America will get the 46th President today. Democrat Joseph R. Biden Jr., ie Joe Biden (78), will take the oath of office of America. The program will be held in Capitol Hill i.e. US Parliament on Wednesday at 12 noon local time (10.30 PM Indian time). Biden will take the oath of office in just 35 words. The ceremony will not be as grand as this time. Due to Coronavirus, the crowd will not gather. This time only one thousand to 1200 people will be able to take part in the oath taking. There will be a strict health protocol for all guests.
This will be the first time that a threat is being felt by the Americans in the President’s swearing-in program in America. On 7 January, there was violence inside and outside the Capitol Hills during the counting of the electoral vote. At that time, Trump supporters stormed inside the US parliament and vandalized. Therefore, American security agencies are taking more precautions.
Who will Administer the Oath?
Chief Justice John G. Robert Jr. will administer the presidential oath to Biden on the West Front of Capitol Hills. After this, President Biden will give ‘Inaugural speech’. Will thank American voters in this. Will review legion after speech.
Singer Lady Gaga will sing the National Anthem. Jennifer Lopez will also have a musical performance at the event. After this, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will go from Capitol Hill to the White House in ‘President Escort’. Usually around 3 lakh people stand on either side of the road and see it. This time it will not happen.
Who will be the Special Guests?
Donald Trump is not joining ceremonies. He will be replaced by Vice President Mike Pence. Also coming are former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Fellow Ellen Kamark of the Brookings Institute, a thinktank in Washington, says Pence’s arrival is most important. Pence wants to convince people that the Republican Party is not confined to Trump.
Extremely tight Security Ring
20 thousand soldiers have been deployed. The Secret Service is calling it a ‘zero fail mission’, meaning that in no case will the mess be allowed to happen.
Barricades and checkpoints have been erected in Capitol Hill under tight security. The entire Parliament is surrounded by 7 feet (about 2 meters) high fencing.
The roads near Capitol Hill have been closed. The Washington Park is currently closed to tourists by the National Park Service.
In addition to secret service and federal agencies, Advanced Electronic Surveillance is on alert mode. These arrangements will continue for 30 days.
80% Events Virtual
Biden said in December – this time the day of Inauguration (swearing day) will be different. Most events, including the parade, will be virtual. There will be different cultural programs in the state capitals. Local bands will perform in these. Frontline workers fighting the Covid-19 will also be remembered. Democrat MP James Kleeberg told the Sydney Morning Herald (SMG) – 75% to 80% of events will be virtual.
Appeal of Ceremony Committee – View programs from home Every time millions of people are involved in the innovation ceremony. The Joint Congress Committee is distributing tickets for ceremonies, but these tickets are only for members of Congress and other party members. Due to Corona, common people are not getting tickets this time. The committee has appealed people to participate in virtual events from home. The Presidential Integration Committee will conduct all the events live.
Only One Guest per MP
Previously, MPs from both houses of the US Parliament (Senate and House of Representatives) were given a total of 2 lakh tickets or passes. They used to divide them among the people of their constituencies. This time every MP will get only 2 tickets. That is, only one guest can come with every MP (538 MPs).
Speech Time Increased in 40 Years
Between 1940 and 1980, an average of 1,612 words were used. It increased to 2,120 words between 1980 and 2013. In 2013, Obama’s speech was only 20 minutes. During this, he spoke about two thousand words.
Longest Speech: The 1841 Speech of William Henry Harrison. Spoken 8445 words in a speech of 1 hour 45 minutes. Wearing a hat and coat in a severe cold, Harrison later developed pneumonia and died a month after becoming president.
Shortest speech: Speech of the first President George Washington. This speech of 1793 used only 135 words.
First speech seen on TV: Harry S. in 1949 Truman’s speech was the first such speech to be broadcast on TV. At that time, there were only 44 thousand TV sets in American homes.
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