59TH INAUGURAL CEREMONIES
PRESIDENT
JOSEPH R.
BIDEN
January 20, 2021
VICE PRESIDENT
KAMALA D.
HARRIS
January 20, 2021
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Chairman
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
THEME – OUR DETERMINED DEMOCRACY: FORGING A MORE PERFECT UNION
On April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City, George Washington took the oath of office to become the nation’s first President. Since that time, every four years our nation has continued the tradition of an inaugural ceremony to mark the commencement of a new presidential term or to transition to a new presidential administration. This great American ritual has occurred in times of peace, in times of turmoil, in times of prosperity, and in times of adversity.
ABOUT THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONIES
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn-in for his first term as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala D. Harris was sworn-in for her first term as the 49th Vice President of the United States.
Location:
West Front, U.S. Capitol
Weather:
Mostly cloudy and brisk. Winds gusting around 28 MPH at noon. Snow flurries around 11am, but over before the swearing-in ceremony.
Bible Used:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. used his family Bible, which he has used to be sworn-in to every elected office in his career of public service. Inscribed within the text are the dates of each of his swearing-in ceremonies.
Vice President Kamala D. Harris was sworn-in using two bibles: one from Regina Shelton, a family friend whose bible Harris swore on when becoming attorney general of California and later senator, the other from Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice.
FACTS, FIRSTS, & PRECEDENTS
First Black, South Asian, and female vice president; First congressionally-produced inaugural livestream, largest web-based livestream viewership of an inaugural ceremony with over 75 million viewers; First inaugural ceremony requiring health screening, mask wearing, and social distancing; Instead of the traditional arrival of the JCCIC and the presidential packages through the Senate Carriage entrance, JCCIC Members and President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris participated in an arrival ceremony on the center East Front steps with the United States Capitol Police; First-ever official vice President departure ceremony; First-ever Rotunda Ceremony in place of the Inaugural Luncheon.
WATCH THE 59th INAUGURAL CEREMONIES
OPENING MUSICAL SELECTION
The United States Marine Band
WATCH HERE
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOMING REMARKS
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator, Minnesota
WATCH HERE
OPENING REMARKS
The Honorable Roy Blunt
United States Senator, Missouri
WATCH HERE
National Anthem
Lady Gaga
accompanied by the United States Marine Band
WATCH HERE
VICE PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to Kamala Devi Harris
by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,
The Honorable Sonia Sotomayor
WATCH HERE
MUSICAL SELECTION
“This Land Is Your Land” and “America, The Beautiful”
Jennifer Lopez
accompanied by the United States Marine Band,
WATCH HERE
PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.
by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,
The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.
WATCH HERE
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
“But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on “We the People,” who seek a more perfect Union.”
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
WATCH HERE
Read full address in the Congressional Record
MUSICAL SELECTION
“Amazing Grace”
Garth Brooks
accompanied by the United States Marine Band,
WATCH HERE
POEM
“The Hill We Climb”
Amanda Gorman
WATCH HERE
BENEDICTION
Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman
WATCH HERE
HONORARY DEPARTURE
Following the Swearing-In Ceremony on the West Front, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, escorted outgoing Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, to the East Front of the U.S. Capitol, where they departed via motorcade.
THE SIGNING CEREMONY
Following the Swearing-In Ceremonies, the president gathers in the President’s Room just off of the Senate Chamber to sign nominations and sometimes memorandums, proclamations, or executive orders. President Biden, surrounded by the JCCIC Members and the Vice President, signs the first official actions of his first term.
THE ROTUNDA CEREMONY
Due to the pandemic, the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies featured the presentation of gifts by members of the JCCIC in a unique ceremony utilizing the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, encompassing elements of the traditional luncheon.
INAUGURAL PAINTING
Robert S. Duncanson
Landscape with Rainbow
oil on canvas, 1859
The Honorable Roy Blunt (R-MO) presented President Joe Biden with a painting chosen by Dr. Jill Biden on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), “Landscape with Rainbow” by Robert S. Duncanson.
Born in 1821, Duncanson was an artist of mixed-race descent who became one of the most successful African American artists of the century. Duncanson painted Landscape just four years before he and his family fled to Canada from Cincinnati in hopes of escaping the Civil War in the U.S. Despite these challenges, the painting is indicative of his steadfast hope, with a rainbow appearing after the storm.
For more on the inaugural painting, read more here.
Presidential GiftS
The Chief Creative Officer at Lenox, Ms. Fawn Ostriak, designed the crystal gifts presented by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, on behalf of the JCCIC, to President Biden and Vice President Harris. The President’s vase featured an illustration of the White House set within a classic scrollwork cartouche. For the Vice President there was an image of the Capitol also set within a classic scrollwork cartouche. Both vases featured deep cutting and polishing techniques and are crafted entirely by hand in Pennsylvania by master craftsman, Peter O’Rourke. The vases are made of lead crystal and stand at a stately 17” tall and will be placed on top of cherry wood bases that bear an inscription of the date and occasion engraved into brass-plated plaques.
ROTUNDA CEREMONY TIMELINE
Presentation of Inaugural Painting
The Honorable Roy Blunt
WATCH HERE
Presentation of Inaugural Gift
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
WATCH HERE
Presentation of Flags
The Honorable Mitch McConnell,
Majority Leader, United States Senate
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker, United States House of Representatives
WATCH HERE
Presentation of the Official Inaugural Photo
The Honorable Steny H. Hoyer,
Majority Leader, United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy,
Republican Leader, United States House of Representatives
WATCH HERE
PASS IN REVIEW
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala D. Harris, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, along with Maj. Gen. Omar J. Jones IV, U.S. Army, commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR), stand on the steps of the East Front to participate in the Pass in Review prior to departing the U.S. Capitol for Arlington National Cemetery.
