WASHINGTON (US) – After taking the oath of office, Joe Biden made it safely to the White House guarded by more than 25,000 troops.
The unprecedented precautions ensured the new US president and Vice President Kamala Harris assumed office, with full safety in a ceremony outside the US Capitol, after the mob attack.
Biden walked with fervour and determination on the last block from the Treasury to the White House. Harris walked part of the way to her office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House.
Biden said in his inaugural speech at the Capitol, “Just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground, it did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
The US Secret Service, which was in charge of the security operation, reported one arrest, a person who tried to enter a checkpoint to a restricted area near the White House carrying loose, unregistered ammunition. DC Police and Capitol Police reported no arrests.
At least 217 people were arrested in 2017 during violent protests of former president Donald Trump’s inauguration day.
Elsewhere downtown, protester Gordon Diehl said he was disappointed that more who shared his views had not come out. “Hoping to see more Trump supporters at least, keep on fighting or something,” the Michigan resident said.
At Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, which witnessed racial-justice protests in the summer, people, who gathered in, cheered when Biden mentioned in his speech that Harris would be the first Black vice president.
Tiffany Wade, who traveled with her daughter and mother from Alabama to witness the inauguration, “I felt like a ton of weight was lifted from my shoulders.”
Two demonstrations that had been planned along the parade route to the White House had been canceled, according to the National Park Service.
The security precautions, along with a coronavirus pandemic that has prompted many to avoid public gatherings, left city streets largely empty.
Former Republican Senator Jeff Flake told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol, said, “It’s, frankly, painful to see this, the whole city shut down.”
Bridges between Virginia and downtown Washington have been shut down as were downtown Metro stations.
Some intercity bus services and passenger trains were suspended.
Inaugural balls and other parties were previously canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Daniel Jones, president of Advance Democracy, a nonprofit research group, said, “The FBI appears to be taking these threats seriously, but disciplined lone wolf actors, regardless of ideology, are extremely difficult to track.”