During a call, President Trump repeatedly made unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in Georgia and asked its secretary of state to “find” more votes in his favor. ABC News contributors discuss.
The ceremony that made Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States was an inauguration like never before. Also absent were the morning traditions involving the outgoing and incoming presidents and their spouses meeting on the North Portico of the White House and sharing a limousine to the ceremony. Two weeks after an angry mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed Capitol Hill, some attendees even wore body armor.
Just hours after Kamala Harris' own historic swearing-in as vice president, she ushered in three other historic firsts as she swore in three new senators. Harris received a standing ovation as she walked into the Senate for the first time as vice president on Wednesday afternoon. Moments later, Harris swore in her successor, Alex Padilla, to take her old Senate seat.
Joe Biden took the oath of office just before noon on a cold but bright and sunny Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, becoming the 46th president of the United States, the culmination of a nearly 50-year career in politics and a lifetime of tragedy and triumph. Democracy is fragile.
Inauguration Day already was historic for women, with Kamala Harris becoming the first woman and person of color to become vice president, and she soon could be joined by a similarly record-breaking Cabinet. Twelve of Biden's nominations for Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions are women, including eight women of color, and if they're all confirmed it would shatter former President Bill Clinton's record of nine women serving concurrently, which happened during his second term.
Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins reunited virtually to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the movie that netted them both Oscar trophies: "The Silence of the Lambs," Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel. The conversation was part of Variety's "Actors on Actors" series. Hopkins, who played cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, admitted to being confused by the film's title at first.
Amazon sent a letter to newly inaugurated President Joe Biden on Wednesday offering to use its vast resources to assist with federal COVID-19 vaccination efforts. "Congratulations to you and Vice President Harris on your inauguration," the letter, signed by Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Dave Clark, stated. "As you begin your work leading the country out of the COVID-19 crisis, Amazon stands ready to assist you in reaching your goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of your administration."
Taylor Swift's debut single "Tim McGraw" turns 15 this year and, on Tuesday, the actual Tim McGraw opened up about what he really thought about the hit song. Speaking to Apple Music, the country legend admitted that he was shocked when he first learned of the song, which was performed by Swift when she was just 16. McGraw said that, upon giving the song more thought, he saw it in a completely different light.
Mindy Kaling took to social media as Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president on Wednesday with a message about representation. The "A Wrinkle in Time" actress shared a photo to Instagram of her daughter, 3-year-old Katherine, watching the television as Harris, 56, made history as the first woman and first Black vice president. Harris, a former attorney general and senator for California, is of Black and Indian heritage.
For four years, Republican staffers and agency chiefs worked for President Donald Trump to keep the federal government humming and, in many cases, dismantle Obama-era policies they believed ran counter to free-market principles. In the end, the political aides departed Washington this week with their legacies forever linked to a president who refused to concede a democratic election and instead inspired a mob of rioters to confront Congress. It was, as several Cabinet secretaries and political aides said in their final hours, regrettable.
World leaders have reacted to a "new dawn" in U.S. politics after Joe Biden was sworn is as the 46th president of the United States. Historic allies in the EU and U.K. have struck the most upbeat tone, with Ursurla von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, saying there's a "friend in the White House" after four years where transatlantic relations often were strained. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Biden ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
There was tradition to pair with tension, pageantry to counter any pettiness, and a thankfully peaceful transition day that saw former President Donald Trump leave the stage and President Joe Biden make his first attempt to seize it. Through powerful musical performances and poetry, and history-making formalities, a surreal fact lingered: Biden took the office by the same Capitol steps that violent protesters climbed to storm the halls of Congress, as part of an attempted coup that took place precisely two weeks earlier. "Democracy has prevailed," Biden said in his inaugural address, employing a common-enough phrase that took particular meaning this day.
Vice President Kamala Harris started her new role with a sophisticated and meaningful look. The vice president's ensemble was created by Black designers Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson. "Thank you, Madam Vice President," Christopher John Rogers wrote in an Instagram post. "We are so honored and humbled to have played a small part in this historic moment."
First Lady Jill Biden will make history as the country's first first lady to hold a paid job outside the White House. Biden -- who worked full-time as a community college English professor during her eight years as second lady -- has said she plans to continue teaching during her time in the White House.
A steady line of supporters dropped by President Joe Biden's boyhood home in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to snap photos on a snowy inauguration morning. The woman who lives there told ABC News she is absolutely thrilled about Biden's inauguration. Biden, she added, has visited often.
After taking their respective oaths of office Wednesday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took part in a second transfer of power by taking the reigns of the official @POTUS and @VP Twitter accounts. "There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face," Biden wrote in his first message from the @POTUS account. Vice President Kamala Harris was more succinct in her inaugural @VP message.
When Kamala Harris took the oath of office Wednesday to become vice president, she became the first woman and first woman of color to serve in that elected position. Harris also made history as the first stepmother to be America's vice president, a moment that blended families across the country said they were planning to watch with joy.
Howard University in Washington, D.C., -- tolled 49 times to honor the historic moment. Harris, who is of Black and South Asian descent, became the first woman vice president and the first person of color to hold this office after she was sworn in on Inauguration Day by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The bell at @HowardU, VP @KamalaHarris' alma mater is ringing 49 times as she's sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States.
Garth Brooks performed "Amazing Grace" at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday. Following Biden's first speech as president, the country music legend took to the podium to sing the popular tune. The two-time Grammy winner, 58, announced Monday he'd be singing on-site at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for the swearing-in ceremony, joining previously announced artists including Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez.
Lady Gaga knows how to make a grand entrance, and she certainly did for the 2021 presidential inauguration. The iconic singer powerfully made her presence known wearing a custom Schiaparelli haute couture look as she sang the national anthem into a gold microphone. Gaga wore her hair in a braided updo and rocked a striking bold red lipstick.
With less than an hour before his term ended, President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted one final pardon to Albert Pirro, a longtime New York businessman and the ex-husband of Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro, one of Trump’s staunchest cable news supporters. What was possibly Trump’s final act as president reflected a recurring theme in his final months in office: delivering clemencies to scores of personal friends and political allies. The decision to pardon Pirro came less than 12 hours after what was thought to be a final batch of 143 pardons and commutations -- a list that included Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist.
