Biden pledges to steady the nation: ‘My whole soul is in this’

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, delivering an inaugural address that preached unity among fellow Americans as the answer to an unprecedented series of national crises.

Unlike past inaugural ceremonies, the new president assumed office before a National Mall that had been cleared of observers — both for security reasons in the aftermath of this month’s Capitol siege, as well as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In his roughly 20-minute remarks, Biden acknowledged the various converging threats facing the country at the outset of his term, including racial injustice, climate change, economic devastation and domestic terrorism.

Biden particularly dwelled on the dire nature of the pandemic in the U.S., warning of a “dark winter” and advising Americans to prepare for “what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.”

The president also repeatedly referenced the violence at the Capitol perpetrated two weeks ago by pro-Trump rioters, noting that despite their efforts, “democracy has prevailed.”

To counter what he described as this “crucible for the ages,” the new president appealed to the same themes of national harmony that he had dutifully promoted since the earliest days of the Democratic primary — and had continued to echo throughout the contentious general election campaign.

“To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words,” he said. “It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.”

Biden went on to invoke Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, a document signed “in another January on New Year’s Day in 1863.”

When Lincoln “put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, ‘If my name ever goes down in history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it,’” Biden said.

“My whole soul is in it,” the new president continued. “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this — bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.”

Biden did nod to Democratic critics who have labeled his bygone calls for bipartisanship as outdated. Although “speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days,” he said, “the forces that divide us … are not new.”

And as for Republican voters and lawmakers, Biden urged them to “hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America.”

Perhaps what the new president’s address most represented was a plea to “start afresh,” as Biden put it.

“Let’s begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another,” he said. “Policy doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war.”

Those rebukes of Donald Trump’s flame-throwing style of politics were the closest Biden came to mentioning his predecessor by name.

Biden did, however, thank the three living former presidents “of both parties” who were present for his swearing-in — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — as well as Jimmy Carter, who announced earlier this month that he would not attend.

Before the ceremony began on Wednesday morning, Biden’s Cabinet picks mingled with their spouses, introducing each other and posing for photos.

The nominees were shuttled to the Capitol in buses organized by specialty. Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary nominee Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence nominee Avril Haines all rode together.

Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen was bundled up with a branded Biden-Harris inaugural blanket, telling reporters she was just trying to stay warm.

Jubilant Biden campaign aides, meanwhile, were reflecting on the president’s years-long quest for the White House and the consistency of the message that he delivered throughout the campaign and in his inaugural address.

Just below the stage, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser welcomed Georgia Senators-elect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the Capitol just hours before they were set to be sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden, 78, now becomes the oldest president in American history and the 15th vice president to ascend to the presidency. He was a senator from Delaware for more than three-and-a-half decades, from 1973-2009, before serving as Obama’s vice president, from 2009-2017.

Prior to his 2020 White House bid, Biden had previously run for president twice, in 1988 and 2008. His third campaign was ultimately successful, unseating an incumbent president for the first time since 1992.

He also broke Obama’s 2008 record for the most ballots cast for any U.S. presidential candidate in history, earning more than 81 million votes.

As his running mate, Biden selected Harris, who was sworn in on Wednesday by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the first woman and the first person of color to become vice president.

Tyler Pager contributed to this report.