>> thank you. >> tonight, the presidential inaugural committee wraps up inauguration day with an event called elevating america, hosted by actor tom hanks and featuring performances by demi lovato, bruce springsteen, jon bon jovi and many others. watch live coverage beginning at 830 eastern on c-span two, online at c-span.org, or listen with the free c-span radio app. ♪ >> you are watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's cable television companies in 1979. today, we are brought to you by these television companies that provide c-span2 viewers as a public service.

>> today started with president trump leaving the white house at just past 8:00 a.m., he traveled to joint base andrews just outside washington where he made farewell remarks before boarding air force one for the last time. >> the honor of a lifetime. greatest people in the world. greatest home in the world. we have accomplished a lot. we love the american people. it has been something very special, and i just want to say goodbye, but hopefully it is not a long-term goodbye. we will see each other again.

thank you very much. [reporters calling after]

[helicopter blades whirring]

[chatter]

>> marine one departed from its usual path to andrews and just blew up the national mall past the capitol, in eight minutes he will be landing at andrews air force base, scheduled to make remarks there. they are scheduled to bring that to live as well. president-elect biden is due to depart blair house this morning as well in the near term. blair house is right across from the white house. he will depart there and head to saint matthews catholic church along with congressional leadership for a service. as we get closer to noon, more

and more events. events are picking up now. we will be covering them all live, and taking your phone calls. cynthia and sandpoint, idaho. american unity is the theme of the inauguration this year. what do you think? >> good morning. i believe that is an excellent goal, no matter who the president is, please forgive my voice i just recovered from two months of fighting covid. i am 69 years old. i believe that politics divide us, but the american spirit, if you ask every american or most americans what they believe in, the answer will be the same. however, our country is totally divided, and the only way it will be unified is if everyone stopped looking at the past, trying to vilify president trump whom i admire, not everything he

did do i respect, and he was not my candidate. i sort of held my nose when i voted for him but i was pleasantly surprised. however, if the politicians would stop trying to go backwards and look forward, everyone in america wants there to be peace, except for a few french people. -- fringe people. i think most trump supporters are afraid to express it, because if they do publicly, that everyone is pretty angry with them. i have seen that in every election. when i was a child, for most of my early life i wanted to be the first lady president of the united states. but when i got divorced i knew that would never happen, at the time because a divorced woman would never become president.

i think that the only way for unity is for us all to look forward, and leave the past behind. not trying to punish people in the past. i think we need to go forward and know that this world is a dangerous place. covid-19, from personal experience, is a horrible thing. i caught it at the hospital when i was getting a cat scan. two days later i was informed that i had been subjected to someone in the hospital who was positive after they had been with make. even though i was masked and social distanced, there is a lot of close contacts when you are having a procedure. host: what have the last two months been like for you? guest: it's been hell, frankly. i have attended as a guest of president reagan, the inauguration, i have been to several, credit and republican.

i don't care who is elected, the minute they are sworn in, i put my 100% faith in them, even if i don't believe they are after the same thing i am. i think that most americans feel that way, but there is so much anger -- between covid -- i don't think president trump can be held responsible for 400,000 deaths, because he did not infect them. we all know that covid originated in china. no one talks about it being any responsibility, it's all president trump. i pray for peace. i know that most people who agree with me, that to think that trump did a lot of good things.

but, i do believe that this is the saddest inauguration i have ever watched. i have never missed a minute of any of them. i have been up all night making sure i did not miss one minute. for the rest of my life -- host: thank you, cynthia. that was vice president kamala harris in her motorcade, either in route to the blair house or off to saint matthews. that was her motorcade in downtown washington. >> as we are watching the video and the day unfolds, we saw the president leaving the white house for the final time. real quickly, jennifer jacobs who reports for bloomberg, notes that the president said it was an honor of a lifetime. he says thank you to the press, he just wants to say goodbye and we love the american people. host: bakersfield california.

american unity is the theme for this year's inauguration. guest: good morning. i am so excited to be able to speak with you this morning, and of course, obama's inauguration was absolutely historical, and i still get teary-eyed when i think about what a huge step that was for america. just absolutely heartwarming. i called in this morning because i would like to hear president biden's administration's plans to address the concerns of those fringe groups who participated in the january 6 insurrection. host: do you think that is

something he is going to address in his inauguration address? guest: i think he would miss an opportunity, that first step, if he doesn't say something about how he plans to listen to those people. we can't have real unity without somebody. let me say it like this. we can't have real unity with so many people feeling smothered like those people are. i am black, and as a black person i could not understand why these white people, excuse those racial tones, but listen. the people talking about that they want to be free. free from what? i listen to an interview in passing, and news anchor asked a boogaloo member why he was

participating in the insurrection. and he said -- it was a long conversation. long story short, too many people feel oppressed. host: we are going to leave it there. here is the president arriving at joint base andrews. ♪ gloria catch him on the rebound marry for the money

don't believe its coming back soon and you really don't remember oh the voices in your head calling gloria ♪ gloria if everybody wants you why isn't anybody calling? you don't have to answer leaving megan on the line, oh i think they got your number gloria ♪

gloria ♪

[helicopter blades whirring] ♪ just a city boy born and raised in south detroit took the midnight train goin anywhere ♪

a singer in a smokey room the smell of wine and cheap perfume for a smile they can share the night it goes on and on and on and on strangers waiter lookin down the boulevard there's shadows waiting in the night streetlights people hiding somewhere in the night ♪

[guitar] workin hard to get my fill eveerybody wants a thrill paying anything to roll the dice just one more time some will win some will lose some were born to sing the blues for the movie never ends it goes on and on and on and on strangers waiting walkin down the boulevard [applause]

[patriotic music] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president and first lady of the united states, donald j. trump and melania trump. [applause] ♪ [cheering]

>> we love you. we love you. pres. trump: thank you. we love you and this has been an incredible four years. we have accomplished so much together, i want to thank all of my family and friends and so many other people for being here. i want to thank you for your

efforts and your hard work. people have no idea how hard this family works, and they worked for you. they could have a much easier life, and i just want to thank all of you, everyone. i want to thank mark meadows, but it has been, it has been something very special, we have accomplished a lot. our first lady has been a woman of great grace, beauty, and dignity. [applause] so popular with the people, would you like to say a few words? mrs. trump: being your first lady was my greatest honor. thank you for your love and for your support. you will be in my thoughts and prayers, god bless you all, god

bless your family, and god bless you this beautiful nation. [applause] pres. trump: what else has to be said, but what we have done has been amazing by any standard. we rebuilt the united states military, we created a new force called space for us, that in itself would be a major achievement for a regular administration. we were not a regular administration. we took care of the vets. 91% approval rating. the vets have given us an approval rating like never has been before. they were very badly treated before we came along. we get them great service and we

picked up the bill and they can go out and see a doctor. we got it so that we could sadly, get rid of people who do not treat our vets. we did not have any of those rights before when we came on, so people are happy and our military was thrilled. we also got the largest tax cut and reform in the history of our country by far. i hope they do not raise your taxes. but if they do, i told you so. if you look at the regulations, which i consider the regulation cuts to be even more important, that is why we have such a good and have had such good numbers, and judge -- job numbers had been so good. had we not been hit by the pandemic, we would have had numbers that would never have been seen, already the numbers

are the best ever, if you look at what happened until february a year ago, our numbers were at a level that no one had seen before, and really now, we built it twice. now the stock market is substantially higher than it was at its higher point prior to the pandemic. it is really, you could say we built it twice. you are going to see incredible numbers start coming in if everything is left alone, be careful. very complex. you are going to see some incredible things happening and remember us when you see these things happening. remember us. i am looking at elements of our economy that are set to be a rocketship up. we have the greatest country in

the world. we have the greatest economy in the world, and as bad as the pandemic was, we were hit so hard just like the entire world was hit so hard. places that thought they got away with it are suffering right now. we did something that is really considered a medical miracle. they are calling it a miracle and that was the vaccine. we got the vaccine developed in nine years -- and nine months instead of nine years. it was supposed to take a long time. we have two outs and we have another one coming almost immediately, and it really is a great achievement. you should start to see really good numbers over the next few months. i think you will see those numbers skyrocket downward, and i can only say this -- we have worked hard, we have left it all

on the field. we do not have to, we do not have to, and say never say month when we are sitting in florida, we are not going to be saying, if only we had worked a little bit harder, you could not work harder. we went through the obstacles and we just got 75 million votes and that is a record in the history of sitting presidents. that is an all-time record by a lot in the history of sitting presidents. one of the things we are proud of is the selection of almost 300 federal judges and three great supreme court justices. that is a big number, that is a record-setting number, so we have done a lot and there are still things to do.

the first thing we have to do is pay our respects and our love to the incredible people and families who suffered so gravely from the china virus. it is a horrible thing that was put onto the world. we all know where it came from, but it is a horrible, horrible thing, so be very careful. we want to pay great to love to all of the people that have suffered, including families that have suffered so greatly. with that, i just want to say, you are amazing people, and this is a great, great country. it is my greatest honor and privilege to have been your president. >> [cheering] [chanting "usa, usa, usa."

and chanting, thank you, trump"] pres. trump: i will always fight for you, i will be watching, i will be listening, and i will tell you the future of this country never be better. i wish the new administration great luck and great success. they have the foundation to do something really spectacular, and we put it in a position like it has never been before despite the worst plague to hit since 1917, over 100 years ago.

despite that, the things that we have done have been just incredible. incredible. i could not have done it without you. so goodbye, we love you, we will be back in some form. [cheering] and again, i want to thank our vice president, mike pence, and karen. i want to thank congress because we worked well with congress, at least certain elements of congress. but we really did, we've gotten so much done that nobody thought would be possible. and i want to thank all of the great people of washington, d.c. . all of the people we worked with to put this miracle together. have a good life. we will see you soon. thank you thank you very much. thank you very much.

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪ inauguration

♪

♪

♪

♪

>> [indiscernible] lord, have mercy. lord jesus, you heal the wounds, christ have mercy. >> christ have mercy. >> lord jesus, you intercede for us with your father. lord have mercy. forgive us our sin and bring us to everlasting life. amen. let us pray. [indiscernible]

>> the biden's are now at saint matthews catholic church about two blocks north of the white house. they are attending a service along with congressional leaders there.

the president departed andrews air force base on air force one with closing remarks and also the music selected by the trump folks. by the time he lands in west palm, he will still be president. it is a two hour flight. he has three hours left him run presidency. soon you will see people coming into the capital. a lot of security in d.c. we want to continue to hear your voices as we watch the events of today. coming up, the next thing we will probably watch is the departure from saint matthews and then the arrival at the capital and some of the vip's showing up at the capital. a full schedule of events including a ceremony at arlington cemetery with president and ms. biden and former presidents bush, clinton and obama as well attending.

cathedral of matthew the apostle pres. trump: cathedral of matthew the apostle -- 202 202 is the area code. we are hearing from our international callers as well today. if you would love to send a text message, we would love to hear from you. including your first name name -- your first name and city. this is the 59th time in our country's history that there has been a transfer of power from one president to another that is occurring today as we speak. joe biden will be the 36th president. kamala harris will be the 49th vice president. let's hear from michael in new jersey. you are on c-span. american unity is the theme of the biden and inauguration --

biden inauguration. what do you think? caller: good morning to yourself and all of the viewers. i did have a chance to type this so if i sound like i am reading, i am. i am looking forward to the normalcy of the biden administration and presidency. trump, in my opinion, was 100% toxic, meaning yes, he did accomplish things but his accomplishments were tarnished by the way he conducted himself and by his extracurricular activities. host: let's go off script. giving your opinion, -- given your opinion, how do you think you would like to hear joe biden address your views in his inaugural address?

caller: that is a really good question. i think that he needs not do much. we all know what was outgoing. i think what is important is for him to state or restate his goals so that we can see as an american public what a real, genuine man. a politician, a professional, will conduct the office of the presidency quite differently. this was an experiment that went badly wrong. we need change and i think it is going to be drastic and swift. i think that is the requirement here, that he do everything that he intends to do and do it quickly. host: we are going to leave it there and hear from xavier in

singapore. greetings to you. caller: a really interesting set of events. i hope we can move forward from what has happened so far. host: before we hear anymore, tell us about yourself. caller: i'm in singapore. [indiscernible] host: that is xavier watching us in singapore. esther is in new york. esther, has there been an

inaugural address that has stuck with you or an inauguration that you admired? caller: well, i am old. jfk, of course. what i am looking for from biden, i am in brooklyn, new york. my children are lacking something that every american child should have and that is hope. i need for him to address the blatant, explicit racism that we have heard over the last four years. my children need to feel the way i felt when i was their age, that anything they want in this country is possible for them, no matter what they look like, no matter who they love, no matter the choices they make about their lifestyle, but that

everything that this country has to offer is open to them. trump did us a favor. so much was hidden before that we all came to see on the surface. i feel like i was pollyanna before about where we were as a nation and moving forward past the racism, sexism of the past. trump showed us that it is still there to an extent that many of us did not realize. host: esther in baldwin, new york. we have been looking at social media all morning. >> dinner for jacobs who covers the white house for bloomberg has -- jennifer jacobs who covers the white house for bloomberg. sources tell her trump never came to the oval office but the letter was left for the oval and

the vice president mike pence left a note for vice-president elect kamala harris. president-elect joe biden will be sworn in to office. some details about the bible. huffington post reports the 127-year-old family heirloom has many important dates inside. the new york times has a picture of the bible. take a look at this. it is from 1893. it is five inches take and has a cross on the culture -- is five inches thick and has a cross on the cover. hipaa stephen colbert during the interview that biden's father's family has a list and irish roots. the president-elect told colbert that every has been described in this bible including the times he has been sworn in as center

-- senator and vice president. the biden family bible has emerged during important moments in the president-elect's political career. soon after he was elected as a sender, a car crashed claimed the lives of his wife and 30-month-old daughter and injured their two sons. not wanting to leave his son in the hospital, biden ended up being sworn in with the family bible from a hospital room. decades later, he use the same bible to swear in a delaware attorney general. he died in 2015. here is the photo of the then senator elect joe biden beans one in 1972 from that hospital room. kamala harris will be sworn in by a justice in using thurgood marshall's bible for her swearing in. some other details about today's passenger he.

-- today's pageantry. dr. jill biden will be wearing a designer today. specifics are unknown. you just saw the outgoing first lady melania trump at the fair where that's at the farewell ceremony. -- at the farewell ceremony today. host: several live events today and this afternoon. of course, the inauguration ceremony itself begins at 11:30. a few people are coming in. there is nobody allowed on the national mall. a few invited guests and members of congress on the steps of the west front and this afternoon, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at arlington set -- arlington cemetery. there will be a military path in review and president biden will be out there to see that. there will be a short military

escort this afternoon from 15th street to the white house later this afternoon in louisville the parade that usually happens -- in lieu of the parade that usually happens. chris, are you old enough to have ever attended an inaugural or is there one that stakes out -- sticks out? caller: i am a conservative. right now 70 million people are screaming that he was not wearing a mask when he got off the plane and got on the plane. we are divided. i wish every president good luck. we hope that he does a great job. back to politics as usual. maybe we need a breather from this administration. i will be get -- glad to see politics as usual. nothing compared to president

trump. he was a 24 hour news service himself. host: when you say that we are divided, the theme of the inauguration is american unity. what would you like to hear from president-elect joe biden? caller: i feel like his comments will be short. i do hope he gets some time for a nap. he is a pretty elderly fellow as all of our leaders are, mcconnell, schumer, pelosi, all of them are over 75 years old. i hope everybody just takes a breath. let's get going again. we have a new guy in office. you have to wish the president luck because our country needs leadership. i hope he gives it and if he

cannot, i hope kamala can. we are america and we always have disagreements. this is no new thing. we have been in wars for 200 years of the 240. these things just happen and it is unfortunate how trump presidency ended -- trump's presidency ended. the capital -- it was pretty terrible. portland, they have had insanity the last year. i don't think those were conservative values. i don't run on the capitol is conservative values. we are living in strange times. this is social media stuff. the news covers stuff -- now with us in this pandemic, we are

listening to this news 24 hours a day and it is making people crazy. would you agree with that? host: that is chris in washington. let's hear from misty in arkansas. caller: thank you. i appreciate you taking my call. it took me 176 calls to get through. i have been trying for almost two hours. this unite, they can throw that down the toilet. there are too many people like me who have seen callings were impeachment for president trump the day he was elected. we have seen our agency, state department, the justice department work actively to impeachment. now we have everything conservative, everything republican, people are getting fired.

we have seen riots and black lives matter -- host: we are trying to stick with the inauguration. what would you like to hear from joe biden? caller: i don't think there's going to be any unity. i don't think there's anything you can say that will make me convinced that the collection -- that this election was not stolen and that donald trump was been set up all four years, it is so obvious. host: that is misty in arkansas. i want to show you a picture taken by tammy who was on the staff at c-span, one of our producers. she took that through a fence looking up at the capital. it looks like she took it from the house side and there is the botanical gardens in the foreground. it is all blocked off, it is difficult to maneuver around here right now. tony is calling from india. where in india are you? caller: i am in calcutta on the

eastern side of india. host: right. why are you watching c-span today? caller: i don't know. america has been interesting for some time. host: do follow american politics closely? caller: not really but since 2016. host: you have heard about president trump in calcutta? caller: yeah, i have. he made a visit -- host: he made a visit to india. caller: the previous year. host: what did you think of that? caller: i thought many things.

let's not go there. i just want to say this, even though recent events have not been great, american democracy remains an inspiration all over the world. there have been policies on the top of mind of american presidents at this moment, the league of democracies that they have been talking about -- i am pretty sure this will not get to anybody important. i don't know. host: before we let you go, will you tell us about life in

calcutta during the pandemic? caller: yes, there is a lack of information about the numbers and the government regulations. i don't know, i just stay-at-home and i'm lucky i don't have any financial difficulties. i only go out to get groceries and i wear a mask when i am out. at this time of evening, right now it is about 7:50 in the evening, at this time i would be out but instead, i am watching c-span. host: we are glad you are watching c-span in calcutta, tony. let's return and talk with greta brawner. >> the washington post sends

this tweet with details about what the president-elect will be wearing today. joe biden is expected to wear a navy suit and overcoat both by ralph lauren according to transition officials and dr. jill biden is wearing them to ocean blue wool coat and rest by alexandra o'neill -- dressed by alexandra o'neill. also some pictures from up on the platform. making sure the chairs for members of congress are six feet apart. you can see somebody measuring. take a look at this image, the senator-elect from georgia will get a designated seat today and a seat for a guest. this is from philip crawford reports for the associated press. he and senator elect rev. warnock getting a seat. fox news reports on the other side of the capital, he takes this photo noting, most

inaugurations were held here until reagan moved into the west front in 1981. a new poll from cbs news shows that 3-1 americans see kamala harris's history-making moment as a good thing. also some well wishes from senator tom carper from delaware , a longtime colleague of joe biden, saying that today represents a new beginning for the country and marks the beginning of healing, unifying and coming together to get through this crisis and build back better. there will also be several governors attending today and one of them is the arizona governor, republican. he says he is proud to represent arizona at our nation's 59th presidential inauguration with his son and honor a peaceful transition of power. the wall street journal, this

from one of the colleagues on capitol hill, the former speaker paul ryan has been spotted at today's inauguration as well. finally about security, capitol police is informing reporters that any member of the press trying to go through security screening with a bullet-proof vest today will be denied entry. reporters are told they cannot wear vests, gas masks or helmets. dean phillips, a congressman, he response to that tweet saying, this is totally unacceptable to preclude reporters from wearing vests to the inauguration when members of congress and dana tarries are being advised to do so -- dignitaries are being advised to do so. host: this is the 59th time in our nations history that there has been a transition of executive power. the pageantry of big inaugurations and parades

happened in vermont when calvin coolidge became president when warren harding died. it happened on air force one when lbj was sworn in on november 22, 1963 as president gerald ford at the white house -- they have taken very different forms this year. it has a very different feel to it. there is a live picture from the washington monument looking east toward the capital and the theme of this inaugural is american unity. eliza, tampa, florida, what would you like to hear from president-elect joe biden? caller: good morning, thank you for having me. unity, i think it is incredibly important. you said the word unity much earlier this morning.

i was reflecting on 9/11 and how we had all of the flags in the car windows and all of the cheering for the fire department and police vehicles as they drove by. there were no party lines. we were simply americans and we were banding together and it almost felt like the entire nation was hugging each other. over the last four years i have watched in shock and sadness at the pandering to those with either negative intent and/or undeserved loyalty and it has been painful. i almost feel now with this unity vision coming into the new presidency, it feels like i left a seriously abusive relationship. tears of relief. i feel like we have spent four years of being divided.

if you forget about the party lines and any positive things that were done during the trump administration have been completely overshadowed unfortunately by actions and behaviors that were completely un-presidential. i think this is a ray of hope and i am hoping we can get back -- 9/11 was an incredible, horrible tragedy. but the unity when we came together, i really hope -- and i am saying this as a democrat within a republican state. host: you have made your point but how do you think joe biden should address that in his inaugural address? caller: i truly hope he addresses each and every american as an american and not

as a democrat or a republican and i think he will. host: thanks for calling in. john is calling from southern california. where in southern california, john? caller: i am just inside of l.a. host: are there past inaugurals that have caught your attention or anything that you want to hear from president biden today? caller: as someone who studies political science, i really hope that he -- he has a big burden with the prospect of unifying our country. division is not just something political. it is a reckoning that we can thank trump for acknowledging and bringing out. there are certain parts that we cannot deny and that is what happened in charlottesville was

a small portion and what happened on the sixth was different because we had people that were not on the fringe. host: how would you like to see president biden address that? caller: well, i don't have the panacea for that but i hope he does because the future republic really does depend on it. he is going to have to bring together the adults in the republican party and help the republican party not succumb to their own division so that we can see true success. host: thank you very much. hudson in south korea. tell us about yourself. caller: i am an american living in south korea and i work here and for the past four years, it has been hard to hold my head up high is an american. i feel as though i can finally do that. i feel as though a chakra is passing.

in regard to american unity, i don't know how it is going to happen, but i do believe the american heart needs a recalibration. it is one of the few countries where you can actually go and try to make something of yourself, to better yourself. americanness is not by blood, it is something we can aspire to. i really hope he speaks to us, all of us, including the 70 million who also voted for donald trump. i don't know how he is going to do it and we have a lot that he has to do and the burden on his shoulders has to be incredibly heavy. i think he is the guy to point us in that direction, to recalibrate the american heart. host: can you tell us what kind

of work you do in south korea? caller: i teach at a university, i teach english. host: are you in seoul? caller: yes. host: was president trump a daily news item in seoul? caller: for me, as an american, yes. but for the common south korean, i think not. with some of the bigger stories, you would hear them in the korean press. for us ex-pats, i think we thought about american politics a lot. host: in general, south koreans follow american politics closely? caller: i don't know if i can even say that. although there was a huge ripple when he went and met with kim jong-un. regardless of what side of politics you are in, that was a

momentous moment although nothing really came of it. people were looking. host: thanks for calling in. thanks for watching us in south korea today. recently we spoke with a former president obama speech writer about what goes into making a good speech. >> my advice to him would be my advice to anybody who is giving a speech which is, what is the one true thing that you can say and to speak to this particular moment in the most honest way that you possibly can. >> and john mcardle, your advice? >> kcs yes for an answer. you are the president -- take yes for an answer. the country is looking to you with great expectations, great goodwill. this is not a country obsessed with politics. this is a country that has a lot

of problems and a nasty tone in its politics. none of that has to be reflected in the inaugural address. you are the president. look forward, look ahead, tell the country where you want to go, what you want to do. it is not about your adversaries, it is not about who you defeated. it is about you and you are probably not going to run for office again so just be every inch of the president of the united states. host: and that was from last weeks q&a program on c-span. a reminder that president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect harris are at st. matthew's catholic church right now in downtown washington. they are at a service along with congressional leadership including speaker pelosi, majority leader mcconnell,

minority leader chuck schumer. after that, the capital will become the focus for the next several hours of what is going on on inauguration day. people are already starting to arrive and sit down on the west front and once the ceremony begins at 11:30, noon is the constitutional time that the office needs to change over. that will happen and then there will be some events in the capital afterwards, a signing ceremony, a military passing review on the east front. president biden will be joined by former presidents clinton, bush and obama at a ceremony at arlington cemetery and there will be a short parade, semi-parade from 15th street to the white house. that is all happening today live on c-span. a reminder, follow us on social

media to get updates, to be away from your tv, @eastbound for --@ c-span. have you been around long enough to witness previous and i gray shins and if cans is to unite together, no matter who you represent, republican or democrat. i would like to go fishing with anybody, white, black, red,

whatever. i want people to unite. you have your opinion about what is going on but i know everybody knows the difference between right and wrong. i would like for everybody to lean toward the right so we can have unity. host: how should joe biden address that in this inaugural address? caller: i think he should speak on us being peaceful toward each other and unite so we can re-create america again. this is -- i would not want to be anywhere else besides in america. the places i have been in the people i have met, it has been a wonderful experience across my life. i just want people to get along together no matter what their beliefs are behind what this

president has done, what this president is doing and things of that nature. i want everybody to put their personal opinions aside and let the president and all of the cabinets do their job to make everybody satisfied in america. host: you are 55 years old. what kind of work do you do in dallas? caller: i am an engineer by trade. unfortunately i am disabled. host: if you are 55, you remember past inaugurations. do you intend to watch -- do you tend to watch these every four years? caller: i am an independent. whatever has happened in the past is in the past. i have never paid attention to the inauguration but this last president we had, trump, his

competency was a lot of incompetence to me. he did not act like a president for the united states and his followers, i would like for them to relax. america is america, one of the greatest places in the world. i want them to relax. no civil wars, things of that nature. i just want everybody to accept by -- accept biden and let him do his job peacefully. host: as eric in dallas and marsha is in detroit. -- that was eric in dallas and this is marsha in detroit. good morning. caller: my first experience was when kennedy became president.

i am a democrat socialist and i voted for trump for 2020 but i think the biggest thing here is censorship. if we don't have the right to say what we want and give our opinions, i don't think there will be peace in this country. i hope president biden realizes that -- how important it is to have rights and free speech. i hope he realizes that. i am very sorry that president trump did not release julian assange and snowden. but i am very happy that he released our mayor in detroit. years ago, i asked the president to pardon lame kilpatrick -- kilpatrick. i wish for the whole country to be peaceful.

i don't think that the president thought that the insurrection on the capital was going to happen and i don't hold him responsible for that. you have your children go out here and commit crimes. republicans stand for law and order. i don't think that was his fault . this present administration, i hope they tackle twitter, facebook, deactivate accounts. i am a bernie-crat. i voted two times for bernie sanders. in 2020, i could not have voted for biden and kamala harris because of their previous record of the injustice of the 1994 crime bill. that is the reason i did not vote for them and i voted for trump.

host: that is marsha in detroit and president trump yesterday along with other pardons and commutations commuted kilpatrick's, the former mayor of detroit, sentence. i am not recalling what that crime is for. marissa is in luxembourg. good afternoon. caller: thanks for having me. host: why are you watching c-span today? caller: i am watching because i'm interested in american politics and i have been following the last four years with interest and i am happy that today joe biden gets to be inaugurated as president. host: did you just start watching american politics over the last four years because of donald trump or have you watched casually in the past? caller: i think i started watching more closely when obama

took office because i think it was a big achievement in a country like america to have the first black president. i had seen and i followed american politics before that. honestly the last four years have been infuriating for people in europe because i think in america, things are better. host: are there a lot of conversations that go on about american politics in your circle? caller: there are conversations going on. trump got to be in the news a lot of times, i would say on the -- on a daily basis. the company i work for has offices in the u.s., in chicago and so we got to exchange with american correspondence. this is something i was always

interested in. host: what do you think is important? what does america represent to you? caller: i think for a normal european person like me, we have seen america growing up, all of the movies of all of the tv series and the music usually comes from america and i think most of us learn to see america like a beacon of hope and an example of democracy. i think most of us got more interested in politics because the last two years were completely the opposite of what we were accustomed to. that is why i am feeling really hopeful for today and i hope that america can go back to be an open multicultural country and to be an example for everyone. host: marissa in luxembourg, thanks for your time.

greta, what do you have for us? >> the l.a. times sends this tweet noting that the nuclear codes, called the nuclear football in d.c. is flying to florida with president trump while president-elect joe biden was in d.c. set to receive another one at noon. you can read more from the l.a. times on how trump's avoidance of inauguration has complicated matters and upended tradition. alexander who writes for the associated press, two of the biden administration communication officials are describing the incoming presidents inaugural address as a forward-looking sweet that will make little to no mention of his predecessor. a little history for you today, rick scott, the former governor of florida says, i will be attending the inauguration of president-elect joe biden and

harris today. this ceremony represent the peaceful transfer of power to our people and the world. many members of congress, republicans and democrats attending. also, alexander reports that the vice president-elect is wearing christopher john rodgers and sergio hudson. christopher is a young designer from baton rouge and lives in new york city. sergio is a black designer from south carolina. emhoff is wearing a ralph lauren suit. finally, a little history from the white house history association. thomas jefferson was the first president to take his oath in the new national capital. his inauguration was modest compared to most but he established two important traditions. jefferson's second inauguration in 1805 gave birth to the other station. after the swearing in ceremony, the president made his way home

down pennsylvania avenue. host: thomas jefferson, when he was inaugurated, was living in a boardinghouse up by the current library of congress which is just to the right on the far side of the capital. aubrey is in coventry, connecticut. what would you like to hear from president-elect joe biden as far as his theme of american unity? caller: i want to see biden take care of the younger generation. in and 22 years old. i believe -- i am 22 years old. the younger generation is the future of america. you said that the dame was unity and i feel like we have regressed significantly. i feel like trump has divided us as a nation due to the misinformation, hatred,

immaturity, i feel like he has not set a great example for the younger generation. host: what kind of work do you do? are you a student? caller: yes, i am. host: what are you studying? caller: veterinary medicine. host: good luck to you. tom is in ontario, canada. what kind of message are you looking for today? caller: good morning. contrary to what some callers have said, we should all be proud of our republic and the peaceful transition of power. in canada i'm a are transitions are based on a commonwealth where there -- our governments are beholden to the crown and not the people. we still do not even elect our head of state and senators. host: that said, what is the

message that you would like to hear coming from washington today and president biden? caller: i would say unity and to put america's stamp back on the world. host: this is leslie in norwalk, connecticut. good morning to you. why are you watching c-span and are you planning on watching all day? caller: good morning. i am waiting for the results of a test. i am home and i will be watching all day. thank you so much for c-span. it is my favorite part. to your question about what i want to hear, when i first told the screener, i will be grateful to have an adult in the room. i rethought myself and i said, we've got to start with ourselves. not seeing things -- saying things like adult in the room

and i would like to hear him talk to everyone, to stop the rhetoric and start with ourselves and correct ourselves. host: have you found yourself being guilty of maybe sewing disunity? caller: from time to time, the words i use. it is difficult to not use that and not get riled up about the verbiage. i hope to hear him say, we all have to check ourselves. host: that is leslie in connecticut. are you waiting on: results? -- are you waiting on covid results? caller: yes.

host: have you been exposed? caller: i have some symptoms. host: thanks for calling in. chauncey in california, have you been around long enough to observe other inaugurations and which ones are memorable? caller: i have not observed that many. good morning to you. the first one private watching was obama in 2008. i do not believe i watched in 2012. i watched trump's inauguration in 2016. that was a much different affairs than obama, fanfare for the common man, there was a lot of elegance to that presentation and obama's speech, we got to get a taste of his oratory skills. the inauguration in 2016 starkly

contrasted that. i am not going to repeat what george bush junior said from his speech, but it was uncanny, it was eerie, it seemed pointed as if he was deliberately trying to create an individual america that he could manipulate and used to manipulate his base, unfortunately. host: this is american unity. what do you want to hear from joe biden? if you were writing a speech, what is the line that you put in there or that word? caller: i think something that he should allude to is restoring faith in american news institutions and media outlet.

s. i think that took a hit during the trump presidency and it continues to stoke tensions. i think that will go a long way, if not, directly addressing the lack of unity -- that would be a place to start. if we could be on the same page about what is real and what is not and most importantly, if he could signal a departure from the trumpian misinformation. i think most americans will breathe a sigh of relief. host: that is chauncey in california as we continue to watch the arrivals at the capital. let's check in with greta. >> president-elect joe biden tweeting this morning, "it is a new day in america." and barack obama tweeting,

"congratulations to my friend, president joe biden. this is your time." up on capitol hill, cnn notes that george w. bush and laura bush have arrived at the ceremony and kamala harris, the incoming vice president, "i'm here because of the women who came before me." here is a scoop from vivian who notes that a scheduled since -- sent shows more than three dozen members of the incoming security staff plan to be in place by midday when the president is sworn in. she notes that the schedule shows some of the staffers were in place at 10:00 a.m., two hours before the swearing in, a sign that the work could begin from the first minute president-elect joe biden takes office. reporting from jennifer epstein, joe biden will take office today and begin a flurry of negative

actions including stopping border wall construction, revoking the keystone pipeline permit, rejoining the paris agreement and the welfare of -- the world health organization and a federal mandate on property. host: the next call is catherine in new jersey. what would you like to hear from president-elect joe biden today? caller: good morning. speaking to the america united name, i would love a recognition of before there can be healing for the nation as a whole, there needs to be healing within the individual factions that exist in our country. i am calling you as an independent evangelical christian who has recognized -- i can identify with one of your previous callers who said there is a fear to speak up. evangelicals are not cookie cutter's who all believe the same thing.

it has broken my heart to see the violence that has erupted with flags waving in the name of jesus. that is not who we are, it is not we are called to be. often times, those of us who oppose such behaviors have had to be silent because we are afraid of repercussions on the other side. specifically to evangelicals, i would just ask everybody to put down their guns and get on their knees and pray and get back to the business of being jesus' hands and feet and trying to reach a hurting world that is terrified of this pandemic right now so that we can have true healing as a nation. president biden and president trump have my prayers every day. i also want you to know on january 6, my heart was with everyone at c-span and you guys were being thought of and pray for from my house.

thank you so much for what you do for the public and for america. host: is catherine in new jersey. -- that is catherine in new jersey. ka is calling from tokyo. did i say your name correctly? caller: almost. host: thank you so much. why are you watching c-span today? caller: is my cash this -- this is my first time. [indiscernible] i have experience with vice

president. host: how do you feel about president-elect biden being sworn in? caller: so many countries are very divided, especially japan. we are very -- [indiscernible] host: mr. abe and mr. trump seemed to be good friends, didn't they? have you been to the united states? caller: yes.

i was a university student in the late 80's. host: thank you for calling in today and i hope you continue to watch us. what channel are you watching us on? caller: on youtube. host: on youtube, ok. i'm glad you found us. sarah in washington. hi, sarah. caller: hi. sorry about that. host: what would you like to say about today's inauguration? caller: i don't normally care much for politics. 2020 was a rather terrifying year for a lot of people. there is a lot of problems that

need to be dealt with and fixed. i just wanted to wish president-elect biden and vice president-elect kamala the best of luck in their presidential journey. host: what would you like to hear from president biden today in his inaugural address? caller: i would just like to hear that he is going to try his best. it is like my mom says, there are certain things that are going to get worse before they can get better. i just want to hear that he is going to try. host: what do you do in washington? caller: i currently am jobless, unfortunately. all i really do is make paintings and sculptures.

host: good luck to you. richard is in colorado. we are about two hours away from a new president of the united states. what do you think about that? caller: just fantastic. i'm looking forward to this administration. i am hoping his speech, i don't know how it can be about unity, but i think civility would work to get towards unity, people just need to be using common sense and choose civility. when unity, it's tough when you come in as president and you are going to remove a lot of things that people that are supporters of trump aren't going to like you removing those things.

i'm just hoping, you want unity, federally legalize marijuana. that will bring unity the country. host: that's richard from colorado. thomas in schenectady, new york. are you looking forward to noon today? caller: i'm looking forward to hear the inauguration. if you're not excited by any presidential inauguration i think you are missing the point of what is going on. to answer your question in terms of what i'd like to hear today, i expect to hear him talk about unity. i want to hear him speak about personal responsibility. what i would like to hear him say is that there is a responsibility on all sides as it relates to the media in not continuing to make people fearful, not dividing people. such a big piece of unity is

related to what people are being fed, if you will when they are watching media whether it be fox or cnn, regardless of where you get your news. the people i know who are not watching 24/7 cable news are far more unified, certainly far more likely to be unified than those who do. i would certainly as a career politician i don't think he will bite the hand that feeds him. in an ideal world in his speech today what i would like to hear is for him call for responsibility among those who shared the news or spread the news as c-span does, to let people get the full story and judge for themselves as opposed to a talking head's interpretation of what happened that day. host: we've heard from several

viewers this morning about the personal responsibility aspect and the need to reach out to all sides. caller: 330 million odd people in this country and only 150 million voted. we can puff out our chest and talk about how voter turnout was the highest it ever was, it still wasn't unanimous. there were many people who chose not to vote. there is a large contingency in this country, myself included, who are disgusted by politics. we also don't blame mitch mcconnell or nancy pelosi for the problems in our lives. if we have issues in our marriage or with ourselves, health-related if you are putting on more weight than you would like or not eating the right things, if you are having an issue as it relates to your job -- i think that often times far too

often we don't look at ourselves the way that we ought to end the news is certainly making it easier to look at somebody else. host: each inauguration is different, some have been on the backs of airplanes, some have been in the white house. this one is on the west front of the capital. ronald reagan was the first president to hold it on the west front of the capital, it had been on the east side prior. this is the 59th time in our history that a transition of executive power has happened. several vips arrived at the capitol for the ceremony and former president's as well. it looks like michelle obama and -- the obamas, the clintons, and the bushes will all be attending

a wreath-laying ceremony and arlington cemetery with the new president and his wife this afternoon. that will be live on c-span. @cspan is our handle for twitter, facebook, web, youtube. grace is in fayetteville, north carolina as the music starts on the west front. grace, you are on c-span. caller: hello, how are you? host: how are you? caller: good. host: did you want to say anything? caller: i am from fayetteville, north carolina, this is my first time washing the inauguration. i'm watching it right now in class with everyone in my ap government class, there are 20 of us in here. i just wanted to say to everybody watching this morning

and to have a woman of color in office and hopefully biden brings healing and peace our nation. host: grace, how many people in your class, is it being held by zoom? caller: we are actually in person, we are social distancing right now. there are about 20 of us in class. host: who is your teacher? caller: stephanie eastman. host: miss eastman? what school do you go to? caller: freedom christian academy. host: can all the kids hear me? [all responding] let's hear, how many people supported joe biden during the campaign? caller: everyone raised their hands in support. host: who supports joe biden? caller: there are about nine

people in my class. host: and those who supported donald trump? caller: who supports trump? we are counting. about nine who support trump, so about even. host: pretty even. i am sure miss eastman has talked about this extensively, but the peaceful transfer of power that this nation has, what do you think about that? caller: she is actually right here and would love to speak on that. miss eastman: hello, i miss eastman. we have talked at length about that and how it has happened since the revolution of 1800 with thomas jefferson and this is the bedrock of our democracy that we are watching today.

i'm honored to be here with my students watching this. host: we are honored to have you call in and honored that you are watching us. thank you, miss eastman, and thank grace and all the ap class at freedom christian in fayetteville north carolina. let's return to greta. greta: we showed our viewers earlier the bible that president-elect joe biden will use when he is sworn in. here is the image from the new york times. it's five inches thick from 1893 and has been in the biden family and has a cross on the cover. we also noted that this bible was used when the then senator elect was sworn in in 1972, that image taken in the hospital when that deadly car crash happened with his wife and daughter. you can see in the foreground one of his sons who was injured in that car crash.

a reporter for the washington post notes this morning "lord god the whys of life and destiny are often -- a swearing in in a hospital in 1973. now life and destiny have converged again in another moment of crisis. and a link to his piece on inauguration day. host: president-elect biden and misses biden are still in st. matthew's church in downtown washington. a lot of the other congregants have left already, participants have left already. the president elect is still inside saint matthews, that's eight blocks north of the cap of the white house and the next stop will be the capital where a lot of people are arriving. we will continue to show you everything that is going on

while we hear your voices about what you would like to hear with regards to american unity which is the theme of this inauguration or if you want to talk about a past inauguration as several viewers have we would love to talk about that. tom is in toronto, go ahead. caller: good morning, thanks for having me on. host: what do you want to talk about? we are listening. caller: i think that ultimately we are going to hear biden touch on the issue of unity. what i would like to hear that i'm not too hopeful about is three issues. the first is the debt of the united states, the second being trust not just in the media in the united states but in the government itself. the third one would be our role on the world stage which i think in past years has been diminished with trump's go it alone approach. host: was donald trump a fixture in the toronto news?

caller: [laughter] quite a bit. for better or for worse. as a canadian i'm interested in canadian politics, but a lot of american politics spillover into our country. in order to be politically engaged here in many ways you have to be politically engaged in the u.s. politics. host: what do you do in toronto? caller: i'm a teacher. i teach english, history, science, math. host: is today an off day? caller: today is a zoom or google meet day depending on who you ask, but it's online teaching. we either do morning classes are afternoon classes. host: have you returned it to any in-person classes in toronto? caller: at the start of the semester we did have in person classes, recently we have had more lockdowns that switched us back to online for the foreseeable future it looks like we will be online. host: that is tom in toronto.

as the capital fills up we are going to watch. [street noises and a helicopter overhead] ♪ [indistinct conversation and helicopter noises]

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[indistinct conversation] >> ok great. ♪

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[helicopter overhead] [indistinct conversation] >> how far out? [indiscernible] [indistinct conversation]

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[upbeat orchestral music plays] ♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the marine band will present the world premiere of three new fanfares written by american composers in honor of the 59th inaugural ceremony. fanfare for democracy by james stephenson, fanfare polity, and fanfare for tomorrow.

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>> members of the united states senate and -- ♪ >> the bilateral chiefs joined

by the acting dean of the diplomatic corps, his excellency -- ♪ [upbeat orchestral music] ♪

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announcer: ladies and gentlemen please direct your attention to the inaugural platform. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, mark milley. ♪

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[upbeat orchestral music plays] announcer: ladies and gentlemen leadership of the united states house of representative, republican stevens co. police and minority whip the honorable james clyburn. -- republican stevens sc alise and minority whip the honorable james clyburn. ♪

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announcer: ladies and gentlemen, leadership of the united states senate. the honorable patrick lahey and misses marcia lahey. democratic whip the honorable dick durbin. majority whip the honorable john thune and misses kimberly thune. democratic leader the honorable charles schumer and misses ira schumer. president pro tempore of the senate the honorable chuck grassley. and misses jennifer heinz. [indistinct conversations and crowd noise] ♪

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horns] [drums and horns play] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the former vice president, the honorable dan quayle. [orchestral music plays] ♪

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announcer: ladies and gentlemen the 42nd president of the united states, the honorable william j clinton and the honorable hillary rodham clinton. [orchestral music plays]

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[drill orders] [orchestral music continues] announcer: the 43rd president of the united states the honorable george w. bush and laura bush. [orchestral music continues] [applause] ♪

[indistinct crowd noise] [fast drumbeat into orchestral music] ♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen the 44th president of the united states the honorable barack obama and misses michelle

obama. [applause] [orchestral music continues with applause] ♪

announcer: the chief justice of the united states, the honorable john roberts junior and the associate justices of the supreme court. [orchestral music continues] ♪

announcer: the children of vice president-elect harris and mr. douglas emhoff. [applause] [orchestral music continues] ♪

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announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the children of joseph biden. also the grandchildren of the president-elect. [applause] [orchestral music plays]

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♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states michael pence. ♪ [applause] [silence]

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♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the vice president elect, there are getting deputy health sergeant at arms and the acting deputy senate sergeant at arms. [applause] ♪

♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the vice president elect of the united states, kamala harris and mr. douglas emhoff. [applause]

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announcer: the joint congressional on inaugural ceremonies staff representative accompanying the house republican leader, kevin mccarthy. steny hoyer, and misses yvette lewis. the speaker of the house of representatives, nancy pelosi. amy klobuchar. staff representative accompanying senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. staff representative

accompanying [indiscernible] [applause] [silence] [footsteps] [footsteps]

[silence] [silence] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the director of the committee on inaugural ceremonies. the acting house senate sergeant

at arms and the acting senate sergeant at arms. ♪ ♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the president-elect of the united states, joseph r biden junior and dr. jill biden. [applause] [cheers]

♪ ♪ [applause] [cheers] cap [applause] [cheers] ♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen,

please be seated. [silence] announcer: please welcome the honorable amy klobuchar. [applause] >> vice president pence, mr. president-elect, madam vice president elect, members of congress, and the judicial branch, former presidents and first ladies, vice president, leaders from abroad, and a whole bunch of bidens, america, welcome to the presidential inauguration where in just a few moments, joe biden and kamala harris will take their solemn oath.

[cheers] [applause] this ceremony is the culmination of 200 40 four years of a democracy. it is a moment when leaders, brought to the stage by the will of the people, promised to be faithful to our constitution, to cherish and defend it. it is the moment when they become, as we all should be, guardians of our country. have we become too jaded, too accustomed to the ritual of the passing of the torch of democracy to truly appreciate what a blessing and a privilege it is to witness this moment? i think not. two weeks ago, when an angry violent mob staged an insurrection and desecrated this temple of our democracy, it awakened us to our responsibilities as americans. this is the day when our democracy picks itself up,

brushes off the dust, and does what america always does. goes forward as a nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [applause] this conveyance of a sacred trust between our leaders and our people takes place in front of this shining capitol dome for recent. when abraham lincoln gave his first inaugural address, the dome was only partially constructed braced by ropes of steel. he promised he would finish it. he was criticized for spending funds on it during the civil war. to those critics, he replied, if the people see the capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the union shall go on. and it did and it will. generations of americans gave their lives to preserve our

republic in this place. great legislation to protect civil rights and economic security and lead the world was debated and crafted under this dome. now, it falls on all of us, not just the two leaders we are inaugurating today, to take up the torch of our democracy. not as a weapon of political arson, but as an instrument for good. we pledge today never to take our democracy for granted, as we celebrate its strength, resilience, grit. we celebrate the ordinary people doing extraordinary things for our nation. the doctors and nurses on the frontline of this pandemic. the officers in the capital. a new generation never giving up hope for justice. we celebrate a new president, joe biden, who vows to restore the soul of america and cross the river of our divides to a

higher plane. and we celebrate our first african-american, first asian-american, and first woman vice president. [applause] [cheers] kamala harris who stands on this platform. when she takes the oath of office, little girls and boys across the world will know that anything and everything is possible. in the end, that is america. our democracy, a country of so much good. today, on these capitol steps and before this glorious field of flags, we rededicate ourselves to its cause. thank you. [applause] >> it is now my owner to introduce -- my honor to introduce to you the senator who his work with me and so many others to make the ceremony

possible, my friend and the chair of the inaugural committee, missouri senator roy blunt. [applause] >> i should own one or got an old, there would be at least a touch of snow this morning. of all the things we considered, i don't think snow was on my agenda until i walked up the door a moment ago, but thank you, senator klobuchar and thank you to the members of the joint committee on the inauguration as we officially begin the 59th inaugural ceremony. i also want to thank the joint committee staff and our partners, particularly our security partners for the way

they have dealt with unprecedented circumstances. when i chaired the inauguration four years ago, i shared president reagan's description of this event as commonplace and miraculous. commonplace, because we have done it every four years since 1789. iraqi list, because we have done it every four years since 1789. americans have celebrated this moment during war, during depression, and now, during pandemic. once again, all three branches of our government come together as the constitution envisions. once again, we renew our commitment to our determined democracy, forging a more perfect union. that theme for this inauguration our determined democracy, forging a more perfect union was announced by the joint commission before the election with the belief that the united

states can only fulfill its promise and set an example for others if we are always working to be better than we have been. the constitution established that determined democracy was the first three words declaring the people as the source of the government. the articles of confederation had done that, the magna carta hadn't done that. only the constitution says the government exists because the people are the source of the reason it exists. they immediately follow those first three words with the words to form a more perfect union. the founders did not say to form a perfect union. they did not claim that in our new country, nothing would need to be improved. fortunately, they understood that always working to be better would be the hallmark of a great democracy. the freedoms we have today, the nation we have today is not here

because it happened. they aren't complete bid a great democracy, working through the successes and failures of our history, striving to be better than it had been. we are more than we have been, and we are less than we hope to be. the assault on our capitol at this very place just two weeks ago reminds us that a government designed to balance and check itself is both fragile and resilient. during the last year, the pandemic challenged our free and open society and called for extraordinary determination and sacrifice and still challenges us today. meeting that challenge head-on have been and our health care workers, scientists, first responders, essential frontline workers, and so many others we depend on in so many ways.

today, we come to this moment, people all over the world are watching and will watch what we do here. our government comes together. the congress and the courts joint the transition of executive responsibility. one political party more pleased today and on every inaugural day than the other. this is not a moment of division, it is a moment of unification. the new administration begins and brings with it, a new beginning. with that, our great national debate goes forward and a determined democracy will continue to be essential in pursuit of a more perfect union and a better future for all americans. what a privilege for me to join you today. thank you. [applause] >> i am pleased to call to the podium a long friend of the president-elect and his family

to lead us in and invocation. please stand if you are able and remain standing for the national anthem and the pledge to our flag. >> gracious and merciful god. at this sacred time, we come before you in need. indeed on our knees. we come still more with hope and with our eyes raised a new to

the vision of a more perfect union in our land. the union of all of our citizens to join the welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. we are a people of many races, creeds and colors. national backgrounds, cultures, and styles. now, far more numerous and a land much faster than when the archbishop wrote his prayer for the inauguration of george washington to hunter 32 years ago --232 years ago. he prayed that you would assist with your holy spirit of counsel and fortitude the president of these united states. that his administration may be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to your people.

today, we confess our past failures to live according to our vision of equality, inclusion, and freedom for all. yet we resolutely commit still more now to the vision. to caring for one another in word and deed. especially the least fortunate among us. and so becoming a light for the world. there is a power in each and every one of us that lives by turning to everyone of us. the trust of the spirit to cherish and care and standby others and above all, those most in need. it is called love. it's path is to give evermore of itself. today, it is called american patriotism. born not of power and privilege,

but of care for the common good. with malice toward none and with charity for all. for our new president, we beg of you the wisdom solomon sought when he knelt for you and paid for understanding heart so that i can govern your people and know the difference between right and wrong. we trust in the counsel of the letter of james. if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask god, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. pope francis has reminded us how important it is to dream together. by ourselves, he wrote, we risk seeing barrages. --mirages. things that are not

there. dreams are built together. be with us mystery of love as we dream together. help us under our new president to reconcile the people of our land, restore our dream and invest it with peace and justice and the joy that is the overflow of love. to the glory of your name, forever, amen. announcer: ladies and gentlemen,

please remain standing for the presentation of our national colors by the armed forces colorguard. the singing of our national anthem, and the pledge of allegiance. ♪

♪ announcer: ladies and gentlemen, here for the singing of our national anthem, accompanied by the united states marine band, please welcome lady gaga. [applause]

[silence] [cheers] ♪ ♪ >> o say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched,

were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

[applause] [cheers] [applause] [applause] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of the international association of firefighters local 3920 for the reciting of the pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the

flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [applause] >> what you are all about to be part of, america, is a historic moment of first. to administer the oath to our first african-american, first asian-american, and our first woman vice president, kamala harris, is my great privilege to

welcome to the inaugural stage the first latina to serve on the supreme court of the united states supreme court, justice sonia sotomayor. [applause] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the oath of office. >> please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i kamala harris do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. against all enemies, foreign and domestic. that i will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.

that i take this obligation freely. without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which i am about to enter. so help me god. [cheers] [applause] ♪ [applause]

announcer: ladies and gentlemen, seated -- please be seated. please welcome jennifer lopez to perform this land is your land and america the beautiful. accompanied by the marine band. [applause]

♪ this land is your land and this land is my land from california to the new york island from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters this land was made for you and me as i went walking that ribbon of highway

i saw above me that endless skyway saw below me that golden valley this land was made for you and me this land was made for you and me this land was made for you and me

america! america! god shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. [speaking spanish] ♪ this land was made for you and me ♪ ♪

[applause] [applause] >> that was great did the sun is shining as mr. president-elect, this is the first inauguration in the history of america where j-lo was the warm-up act for chief justice roberts. [laughter] it is my distinct honor to introduce chief justice of the supreme court of the united states, john roberts, to administer the presidential oath to the next president of the united states, joseph r biden. [applause]

announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the oath of office followed by musical honors. chief justice roberts: please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i joseph biden junior do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and

defend the constitution of the united states so help me god. congratulations, mr. president. [applause] [cheers] ♪ [hail to the chief plays]

plays] [applause] [cheers] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

[silence] [silence] >> my fellow americans, a moment we have all been waiting for. it is now migrate put wrote -- privilege and high honor to be the first person to officially introduce the 46th president of the united states, joseph r

biden, junior. [applause] [cheers] president biden: chief justice roberts, vice president harris, speaker pelosi, leader schumer, senator mcconnell, vice president pence, my distinguished guests, my fellow americans, this is america's day. this is democracies day. the day of history and hope. of renewal and resolve. through a crucible through the ages, america has been tested a new and america has risen to the

challenge. today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause. the cause of democracy. the people, the will of the people has been heard. the will of the people has been heated. we have learned again that democracy is precious. democracy is fragile. at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. [applause] president biden: from now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago, violence sought to shake the capitals very foundation. we come together as one nation, under god, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. as we look ahead at our uniquely

american way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. i think my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. i thank them from the bottom of my heart, and i know [applause] the resilience of our constitution and strength of our nation as does president carter, who i spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service. [applause] president biden: i have just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. the oath first sworn by george washington. 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. this is a great nation. we are good people. over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and a war, we come so far. we still have far to go. we will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain. few people in our nations history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we are in now. once in a century virus that silently stocks the country.

it has taken as many lives in one year as america lost in all of world war ii. millions of jobs have been lost. hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. a cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making, moves us. the dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. [applause] president biden: a cry for survival comes from the planet itself. a cry that cannot be any more desperate or any more clear. now arrives the extremism, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. [applause] president biden: to overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of america requires so much more than words.

it requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy, unity. unity. in another january on new year's day in 1863, abraham lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. he put pen to paper, the president said and i quote, if my name ever goes down in history, it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it. my whole soul is in it. today, on this january day, my whole soul is in this. ringing america together, uniting our people, uniting our nation, and i asked every american to join me in this cause. [applause] president biden: uniting to fight the foes we face.

anger, resentment, and hatred. extremism, lawlessness, violence . disease, joblessness, and hopelessness. with unity, we can do great things, important things. we can write wrongs, we can put people to work and good jobs, we can teach our children in safe schools. we can overcome the deadly virus. we can reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. we can deliver racial justice and make america once again the leading force for good in the world. i know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. i know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. i also know they are not new. our history has been a constant struggle between the american

ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. the battle is perennial and victory is never assured. through civil war, the great depression, world war, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. in each of these moments, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward. we can do that now. history, faith, and reason show the way. the way of unity. we can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. we can treat each other with dignity and respect. 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. unity is the path forward. we must meet this moment as the united states of america. if we do that, i guarantee you we will not fail. we have never ever failed in america. we have acted together. today at this time and this place, let's start afresh. all of us. let's begin to listen to one another again. hear one another, see one

another, show respect to one another. politics does not have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. every disagreement does not have to be a cause for total war. we must reject the culture to which facts themselves are manipulated and manufactured. [applause] pres. biden: my fellow americans, we have to be different than this. america has to be better than this. i believe america is so much better than this. look around. here we stand in the shadow of the capitol dome, completed amid the civil war when the union itself was hanging in the balance. yet we endured, we prevailed. here we stand looking out at the great mall where dr. king spoke

of his dream. here we stand where 108 years ago, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. today we mark the first woman in history elected to national office, vice president kamala harris. don't tell me things can't change. [applause] pres. biden: here we stand across the potomac from arlington cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. here we stand just days after a mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from the sacred ground. it did not happen. it will never happen. not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

not ever. [applause] pres. biden: do all those who supported our campaign, i am humbled by the faith you placed in us. to all of those who do not support us, let me say this. hear me out as we move forward. take a measure of me and my heart. if you still disagree, so be it. that is democracy. that is america. the right to dissent peaceably is perhaps this nation's greatest strength. hear me clearly. disagreement must not lead to disunion. i pledge this to you. i will be a president for all americans, all americans. [applause] pres. biden: i promise i will fight as hard for those who do not support me as those who did.

[applause] pres. biden: many centuries ago, saint augustine, saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects their love -- the common objects of their love. what are the common objects we as americans love? i think we know. opportunity. security. liberty. dignity, respect, honor, and the truth. recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. there is truth and there are lies. lies told for power and profit. each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as

americans, especially as leaders , leaders who have pledged to honor our constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies. [applause] pres. biden: i understand that many of my fellow americans view the future with fear and trepidation. i understand they worry about their jobs. -- or worship the way you do, who do not get your news from the same sources you do.

we must end this on civil war that pits red against brew -- we must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative against liberal. we can do this if we open our souls instead of pardoning our hearts. if we show tolerance and humility and if we are willing to stand in the other persons shoes, just for a moment stand in their shoes as my mom would shea -- as my mom would say. here's the thing about life. there is no accounting for what eight will deal you. some days -- for what fate will deal you. there are days when we lend a hand and days when we are called to lend a hand. if we are this way we will be

stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. we can still disagree. my fellow americans, and the work ahead of us we will need each other. we need all of our strength to persevere through this dark winter. we are entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. we must set aside politics and face this pandemic as one nation. one nation. i promise you this. as the bible says, weeping may endure for a night, but joy com meth in the morning. we will get through this together. all of my colleagues i served with in the house and the senate , we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us

today. here is my message to those beyond our borders. america has been tested and we have come out stronger for it. we will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. not to meet yesterday's challenges, but today's and tomorrow's challenges. we will lead not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. [applause] pres. biden: we will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security. you all know we've been through so much in this nation. my first act as president, i would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all of those we lost this past year to the pandemic.

those 400,000 fellow americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. we will honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we should be. i ask you, let's say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives and those left behind and for their country. amen. folks, this is a time of testing. we face an attack on our democracy and on truth. a raging virus, growing equity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. america's role in the world. any one of these would be enough

to challenge us in profound ways. the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the greatest responsibilities we have had. now we will be tested. are we going to step up? it is time for boldness. there is so much to do. this is certain. i promise you, we will be judged by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. will we rise to the occasion? will we master this rare and difficult our? will we meet our obligations to pass along a new and better world to our children? i believe we must. i believe we will. and when we do, we will write the next great chapter in the history of the united states of america. the american story. a story that might sound

something like a song that means a lot to me. it is called "american anthem." there is one verse that stands out, at least for me. it goes like this. "the work and the prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. what shall be our legacy? what will our children say. let me know in my heart when my days are true. america, america, i gave my best to you." let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. if we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children's children will say to us, they gave their best, they did their duty, they heal the broken land. my fellow americans, i close

where i began, with the sacred oath before god and all of you. i give you my word. i will always level with you. i will defend the constitution. i will defend our democracy. i will defend america, and i will give all of you everything i do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal interest but the public good. together, we shall right in american story of hope, not fear. of light, not darkness. a story of decency and dignity. love and healing. greatness and goodness. may this be the story that guides us. the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history, we met the moment.