Democrats are slamming Trump's decision, calling it an abuse of power. And now more pardons could be on the way. ABC's Elizabeth Schulze reports.
President Donald Trump and Melania Trump shared their final farewell from the White House this morning. For their send-off, Melania was seen wearing an all-black ensemble consisting of a cropped Chanel jacket adorned with gold buttons and a Dolce and Gabbana dress. The first lady also kept a pair of dark shades on as the couple addressed the nation before their departure to President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
When President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday, he'll do so using a Bible with 127 years of family history behind it. Biden, who is Catholic, has used the leather-bound, 5-inch thick book, which has been in his family since 1893, each time he's been sworn into elected office during the course of his career. Biden's late son Beau also used the family Bible when he was sworn in as Delaware's attorney general.
Kamala Harris is breaking barriers as the first female U.S. vice president and many of her supporters have found a special way to celebrate her. For the 2021 inauguration, women across the country are wearing pearls and Converse sneakers to symbolize Harris' historic moment alongside President-elect Joe Biden. Harris was seen wearing her go-to Chuck Taylor shoes and pearls on the campaign trail.
As the world celebrates the swearing in of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, a highly-orchestrated transfer of power is also taking place behind the scenes at the White House. There, dozens of White House residence staff are quickly transforming the White House to the Biden's family liking by the time they return Wednesday evening as president and first lady. "There's a moving van that is positioned in one direction to take the belongings of the outgoing president and first family to leave the White House," Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, told "Good Morning America" four years ago, when Donald Trump was entering office.
Garth Brooks will perform "Amazing Grace" at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Wednesday, ABC News has learned. In a press conference, Brooks called the opportunity to perform at the inauguration a chance "to serve" and "not a political statement, a statement of unity." "I might be the only Republican at this place, but it's about reaching across and loving one another," he said, adding that he's "so tired of being divided" and he believes Biden is "hellbent on making things good."
A nurse who is on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic has paid tribute to COVID-19 victims at a national memorial held on the eve of Joe Biden’s inauguration as president of the United States. Lori Marie Key is a registered nurse at St. Mary Mercy in Livonia, Michigan, who went viral in April 2020 after a video of her singing "Amazing Grace" inside the hospital brought tears to the eyes of millions. "We are so proud of St. Mary Mercy Livonia nurse Lori Key, whose singing again inspired the nation with her heartbreaking rendition of Amazing Grace to honor the lives lost during the pandemic," St. Joe's Health wrote on Instagram.
After Kamala Harris' own historic swearing-in as vice president, she will usher in three other historic firsts as she swears in three new senators. On Wednesday afternoon Harris will swear in her successor, Alex Padilla, to take her old Senate seat. Padilla will become California's first Latino senator.
World leaders are beginning to react to a "new dawn" in U.S. politics ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration 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, the president of the EU Commission, saying they have a "friend in the White House" after four years wheretransatlantic relations have come under strain. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Biden ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
Trump boarded Marine One to head to Joint Base Andrews for a farewell speech hours before Joe Biden is sworn in as 46th president of the United States. Trump, who is not attending Biden's inauguration, was greeted at Joint Base Andrews by cannons firing and the military band playing.
India has begun exporting Covid-19 vaccines to neighboring countries with the first batches being shipped Wednesday to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles, the foreign ministry said. “First consignment takes off for Bhutan!” was the first of a flurry of tweets from the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Anurag Srivastava, as he posted pictures of batches leaving and arriving at different destinations, “Indian vaccines reach Maldives, reflects our special friendship.” Indian vaccines reach Maldives, reflects our special friendship.
For the first time in history, kids will have a special way to watch the presidential inauguration. Actress Keke Palmer will host a special live broadcast of the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The livestream, made especially for students and families, will feature a special message from incoming first lady Dr. Jill Biden, who invited children in a video message posted on Twitter.
When President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, he'll be inheriting more than the Oval Office. As the COVID-19 pandemic extends into another year, the United States is leading the world for all the wrong reasons. The U.S. is also in the midst of the biggest surge of the pandemic to date, with 10 states reporting record numbers of new deaths this week, according to an ABC News analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project.
Finally, and more than a bit nervously, Joe Biden's moment arrives on Wednesday. The president-elect's inaugural speech will call for resolve and unity and be forward-looking in tone, Biden aides say. It will not and cannot avoid its placement in this moment, though, and Biden comes to office amid challenges both unique and familiar.
When President-elect Joe Biden takes over as commander-in-chief at noon on Wednesday, he'll immediately assume responsibility for tackling the nation's problems, both small and enormous. "But it's possible ... that Joe Biden is the person to meet this moment, because he radiates a sense of calm, a sense of stability, a sense of reasonableness." In an interview on ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast with Political Director Rick Klein, Roberts argued that Biden won't be able to bring President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters over to his side, but he could appeal to Republicans who've become "disillusioned" with Trump and the party's politics he shaped over the last four years.
When Joe Biden is sworn-in Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States, his inauguration will look strikingly different than any other. Tens of thousands of American flags -- rather than massive crowds of people -- will stand on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Presidential Inaugural Committee has installed some 191,500 U.S. flags of varying sizes on a swath of the long, grassy park to represent the American people who cannot attend Biden's inauguration.
President-elect Joe Biden will send to Congress an extensive immigration reform bill that includes an eight-year pathway to citizenship on Wednesday, following through on a long-standing campaign pledge to move on immigration on day one of a Biden presidency. The new details of Biden’s legislation were first reported by The Washington Post, and confirmed by Biden transition officials. Biden will send to Congress on Wednesday a policy that will include an eight-year pathway to citizenship for immigrants without legal status, and expand admissions for refugees to the country.
President Donald Trump is not a beacon of truth. In the best light, Trump was seen as occasionally struggling with the truth. As someone who espoused "truthful hyperbole," Trump's supporters viewed him as a showman who sometimes exaggerated, but ultimately fulfilled his most important promises, such as filling the Supreme Court with conservative judges.
As Joe Biden pledges to unite a fractured nation, the incoming president faces deep divisions on the national front and widening fissures within the Democratic Party. "His ability to maneuver between a rock and a hard place will be the test of his presidency," Thomas Edsall, a veteran political journalist and professor at the Columbia School of Journalism, told ABC News. In the wake of President Donald Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him, a recent poll shows that roughly three-quarters (77%) of Trump backers say Biden’s win was due to fraud, despite there being no evidence to back this up.
Kamala Harris, the groundbreaking former senator from California, is set to make history again -- as the first female vice president and woman of color in the White House. Harris, 56, the daughter of immigrants, will take her oath of office at Wednesday's inauguration, marking Day One of the Biden-Harris administration. Leading up to her first day in office during this unprecedented time, Harris said she was "filled with a sense of purpose and hope."
At noon Wednesday, Joe Biden will take his oath of office to become the 46th president of the United States, a culminating moment for his nearly 50-year career in politics and lifetime of tragedy and triumph. Following the attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 that saw a deadly clash between white supremacy groups and counter-protesters, Biden said he was compelled to take on the “battle for the soul of the nation” with his third run for president. After running on a platform of bipartisanship and unity, Biden will now launch his presidency once again dealing with division in the fallout of the Trump presidency.
