Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Set to Make History as Trump Departs Washington

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect are on course to make history today when they are sworn in as the new president and vice president of the United States. They will take their oaths of office in Washington, D.C. at noon today.

Outgoing President Donald Trump will leave Washington before the inauguration and will host a farewell event on Wednesday morning, though reports suggest it will be poorly attended, with most members of the D.C. political establishment choosing to go to the inauguration.

This includes Vice President, who will be the most senior Trump administration official to attend since Trump opted to skip the event. The inauguration will be unusual due to precautions surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and threats following the January 6 Capitol riot.

This is Joe Biden’s official schedule on his first day as president. pic.twitter.com/vuDYGgPUuL

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) January 20, 2021

The Biden-Harris transition team has released a public schedule for the day, noting that the swearing in ceremony and Biden’s speech will last around 100 minutes. It remains to be seen how much of that time will be taken up by Biden’s remarks. Trump’s inaugural speech was just 15 minutes long.

Harris will become the first woman to serve as vice president and the first person of color to hold that post. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, will become the first man to serve as second gentleman of the United States and the first Jewish spouse of a vice president.

Biden has announced a series of day one executive actions that he will be signing later on Wednesday before the virtual inaugural celebration, hosted by actor Tom Hanks, which is replacing the traditional inaugural ball.