Biden's inauguration festivities will be 80 percent virtual, Clyburn says


President-elect Joe Biden won't exactly be getting sworn in over Zoom this January, but certainly don't expect his inauguration to look like usual.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), co-chair of Biden's inaugural committee, told MSNBC on Tuesday that the festivities for the upcoming inauguration will be largely virtual amid the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
"We will be setting an example with this inauguration," Clyburn said. "It is going to be what we might call a hybrid. He'll take the oath in the traditional way, but all of the inaugural festivities are going to be 80 percent what we would call virtual."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden's inauguration will be taking place in January right around the time when health experts have warned of a potential new surge in COVID-19 cases due to holiday gatherings, with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, predicting the middle of January could "be a really dark time for us."
Previously, Biden said that "my guess is that there probably will not be a gigantic inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue" for his inauguration, but "you'll see a lot of virtual activity in states all across America, engaging even more people than before," Politico reports.
Clyburn explained to MSNBC on Tuesday that while the plan is for Biden to take the oath of office in a "traditional fashion," the "luncheon afterwards probably won't take place," and the "festivities of the evening will probably be dispersed out among the 50 states." The 2020 Democratic National Convention previously took place mostly virtually in August, and Clyburn told MSNBC, "I thought the convention went extremely well, and that's what we're going to do here, run this pretty much like we did our national convention."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Critics' choice: Outstanding new Japanese restaurants
Feature An all-women sushi team, a 15-seat listening bar, and more
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
-
'Quiet vacationing': a secret revolt against workplace culture
The explainer You can be in two places at once
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs report
Speed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
Trump takes over DC police, deploys National Guard
Speed Read The president blames the takeover on rising crime, though official figures contradict this concern
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crime
Speed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war