This is it – the final hours of Trump’s definitely-tumultuous and maybe-disastrous (depending on your POV) presidency are ticking away. Whether he slips away or continues to dominate press coverage remains to be seen. But for now, at least, attention turns to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Here are the essentials Aussies need to know before Biden’s inauguration.
1. Trump won’t be there
The soon-to-be-former President will be hosting a farewell event at around 8am Washington time. He’ll then take his last trip in the Air Force One jet, landing in Florida at around 11am. Biden will be sworn in at around 12noon in Washington DC.
Trump is not the first President to skip the inauguration of their successor… but he is first to do so in over 150 years. Only three former Presidents have ever done this, and all in the 1800s.
Melania Trump will not give Dr Jill Biden the traditional tour of the White House.
For what it’s worth, Joe Biden has said that Trump skipping the inauguration is “one of the few things we agree on.”
2. “A couple thousand” people will attend
This inauguration ceremony will be a small one due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has now killed 400,000 people in the US.
A co-chair of the inaugural committee said they expect “a couple thousand people to attend”. Normally, Congressmen get 200,000 tickets (total) to give to constituents and hundreds of dignitaries attend too. This year, each Congressman gets a tickets for themselves and a plus one.
The post-inauguration parade will be replaced by a virtual ‘Parade Across America’ featuring representatives from all states, celebrities and ‘national heroes’.
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3. You’ll see a very big security presence
After Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, Washington DC has remained on high alert. Because of the remaining threat and tensions, more than 20,000 members of the National Guard will be on duty, plus another 750 active military members, will support local police and authorities.
High security fences with razor wire are also blocking off the White House and the streets leading up to it. There is currently no curfew, although the Mayor can issue one at any time.
Whether or not any protests pop up – peaceful or violent – remains to be seen…
4. Set your alarm if you want to watch from Aus!
Most of Biden inauguration coverage in Australia will start around 3am AEDT on channels 7, 9, the ABC and SBS. Channel 10 is starting even earlier at 1am AEDT!
If you just want to see the main bits, Biden and Harris will be making their oaths at around 4am AEDT. Lady Gaga singing the US national anthem and Jennifer Lopez’s performance will be around this time too.
For the really celebrity-studded stuff, you can livestream the ‘Celebrating America’ inauguration concert from the official Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch accounts at 12:30pm AEDT. The 90-minute special is hosted by Tom Hanks and will have performances from John Legend, Foo Fighters, Demi Lovato, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.
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