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Biden's secretary of state pick is purposefully 'boring'
November 23, 2020 -
Watch Biden be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States
11:58 a.m. -
Watch Lady Gaga's stunning national anthem performance at Biden's inauguration
11:57 a.m. -
Kamala Harris is officially the first woman vice president of the United States
11:52 a.m. -
Pence introduced at the inauguration as Trump arrives in Florida
11:36 a.m. -
Bernie Sanders steals the inauguration with his grumpy chic outfit
11:24 a.m. -
Watch Clinton, Bush, Obama arrive at Biden inauguration
11:10 a.m. -
Heroic Capitol Police officer who fended off Senate from mob will escort Kamala Harris at the inauguration
10:58 a.m.
The early reactions to President-elect Joe Biden's pick for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is that it's a purposefully "boring" choice, which analysts don't necessarily consider a bad thing.
Antony Blinken (State)
Michèle Flournoy (Defense)
Jake Sullivan (NSC)All boring picks who, if you shook them awake and appointed them in the middle of the night at any time in the last decade, could have reported to their new jobs and started work competently by dawn
— Graeme Wood (@gcaw) November 23, 2020
You can competently execute a bad policy, of course (or incompetently execute a good one). But these Biden appointees are—as predicted—not going to be making things up as they go along, and that’s a big difference from most of the Trump people.
— Graeme Wood (@gcaw) November 23, 2020
Writes Axios, the predictable choice is representative of Biden's emphasis on "stability" and his "penchant for sticking with comfort foods when it comes to people, policies, and political techniques." Blinken, after all, is a longtime Biden aide dating back to his Senate days who served as his national security adviser during his vice presidential days.
While one source told Axios that Biden is approaching his Cabinet selection "like an experienced mechanic intent on repairing something that's badly broken," Foreign Policy suggests Blinken is not only a departure from Trump's choices for the role, but also former President Barack Obama's. Blinken is well-respected in Washington, but keeps a low profile, in contrast to the globally-recognized figures who served under Obama — Hillary Clinton and John Kerry — "who may have had their own power bases." Tim O'Donnell
President Biden was sworn in as the United States' 46th commander-in-chief Wednesday, succeeding former President Donald Trump.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to Biden with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, at his side holding the family bible.
President Joe Biden is sworn in to office by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. pic.twitter.com/yQaWtzXjZT
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 20, 2021
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), one of the inaugural committee chairs, then introduced Biden by his new title for the first time, and he launched into his initial speech on the job. Tim O'Donnell
Lady Gaga just brought the house down at President Biden's inauguration.
Gaga, using a gold microphone, sang the national anthem at the start of Biden's inauguration ceremony, the first of numerous performances that were set to take place on Wednesday; minutes later, Jennifer Lopez also won praise for her performance.
Gaga has a history with the new president, having previously worked with him on a campaign against sexual assault and performing at a rally for him during the 2020 election. In a Twitter thread earlier in the day, Gaga called it an "honor" to be performing the national anthem.
"I will sing during a ceremony, a transition, a moment of change — between POTUS 45 and 46," Gaga wrote. "For me, this has great meaning. My intention is to acknowledge our past, be healing for our present, and passionate for a future where we work together lovingly. I will sing to the hearts of all people who live on this land." Watch Gaga's performance below. Brendan Morrow
Here's Lady Gaga's inauguration rendition of the national anthem pic.twitter.com/T2e2PYVJaj
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 20, 2021
Kamala Harris took the oath of office on Wednesday, making history as the first woman and first woman of color to break the glass ceiling of the executive branch.
Harris also makes history as the nation's first African-American and first South Asian vice president of the United States. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor administered the oath. Watch the moment below. Jeva Lange
.@KamalaHarris is sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the vice president of the United States. #Inauguration2021 pic.twitter.com/ECorckECIC
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 20, 2021
Vice President Mike Pence has arrived at President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration— while President Trump, at almost the same time, landed in Florida.
Pence was introduced at Biden's inauguration on Wednesday alongside second lady Karen Pence, and they received "hearty, bipartisan applause," CNN's Jeremy Diamond writes. The vice president's arrival was more notable than usual considering Trump refused to attend the ceremony, leaving Washington, D.C., beforehand despite the tradition of presidents being in attendance for their successor's swearing-in.
Trump had departed on Air Force One for Florida earlier after delivering farewell remarks, and the plane landed within minutes of Pence being introduced.
Among those who were previously introduced at the inauguration include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and according to CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Clinton went "out of her way to greet" Pence, and "they exchanged a few words." Despite his refusal to attend the inauguration, Trump left a note in the White House for Biden, as is tradition, and The New York Times' Maggie Haberman reports Pence also left a note for his successor, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Brendan Morrow
BREAKING: VP Pence arrives at the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in Washington, DC, as President Trump, who is not attending the ceremony, lands aboard Air Force One in south Florida. pic.twitter.com/PPO6ws7sK1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 20, 2021
It's a little known fact that the presidential inauguration actually doubles as a fashion show of preppy winter 'fits, and President-elect Joe Biden's was no different. But the winner of the Capitol steps on Wednesday wasn't Michelle Obama, in her plum Sergio Hudson, or Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' step-daughter, Ella Emhoff, in her embellished coat, or Jill Biden, in her custom blue Markarian.
No, it was the grumpy chic outfit of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders:
The pose. The mittens. The social distance. pic.twitter.com/kwHH7AzZY8
— Vulture (@vulture) January 20, 2021
Bernie is your uncle who walks into your graduation dinner, hands you a check he just ripped out of his checkbook, no card, and asks the waiter where the nearest UPS Dropbox is because he needs to return something while he’s out. pic.twitter.com/Hpc8EWABCl
— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) January 20, 2021
Bernie is wearing his I am once again asking you jacket pic.twitter.com/mtkm7Sx7l8
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) January 20, 2021
Sanders, naturally, wears mittens made by a teacher from Essex Junction, Vermont, and knit from "repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece made from recycled plastic bottles," BuzzFeed News' Ruby Cramer reports. Jeva Lange
President Trump departed Washington, D.C., before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, but three of the other four living presidents and first ladies have gathered on stage to support their latest successor. Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. and Laura Bush, and Barack and Michelle Obama were all introduced ahead of the ceremony.
Former Pres. Bill Clinton and former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton arrive for the inauguration of Joe Biden. https://t.co/WegAJRvMdn pic.twitter.com/ZFkAlx9icr
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 20, 2021
Former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush arrive to take their seats at the U.S Capitol for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.https://t.co/UAlbBuSLTS #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/RcyLmk1o3l
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 20, 2021
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama are introduced ahead of incoming President Joe Biden's swearing in at the US Capitol https://t.co/bpxEa1gj8c pic.twitter.com/btxreVMLE0
— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) January 20, 2021
It's customary for former presidents to attend the inauguration — the Clintons, Bushes, and Obamas were all at Trump's ceremony in 2017 — though Biden's event comes amid a pandemic and security concerns following the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Still, they were all on board.
Former President Jimmy Carter, meanwhile, decided not to attend, marking the first time he's missed a ceremony since he was sworn in in 1977. Of course, it's quite safe to assume the 96-year-old Carter is not snubbing Biden, but rather staying home for health and safety reasons, as he has through much of the pandemic, per ABC News. Tim O'Donnell
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had a fitting escort to walk her up the stairs of the Capitol on Wednesday: Eugene Goodman, the lone, Black police officer who bravely lured rioters away from the Senate chamber during the invasion of the Capitol building earlier this month.
Goodman is the new acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms, and a candidate for the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest honors a civilian can receive. "I've always said, if bullets start ripping through, I'm finding Goodman," a friend of Goodman's told The Washington Post. "He's been in hostile firefights [in Iraq], so he knows how to keep his head."
Goodman will also accompany Harris on the presidential platform on Wednesday, where she will be sworn in as vice president of the United States. Jeva Lange
NEW: Eugene Goodman, the Capitol Police officer who put himself in harms way while defending the building from a violent mob, has been named the Acting Deputy House Sergeant at Arms.
Goodman will escort Vice President-elect Kamala Harris up the stairs of the Capitol today. pic.twitter.com/n3FGg0jRtp
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 20, 2021