WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has reiterated his campaign vow of “restoring the soul of the future of America.”
In his inaugural address on Wednesday in Washington DC, he said, “Doing so requires so much more than words”.
Biden added that it requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy – that is unity.
“The forces that divide us are deep and they are real – but they are not new,” he said, adding, “The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.”
“Without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury,” he said.
He said he has a hard job ahead of him while outlining the biggest challenges facing his presidency – a devastating pandemic, a threatened environment, and massive job losses.
He called for racial justice, and a resurgence in political extremism.
President Biden spoke of the challenges that his administration will face, including the coronavirus pandemic along with the rise of “white supremacy”.
“We will confront and will defeat each obstacle,” he added.
He also called for more mutual respect in society, adding that unity is necessary for American greatness.
“Stop the shouting and lower the temperatures,” he said, adding that “without unity there is no peace”.
Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America at the US Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.
Biden, at 78, becomes America’s oldest leader ever after serving 36 years as a U.S. senator and eight as Vice President.
With this, he will take command of a deeply divided nation besides inheriting a multitude of crises.
The inaugural ceremony was taken in the Capitol surrounded by security forces reminiscent of those in a war zone; and devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Comment