Just before 11 am Wednesday morning, Joe Biden was officially sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America.
Despite several mounting concerns stemming from the riots at the Capitol building two weeks ago and even additional security forces being brought in for the inauguration ceremony, the event passed without incident or interruption. Lyon County Republican Party Chair Peggy Mast says she was not surprised by this.
Mast explained that she believes the riots incited at the US Capitol on Jan. 6 were largely induced by members of Antifa disguised as Trump supporters, even though the FBI quickly debunked the theory Antifa was involved in the riot to any degree. She says with no Antifa members apparently present at the inauguration it is understandable the event passed without an incident.
Two-time Lyon County Democratic Convention representative Jeremy Dorsey says he feels the overwhelming presence of military and law enforcement served as a natural deterrent to any forms of the unrest Wednesday. Dorsey also believes it is important to show that those who perpetrated violence at the Capitol building two weeks ago are not a fair representation of all Republicans.
When asked if she believes the recent civil unrest is likely to calm down following the inauguration of President Biden, Mast stated she knows of many “patriots” who “have no desire” for violence. However; she stated that there are “other people who were making a lot of progress by acts of violence prior to the election,” However, she did not cite any specific individuals or organizations.
Mast says it is her prediction that those individuals will begin to commit acts of violence in an attempt to overthrow the government in the near future.
Dorsey believes while the civil unrest will likely not simply disappear, he is hopeful that the majority of Trump supporters who have contested the legitimacy of the election are beginning to accept the results as they are and are beginning to move past the election cycle.
Dorsey says thankfully the only historic event that took place Wednesday was the inauguration of the nation’s 46th President and the first black, Asian and female Vice-President Kamala Harris.
During his inauguration address, President Biden stated to the citizens of the United States, “The answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do or don’t get their news from the same source as you do,” Biden said. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.”
Noon Wednesday: Biden, Harris inaugurated; new president urges unity
(ABC News) In a hopeful inaugural address, which included extending an olive branch to those Americans who didn’t support him, Biden said — with a united front — the nation will go on from this day to “write the next chapter in American history.”
“My fellow Americans, I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word, I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America,” Biden said.
“I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal injuries but the public good. 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,” Biden continued.
Biden received over 81 million votes in the election, but throughout his remarks he reached across the aisle, asking those 74 million who didn’t vote for him to measure him by his heart, saying he would fight for them just as much as for those who supported him — repeating a promise Biden made on the campaign trail.
Biden also addressed his “fellow Americans” who may view the future with fear and trepidation — but called on them not to turn inwards in difficult times.
“The answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do or don’t get their news from the same source as you do,” Biden said. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus — rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.”
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the oath of office — becoming first woman, first Black woman and first South Asian American to assume the office of vice president. Harris, 56, the daughter of immigrants, said she was “filled with a sense of purpose and hope” leading up to the inauguration.
“Our country is on a path to heal and to rebuild,” she said in a message posted on social media Monday. “Of course, that doesn’t mean the road ahead is going to be easy. Our nation continues to face challenges, from the coronavirus pandemic to this economic recession, from our climate crisis to a long-overdue reckoning with racial injustice, to healing and strengthening the democracy that we all cherish.”
Fears of an attack on the inauguration proceedings after the US Capitol insurrection Jan. 6 have not come to fruition so far. Over 25,000 National Guard servicemen and servicewomen were deployed to Washington, DC, over the past week, and security was extraordinarily heavy at and near the building.
