WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, ushering in a new administration with a call for the nation to come together.
“History, faith, reason show the way, the way of unity,” the president said. “We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature.
“Without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury; no progress, only exhausting outrage; no nation, only a state of chaos.
“This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America.”
Kamala Harris was also sworn in as vice president, becoming the first woman and first Asian American elected to national office and the first African American vice president.
Former President Donald Trump broke with tradition and did not attend the inauguration, the first time that’s happened since 1869. The former president instead departed from the White House Wednesday morning, taking Air Force One to his Florida home.