inauguration, has been known to invoke his faith not only in speeches but in day-to-day planning and policy conversations with staff. And uniting our nation. Shopping. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. Republican leaders diverge on Trump, putting party in limbo. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured. What are the common objects we as Americans love that define us as Americans? We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. While China pushes a complacent population toward vaccination, a health official’s suggestion to mix vaccines broaches sensitive political territory. Much to heal. Eva Longoria gave a rousing opening speech offering hope as she presented the Official Latino Inaugural 2021 on Tuesday evening. Don’t tell me things can’t change. On we, the people who seek a more perfect union. Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy. To restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union. Opportunity. Share. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart.