memorial service there at the lincoln memorial. >> and we now see air force one taking off. we're going to take a quick break. our coverage will continue here. our coverage is continuing here on abc news of the inauguration of joe biden as we watch president trump leaving washington as president for the last time on air force one, flying to florida, and david muir, we had that split screen for several moments as we see the president right there. a subdued president speaking to his supporters as joe biden sought to begin his first day as president at worship. >> this has been a study in contrast, and yes saw it yet again today. it will remain air force one obviously until joe biden is sworn in as president so they will land in florida at mar-a-lago where president trump and the first lady are now headed. i took note of the family also boarding air force one, and, you know, one of the first things he

said was, you have no idea how hard this family has worked. that was a big difference from the very start, that this would be a family affair, this presidency, and i was struck by the president's tone toward the incoming administration. he did mention them, but not by name, and the last time we had a one-term president who was not re-elected, the late george w.h. bus -- george h.w. bush, and we remember the letter, your success is now our success, and i'll be rooting hard for you. hillary clinton said it brought her to tears. >> air force one in the air right now heading to florida. our "gma" special coverage of ♪ ♪ it's the brand new chicken dance song uh ♪ ♪ get down heat it up like a sauna ♪ ♪ spin around one time if you wanna ♪ new chicken dance new chicken sandwich my juicy, thickest fillet yet. my cluck sandwich combos. only at jack in the box.

a nation. zef c we've certainly been shaken to our depths this year. you no it's time to awaken, to get moving and time for hope. this is not a partisan moment. this must be an american moment. >> announcer: this special edition of "good morning america," the and kamala harris. now repoing, chief anchor, georgeos >>good morning again. there is a look at ttol, and the mall for joe biden's inauguration right now. no people in the mall today as we have been telling you. just thousands and thousands of flags to represent those who cannot attend, those lives that were lost in the pandemic. it's going to be a inauguralel two weeks ago was under siege, matthew's cathedral in downtown washington where joe biden has just begun his day at worship service. he has just gone inside along with his family, dr. jill biden

cathedral, masks on. will be signing a mandate later today. he and congressional leaders from both parties invited. you see kamala harris as well with her husband, doug emhoff. let's reflect on this a little bit more. joe biden, a faithful catholic, a devout catholic, and not afraid to show it. >> well, george, without question. one of joe biden's many favorite scriptures is, for we walk by faith, not by sight. that's the way he's lived his life, through tragedy, through triumphs, the day-to-day grind of life. there's a sweet story that joe biden tells about, there's this quote taped to the bathroom mirror that says, faith sees best in the dark, and biden and harris, in aark time in amics story,dehie >> and that is what he is hoping for. the message he is going to be sending consistently throughout

this day right now. robin roberts, we see kamala harris next to him there in the front row, pews of st. matthew. history being made in so many ways. >> so many ways and a short distance from where they are right now, howard university, her alma mater, kamala harris. last month i had an opportunity to speak with her there on campus, and she was running around to her old classrooms talking with people, and you could just tell that was her home. remember, george, she announced her candidacy for running for president here with us on "good morning america," and right after that, where did she go? she went back to campus. she went to howard. that's where she spoke with reporters for the first time after announcing her candidacy. growing up, she was always the only. she was always the only the, many times, only white person -- excuse me. black person, in a majorly white

school. so to go to an hbcu, that's something she very much wanted to do and found herself, and talked about it being an environment other than her family where everything around her told her anything was possible. i asked her who she would be thinking about when she takes that oath later today, and of course, she said it was her mother who told her she may be the first to do many things, but make sure she's not the last, ef george, knowing that she is the first. >> no question about that. as we look at the capitol, the west front of the capitol right now, adorned by so many flags this morning, and you can see it's a windy morning this morning in washington, d.c. as well. michael strahan, as we saw air force one pull away, you really did have a sense of the page tu turning. >> yeah, you really did, george. speaking of kamala harris, at

11:45 the bell will toll 49 times in her honor, and you can understand the pride of the hbcu. oi bring change toifite u the countriy. this country has had so much public outcry, and so much more, over the police killings of grorge flo george floyd, breonna taylor just to make a few. many feel they can bring real change and bring calm which it feels like it's something we have not had in a long time. i have had a chance to talk to civil rights attorney benjamin crump, and he mentions two legal systems. one for white americans and one for black americans. he uses his client jacob blake in the treatment of jacob blake, as to the treatment of kyle rittenhouse, who shot three protesters, killing two.

he thinks that joe biden can bring an end to systematic racism which is a platform they ran on, but that's a very tall task. >> it is. yvette simpson, joe biden would not be taking that oath today if not for black voters, specifically black women voters. >> hopefully people are wearing their pearls and their chucks today as i am in pride of the accomplishment that we made. >> what are the pearls about? explain that. >> it's kamala harris. she loves the pearls and the chucks. there's a sorority situation and linsey and i can elaborate on it when we have a little more time as well, but, you know, a lot of folks standing in sol daidarity with this administration. they're going to have a lot of help. they're going to have a lot of people cheering them on, and i love that joe biden acknowledged at the top that black women are responsible for his victory. we'll cheer him on and be with him every step of the way to make sure he accomplishes and keeps the promises he has made to america. >> what a moment that will be when a block woman takes vice

president of the united states administering the oath, sonia sotomayor, who served on the supreme court. jon karl, we have some news. the president did leave a note? >> reporter: that's what we are told. he left a note in the oval office for joe biden. as i mentioned, somebody -- a friend of the president's who spoke to him last night believed he did, and now we have confirmed, in fact, he left the note. what that note said, george, we don't know, but a note from donald trump to joe biden in the oval office. >> thank you, jon. rick klein, i want to bring you in as well as we are talking about president trump's legacy as we're waiting for president-elect biden to emerge from his church service. one big part of that legacy, i was thinking of something that was written in "the washington post" this weekend. he leaves behind a broken republican party that is still in his grip. >> yeah, it is his party, and we had in our poll just last weekend 60% of republicans want to see a continuation of the trump direction, and this republican party is broken right now. it has fallen apart, and it's

fallen apart in large part because of the big lie from a few weeks ago, and i think that brought these tensions to the f surface, but they have to get further apart before they can come together. these divisions were taken advantage of by president trump, and it leaves them in an interesting space because the most relevant or historical examples would be to have the party distance themselves from the president now that they've lost the house, senate and white house. it's not possible or practical in this environment, and we heard the president just moments ago telling, maybe warning people in washington and beyond that he will be back, and of course, he is still a huge factor in american politics. >> chris christie, why don't you pick up on that? former republican governor of new jersey. how does the party move forward, and what does he mean when he says he's coming back? >> i'll start at the back. i have no idea what he means he's coming back. i suspect he has no idea what he means that he's coming back, but

it sounds like the right thing for him to say because it's another way of him not admitting defeat, that this is all just temporary. >> there had been some talk before of the events of january 6th that he might run again. >> right, and who knows? that's something that's in his mind, but the more important thing is the way this party comes back is the way every loosened party comes back. i've heard this over and over again, and i'm now feeling old enough now that when george bush 41 lost in '92 to bill clinton, it was a broken, decimated, republican party between conservatives and moderates and how were they ever going to come back? the same way about the democratic party after george w. bush defeated al gore, and then john kerry, that there was an electoral lock for the republican party on the presidential map that couldn't be broken. what happens, george, is leaders change parties, not the other way around, and so the democrats come back in 2008 because of barack obama, a transformational

type of leader for the democratic party. in the same way that george w. bush restored the republican party. we're going to see what happens, but it's going to be -- i've always said in these political fights, it's the people who put themselves out there as candidates who matter the most, and if they find someone -- if our party finds someone who they want to follow, this will be a distant memory, but that's going to be the challenge for the next four years. >> and still some time away. tom llamas, you covered donald trump from the start. you're speaking with trump supporters and republicans across the country last night. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. i went back and spoke to a lot of people who voted for trump20 chapter on the presidency. i heard a lot of the same things. everybody who i spoke for in trump in 2020 was proud of their vote and they're happy they voted for him, but most of them were ready to turn the page.

they said they want someone to be an outsider. they don't trust the establishment republicans, the same type of things we were hearing four years ago. i'm hearing it again from these republican supporters, the names that came up again and again were very similar. people like ron desantis, the governor of florida, people like dan crenshaw, representative from texas. a lot of people mentioned even though he's not running for office, that tucker carlson is now one of the biggest voices for the right, and they listen and watch him every single night. some of them said they were upset with the establishment republicans who are now breaking with president trump. they felt that wasn't fair, and the thing that surprised me across from all the republicans, none of them blame donald trump for what happened at the capitol. george? >> there you see the capitol right there. thank you, tom llamas. the flags are flying getting ready for president-elect biden to head to the capitol along with kamala harris. our coverage continues. ♪

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topped with mystery sauce and pickles on a brioche bun. my cluck sandwich combos. only at jack in the box. ♪ there you see the capitol right there. the flags are flying. the flags are blowing, a windy day in washington, d.c. for the inauguration of joseph r. biden. this is the schedule of events for today. the president-elect, vice

president-elect at a morning worship service at st. matthew's cathedral, and they'll arrive at the capitol around 11:00, and he'll be sworn in shortly before noon, and become president at noon today. one of the rituals we haven't talked about, it's an essential one, and i want to bring in martha raddatz on this. i'll never forget the look on bill clinton's face in blair house after president bush's national security adviser left from giving him the briefing on the nuclear codes. joe biden at this point has g gotten that briefing. he's going to be accompanied by a military aide, something very different this year. normally the presidents are together, so you only need one satchel. today there are two. >> reporter: there are two because joe biden will not get that so-called nuclear football, that suitcase where he can put

in the codes for a nuclear attack until he becomes president. so donald trump has that right now on the way to florida because he is still the president, still commander in chief. of course you remember, george, after january 6th, nancy pelosi put in a call to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff worried about donald trump carrying that nuclear football, having those codes. he assured her that there would not be any sort of accidental launch. those codes, they're called the biscuit and the president usually carries that, is supposed to carry that code on his person. 1981 after ronald reagan was shot and in the hospital, there was a brief moment of panic because they couldn't find the codes. it's supposed to be on his person. of course, he went into surgery. they later found it in his shoe. so donald trump surely has those codes on him now, but when the second satchel is passed to joe

biden, i can imagine that is a very sobering moment. i have also heard from a lot of people about those procedures that are now in place. they think they are strong procedures, but it really is up to the president to decide. there is that procedure. what happens, you bring in the joint chief. you bring in the joint staff to talk about it. it's only supposed to happen if the united states is under attack, but i think many people particularly after the trump presidency, who want to take a second look and see if you can put stronger procedures in place, george. >> that has been one of the defining debates. no question about that. in the end, the president has sole control even though those safeguards are in place. let's bring in mark updegrove. all the presidents talk about how sobering this is. >> that's right, george. it is sobering. it is the most sobering responsibility a president has. the reason it's called the football is because it's passed -- it's handed off from

one military officer to another, and of course, today it won't be handed off from one president to another because they're not going to be in the same place. there are two different system. so president trump's will run out at noon when constitutionally joe biden becomes president, and then there will be another system, another satchel containing those codes here in washington for joe biden to begin his tenure as our nation's commander in chief. >> and as martha said, he will not be given that biscuit with the actual codes until noon when he does become president of the united states. we have to take another quick break. we'll be right back. ♪

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back now with our continued coverage of the inauguration of joseph r. biden as 46th president of the united states. just a couple of hours away right now. that was the scene in washington right now. the president-elect and vice president-elect at a church service right now at st. matthew's cathedral. this is very much unlike most inaugurations, but eva pilgrim is in washington. give us a sense of what you are seeing, what you are hearing, what it feels like on the streets of washington today. >> reporter: well, the streets of washington have just been a complete ghost town since we've gotten here. all the businesses are boarded

up. we're actually standing here along the national mall, and this is where the people, the general public would normally come to watch the inauguration. instead of there being a sea of people behind me, there's a sea of flags, and there are flags, about 200,000 flags in the ground out here representing the people who couldn't come and attend this event. there are flags from all 50 states and the u.s. territories representing this great country that we live in, and these flags, significantly, give people the opportunity to sponsor the flags where they can make a donation to different charities all across the country from the united way into chicago, or a texas food bank. they can make that donation and sponsor these flags, but there's no one out here. we had to actually go through three or four fences to get to this area. it is on complete lockdown, and just very quiet which as you know, george, is not normal for the national mall on inauguration day.

>> okay, eva, and eva, you covered joe biden during the campaign, and as he's at the church service, this was something you would often see him sneak away for a daily mass. >> reporter: yeah. it was something that struck me the very first time. i flew to iowa to meet up with the biden campaign to go on the trail with them. i landed and i asked the campaign embed, where's joe biden? she's, like, oh, he's at church. i was, like, is he at a campaign event? it was never a campaign event. he would go to these churches in whatever random small town we were in. if he was out on the campaign trail on sundays, and he would just sneak into the back row, listen to the sermon and then he would leave. never made a big deal about it. it was something he did for himself every week, and i think the american public is gaining a look at that side of joe biden that we saw so often while we were on the campaign trail. a man of faith. that's something we've heard about him repeatedly, but a man who acts on his faith, and he is

very much guided by that faith in the decisions that he makes, george. >> thank you, eva. cecilia vega will be covering the biden white house as our chief white house correspondent. now a man of deep faith. the faith has been tested. >> reporter: the faith has been tested and it will be tested even more going forward just in terms of his new job, tested personally in terms of all of the loss and the tragedy that he's experienced in his life, george, but, you know, i was speaking with delaware senator tom carper who has served with him, of course in the senate and i said, what's the one thing people don't know about joe biden? he told me he is a man of faith and he doesn't wear it on his sleeve, and so people don't know how deeply religious joe biden is, and that the one thing that he subscribes to is the golden rule, treat everyone as you would like to be treated. that is his goal -- his north star that guides his faith day-to-day, and it is how he governs. it is how he ran as a politician, and i want to quickly point out, george, it

wasn't that long ago that john kennedy, his loyalties were questioned as a catholic when he ran for office and became the first catholic president of our country. that's not been an issue for joe biden, but it is momentous to see a catholic president, the second one in our history. >> joe biden will be taking the oath shortly before noon today. he will become president at noon. he will be taking the oath with his hand on the celtic family bible of the biden family. we'll take another quick break. our coverage continues for the inauguration of joseph r. biden, the 46th president of the united states.

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♪ i heard there was a secret chord that david played and it pleased the lord ♪ ♪ but you don't really care for music, do ya?♪ >>hawas the scene of the reflecting pool at the national mall last night. those lights honoring the hundreds of thousands, nearly 400,000 americans who lost their lives during the pandemic. let's bring in dr. jen ashton for more on this right now. you have been covering this every minute of the day for the last year. those flags now representing the lives lost as well. far and away, the biggest challenge facing the president-elect. >> it certainly is, george, and it is historic in the sense of medicine, science and public health not just in the united

states, but worldwide. covid-19 now the leading cause of death here in the united states. there are now at least 401,777 american lives lost due to covid-19. that is not a statistic. those are people. those are lives disrupted. so as a country, we are in critical condition, and the challenges facing this new administration are enormous. >> we heard president trump in his final speech talk about the miracle of the vaccine, and it truly was remarkable that the vaccine came out breaking all records to have these vaccines approved through the fda emergency process. now the challenge is getting them to the people who need them. >> it sure is, and we have to celebrate the successes in medicine and science that the vaccine development globally has achieved. it has never been done that quickly, that safely before, and it was a result of unprecedented

global collaboration in both the public and private sectors. again, not just here in the u.s., but worldwide, and we heard the transition teams state their objective, 100 million doses of the vaccine. their goal, to be injected into 100 million people in the first 100 days. that has to happen when you are facing numbers, cases and deaths that we are seeing right now that are only going sharply up. so we have to figure out a way how to operationalize this vaccination campaign. true we have never embarked upon an endeavor of this magnitude before, but, you know, george, we do have resources that other parts of the world don't have, and i have optimism and hope that we will be able to correct our mistakes in the past, learn from our mistakes as we do in regular medicine and clinical care, and turn that around because as a country, if you

look at our country as a patient, we are in critical condition. there is no doubt about it. >> jen ashton, thanks very much. i want to bring in jim clyburn now. congressman jim clyburn. more responsible than anybody else, for the fact he is going to take the oath of office. thank you very much for joining us. a year ago this month, joe biden was doing dismally in iowa and new hampshire. you brought him around in south carolina. your thoughts on this morning? >> well, thank you very much for having me. i am very pleased to see this contrast develop and i think the country needs to experience this. the fact of the matter is joe biden started off this morning in a very quiet, a church service, and it was so meaningful to me that there in those pews were the leaders from

both sides of the congress, and i think that is a bit symbolic of what you are going to see for the next several weeks. the leadership of both parties trying to get this country back on track towards its pursuit of perfection. we'll never be a perfect country. we know that, but we've got to always be in pursuit of that perfection, and it takes both parties and its leaders working together to get that done. you're not going to do it just by saying it, pronouncing it. you've got to practice it, and so joe biden is starting off practicing what he's preaching during this campaign. >> by inviting the leaders there, but divisions as you know, congressman, are so deep. we know the capitol was overrun by rioters and on that same day,

an overwhelming majority of the republican colleagues in the house weren't even accepting that joe biden was the legitimate winner of the election. >> that's just something that's behind us. i look upon the division the same way i look for long journeys. they start with a single step, and so hopefully this morning is one step up and maybe this afternoon, during the inaugural address we'll be do steps up, and we'll keep taking the steps that are necessary to climb out of this deep, divided chasm that we're in. >> you heard a lot of your republican colleagues saying that the fact you all impeached president trump one week ago was a sign that the democrats were not able to divide -- to unite the country, and create more division. what's your answer to that? >> my answer to that is very simple if i might use a metaphor again. there's growth in this country,

and you do not get rid of a cancerous growth unless you cut it out. you've got to get it out of us, and that's what we were doing. trying to cleanse this system. nobody in his or her right mind would come to any other conclusion except that trump was just a bad and a malignancy on this country that we had to get rid of. so we have impeached him, and i hope that the senate will convict him, and i hope they will then take the vote to never allow him to hold office again. that is the cleansing this country needs. we can't allow this country to collapse because of the craziness of one person, and i have called it that because i think that is what we have been. we have been on a crazy downward spiral for four years, and it's time for us to get rid of that

one person so the rest of this country can get continue its journey towards perfection. >> every day we read about that it becomes more shocking. do you think it was enough of a shock to the system to actually create cooperation in congress going forward? >> i think so. the cases are all there. a lot of people were surprised yesterday to hear the speech that mcconnell gave. a lot of people were surprised to hear what the leader of the house, the republican leader of the house had to say when he stood up to this president and said, no. not antifa. this is maga. these were your followers that did this, and let's just say it. let's put it out on the table so that we can get it behind us. to continue to deny what is fact is to continue the downward

spiral. >> congressman, you saved candida -- joe biden's candidacy. what is your word to him today? >> be yourself. be yourself. >> enjoy the day. we have to take another break. we'll be right back. ♪ yeah, i mean the thing is, people like geico because it's just easy. bundling for example. you've got car insurance here. and home insurance here. why not... schuuuuzp... put them together. save even more. some things are better together. like um... tea and crumpets. but you wouldn't bundle just anything. like, say... a porcupine in a balloon factory. now, that'd be a mess. i mean for starters, porcupines are famously no good in a team setting. save even more when you bundle home and car insurance.

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12 years ago i was waiting at the train station at wilmington for a black man to pick me up on our way to washington where we were sworn in as president and vice president of the united states

of america, and here we are today. my family and i about to return to washington to meet a black woman of south asian descent to be sworn in as president and vice president of united states. >> joe biden right at the center of two moments of history reflecting on that yesterday as he was leaving new castle county, delaware to come to washington for his inauguration. let me bring in michael strahan again. we were just talking to jim clyburn about the president's success in south carolina one year ago on the heels of so many black voters, and one of the things you saw in that campaign was the first glimmers of how joe biden's empathy became his secret weapon in this campaign. >> yeah. 100%, george, and one thing we know about president-elect joe biden's story is his loss. his loss of to his wife and his young daughter in the 1970s. also the loss of his son beau, and this gives him insight into

grief and loss, and i think that's something that he can relate to the hundreds of thousands of americans out there who have lost family members due to the covid-19 -- covid-19 pandemic that we're going through right now, and also to the economic crisis that we're going through right now. we still have a lot of work to do. this does not mean because we have a new administration that the pandemic is over, that the economic crisis is over, but i think this makes him empathetic to what everyone is going through, and as congressman clyburn said, the best thing that president-elect joe biden can do is be himself. that's what got him elected, and i think that's what the country needs right now. >> he was the antidote for so many people. robin roberts, you know, he talked yesterday about kamala harris. made that historic choice. one of the ways he showed his empathy was his ability to overcome the fact that they had probably one of the testiest

moments in the campaign. >> oh, i was waiting when that was going to be brought up again, george. yes. everybody remembers that quite well, but it really speaks to both of their characters how they were able to get past that, but they have more in common than not. they're both about family, and when i traveled to pittsburgh in april of 2019, that's when joe biden announced he was running for president announce, and dr. jill biden was there with him, and i said, how did this decision come about? they said it was a family decision. they said that they talked to the older kids and then they had the grandchildren come to the home and they were in the library, and they said, you know, let's talk this over. papa pop is thinking of doing this, and that's what they call him. they said, pop has to run. he would be such a great president. he ran in 1988 when he was just 44 years at the time, but it's

all about family, so going back to what you said, part of the reason why they were able to get past their differences, kamala harris and joe biden, family. family, and they're all about not moving on, moving forward. moving the country forward. not on. not discounting what we have gone through as a country. you have to acknowledge that, but to move on, and you're asking me about the pearls. it's an aka thing. it's a georgia thing, george. you wouldn't understand. you wouldn't understand. >> you know what? i confess. you're absolutely right about that, robin roberts. i would not understand. thank you. david muir, she was talking about the family of course. the keystone of that relationship for kamala harris and joe biden, beau biden. >> yes, and, in fact, that is how kamala harris first had that connection with the biden family. she and beau biden was one of the attorney generals who supported her in her fight to protect families facing fore

closure back during the last major financial crisis, you know, robin and i got a chance to interview them as a ticket the first time they sat down for their joint interview, joe biden and kamala, and that moment you brought up, that moment of tension on the campaign trail that both of them were asked so often about, you know, they talked with robin and me at length about that, and about the healing that came afterward, and one of the things that most struck me during that interview was when kamala harris said to me, the bottom line, david, is that the role that joe biden played as vice president is the role that i will follow. she learned so much from the way that joe biden handled himself during the obama administration, what a partner he was for barack obama, and one of the things joe biden repeatedly said was he was looking for someone just like barack obama was looking for, that would be the last person in the room that you would get a gut check, honesty, that if that person disagreed with you, they wouldn't be afraid to disagree

with you in that moment, most important of all, and kamala harris said she's ready for that role and honored that joe biden selected her to be that person. >> let's get more on kamala harris from faith abubey. graduate of howard. >> reporter: yes, george. the sun went down yesterday on an america that's never had a female vice president, and now it's rising today stepping into a role of a woman that is south asian and black. her college couldn't be prouder of her. this is where it all began for kamala harris. he said she was nurtured, challenged and refined and she found her voice and passion for public service. this is where the first time she experienced elected leadership when she became the freshman representative on the student council. so this university means a lot to her. the university, the students here want to be part of the inaugural festivities, but because of the pandemic and the security threat, they are not able to.

the university campus is closed today, but the band, the show time band has the distinct honor of being part of the ceremony today. they'll be able to escort vice president kamala harris to the white house later on today. we were speaking with some of them earlier today. three young women who have watched and waited for this moment, they tell us the pandemic, yes, did create some challenges for them, but they have been preparing for this moment since august, 2020 when vice president -- when now president-elect joe biden put kamala harris on the ticket. they have been preparing since then. they have had to do practices on zoom which was very challenging, but they know this moment is very special, and they want to be able to be there and show kamala harris how proud they are of her, and how she has inspired a whole generation of young black women and a lot of students here on campus at howard university. so they're getting ready to head over to the capitol, and if you have never watched an hbcu band

perform, you are in for a treat. they have prepared a special cadence just for her, and they just want to make sure that howard university is top of mind as a lot of people are watching one of their alumni make history later today. so a lot of people cheering for her as she becomes vice president. >> thank you, faith. the capitol steps starting to fill up right now. linsey davis, robin roberts is right. it's a sorority thing. yont i don't understand it at all. you have to explain it. >> reporter: right. well, pearls are a symbol of alpha kappa alpha sorority which she pledged, and the pearls are a symbol of sisterhood and unity, and women are saying, wear pearls on january 20, 2021, and hundreds of thousands of women are apparently wearing pearls in support of her. >> and robin -- thank you, linsey. i want to speak to robin because she was speaking to sorority

sisters of kamala harris throughout the campaign. they were a real source of strength throughout the campaign for kamala harris. >> and remain a real source of strength saying that they are her center. they recently had a zoom. it was a founders meeting and they were talking about so many different things, but that it comes back to when they were in school together, and that she -- it's very important to her that she maintains that lightness that they know that she has a heavy burden, a heavy task ahead and she's ready to face it. being there at howard, helped ment, but they are a true sisterhood, and she is keeping in touch with them, and they are bonded by those pearls. >> george. >> i want to pick off of a fun little point that faith was talking about for those who have not heard the drum line yet at howard university. people don't go to the football games to watch the football game. they go to listen to the music during the halftime game, but really wanted to pivot to the

larger point when, you know, joe biden was talking about how he went to d.c. with a black man and he was the vice president, and now he's bringing a black woman as his vice president. you know, this is certainly a very different america that this administration is inheriting. if you think about when barack obama was sworn into office, there was a lot of talk in this country as about how we were in this post-racial america, and perhaps racism didn't even exist anymore, and there was a gallup poll that said 75% of white people said that race relations in this country were good. fast forward to 2020, that number has dropped by about 30%. perhaps that's due in large part to the death of george floyd and the subsequent summer protests we saw, but there are a lot of americans now who are in their infancy of acknowledging there is a problem and believing that race may really play a significant role in our society, and so that shift in public sentiment coupled with the idea that you have a vice president

who has said that equal justice in this country is an aspiration and not yet an achievement is significant, and i would say an advantage for them. also just wanted to point out the idea that you have in the backdrop of all of this, this extreme military presence, and what a paradox that is, george, that basically you have the military that is in place to protect america from itself, and, you know, normally this day is considered to be the hallmark of democracy, and i would say that a little bit of that has been hijacked, that the traditional festive and victorious nature of all of this, by the division that we see in this country. you have this large part of americans who see this as progress, who see the idea, that not just that this is advanceableme advanceme advancement, not just for people of color, but confirmed this could be the most diverse and inclusive cabinet in american history. >> one of the many challenges joe biden faces.

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♪ and there you see st. matthew's cathedral, the worship service attended by president-elect biden and vice president-elect harris. it has ended now. congressional leaders were invited as well, and you see them. i believe that's chuck schumer right there, the democratic leader of the senate. our coverage will continue. ng get in my way.

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>> announcer: live from abc news, the inauguration of joe biden and kamala harris. here again, george stephanopoulos. that is a scene at st. matthews cathedral in washington, d.c. st. matthew the apostle. president-elect joe biden and vice president elect kamala harris just finishing up there. it's been an extraordinary morning here in washington, d.c. we saw president trump leave office, leave the white house for the last time as president. and i want to bring in rahm emanuel for more on that. presidents in so many ways are defined by those who preceded

them. >> no doubt. two points in history, one is the president leaves challenges behind and a president that leaves crisis behind. there's no doubt anywhere joe biden turns from the pandemic to the economy to what russia just did, there are crises abundant. that's what's going to tell something about donald trump in this way and his presidency will be remembered for all the -- what he walked into and what he left behind. it's not a set of challenges. it's a set of crises. when you look at harry s. truman he had challenges for dwight eisenhower. what he history. that will not be true for donald trump. for joe biden, their biographies will tell their stories. so many crises, that's why i think americans turned to joe biden. his biography fits the moment.

>> chris christie, crises or opportunities? >> always, and you don't take the job unless you think you're the person who can take those crises and solve them. one of the things the people should remember about the incoming president, his trademark is loyalty. >> you see that by the people he's bringing into the oval office. >> this is a guy who i metaph f the first time 36 years ago at our shared alma mater, the university of delaware. that's when we first met. he was the senator from delaware. he has remained loyal to his alma mater. going to football games on saturdays, being a speaker there. all the people who have come out of that circle, that delaware circle, the university and the greater state, is where his roots are, where his faith

system is. you see it with the people, as you said, he brought around him and the people he remains in touch with after all these years. so one of the things i think you'll see is that he will remain loyal to those people who he believes got him here. >> yvette simpson, jim his line about joe biden is we know joe, more importantly he knows us. >> that's right. that's something that's going to be a test for this administration. there are a lot of people pulling at him, asking him to serve them. i think we'll talk hopefully later about the many actions we expect him to take today and in these first ten tadays because there are so many people saying we need you and we need you now. he's assembled a cabinet that will be diverse enough to do it. people will say we need you to do it and we need you to do it now. part of what rahm was saying, is

part of the reason biden was selected. he's been there before. we'll see how his experience will come to bear. >> sara fagen, personal relationships matter. will it matter with mitch mcconnell? >> i think it will matter a lot. we're at a very partisan time and both bases are pulling the parties to be further to the left or right. it will take an extraordinary effort by those two men to figure out how to bridge the gap and get things accomplished that speak to the wider nation. i think in this moment it's joe biden's day. he deserves the day. his supporters deserve the day. the country deserves the day. if he's going to reach out to those people who voted to donald trump, not just the crazies who stormed the capitol, that's a small faction. he's going to have to acknowledge the pain many of

those individuals feel. he's going to have to acknowledge some of the policies that donald trump did, even if he doesn't agree with them, why people support him. it's not just about the rhetoric and the twitter feed. there's more to this. tax policies, supreme court nominations, his approach in the world, the abraham accords. there were things done that were positive by donald trump. >> one of the things we'll listen for is how he reaches out to republicans and trump voters. joe biden will not be taking the oath of office today but for barack obama, former president of the united states as we look at the west front of the capitol. there's michelle obama, former first lady and the former president arriving there at the capitol. masks in place. capitol where barack obama was inaugurated the first black president of the united states in 2008. david muir he sent out a tweet to the new incoming president.

>> it was simple, but it said it all. barack obama tweeting congratulations to my friend, president joe biden. this is your time he said. it was so powerful to hear joe biden say in the last 24 hours he remembers back in the inauguration 2009 that a black man, picking him up to take him to the capitol to make history with him. joe biden talked about his mother. there's the image that barack obama tweeted out. his mother who when joe biden was deciding whether to say yes to be president obama's vice president, she said wait a minute, first black man to be president and you're even considering this. game, set match, the answer is yes. hillary clinton saying this morning i can't wait to call him president biden. it was her instagram post

yesterday, a photo of kamala harris and she said let's sit with this for a moment. tomorrow kamala harris will be the first woman sworn in as vice president of the united states. with so much vitriol and the polarization of america, it was interesting to see the comments underneath that. a lot of people thanking hillary clinton for some of the path she has paved. joe biden, as barack obama talked about, his empathy, how he complimented barack obama when they were together in the white house. joe biden talking afterwards at length, even when the cameras were off. he talked warmly about hillary clinton, said she would have been a great president. he said he does believe this time, this moment perhaps is meant for him. >> terry moran, barack obama picked joe biden in 2008 after they were opponents. joe biden was not barack obama's choice last time around.

>> he was not. it was one of barack obama's misjudgments politically that he backed hillary clinton. he thought she was the stronger candidate and also, of course, joe biden wrecked by grief as he acknowledged from the death of his son beau. biden is clearly proud of the fact that he was barack obama's vice president and now that he has chosen kamala harris as the first woman, black and american of south asian descent to be vice president. joe biden is a bridge from where power was almost exclusively white and male and he's a man that you wouldn't have expected. >> i think that's right. yet, byron pitts, the man finds the moment and the moment finds the man. >> it's absolutely true, george. i was thinking about in watching

the service at the catholic church it seemed more like a pent coastal service. it seemed much longer than a catholic service. it was the late billy graham who said there are two kinds of preachers -- those who build you up and those who tear you down. donald trump was a tear you down kind of guy. taking shots at his opponents. where joe biden in his entire life has been a build you up kind of guy. chris christie said earlier loyalty matters to joe biden. it mattered for donald trump. for donald trump it was an alley that went one way. for joe biden it goes both ways. this man from scranton, virginia who knows sacrifice, he knows loss. now he rises in this time where a nation -- we're dealing with loss. people of humble means. to this point i think he can be that bridge because he knows

what america has been. he knows what america can be. so i think -- this is a real opportunity. i think about him. i think about lyndon johnson who became president during a difficult time. he worked in the u.s. senate. knew how to get things done in rooms. joe biden is that same kind of guy. he knows how to have conversations with mitch mcconnell on the phone. we'll see. >> he's the closest thing we've had to that kind of president since lyndon johnson. we're seeing the steps fill up with senators, governors, judges. heidi heitkamp is there. pick up on what byron was saying, heidi, on how joe biden has developed the skills over a lifetime for this moment. >> i totally agree. he's very, very well-liked among the senate. it's now been ten years since he's been in the senate and the place has changed. he's going to have a heavier

lift than what i think he anticipates, probably the biggest advantage he has right now is that the president is leaving -- president trump is leaving with a huge cloud over his head. i think the republican party needs to show some unity and some availability to this president to move an agenda forward. if this president, president biden sticks to infrastructure and systemic reforms that need to be made in health care that will broaden availability and lower costs, i think he'll find willing participants. i have a level of optimism i haven't had about government in a long time. it's interesting being out here because, you know, people who denied that president biden was the president, they're here hob knobbing with people like me who have been ferocious supporters of president biden. an exciting time always to see the peaceful transfer of power,

this time not so peaceful, but certainly an important time in our history. >> we'll build on that as we see the motorcade pull up to the capitol. we have to take another quick break. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ >> announcer: you're watching abc news live coverage of the inauguration of president joe biden, streaming nonstop on abc news live and on apple news. sofi made it so easy to pay off my student loan debt. they were able to give me a personal loan so i could pay off all of my credit cards. i got my mortgage through sofi and the whole process was so easy. ♪ express yourself ♪ ♪ ♪ express yourself ♪ ♪ for skin that never holds you back

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vice president mike pence pulling up to the capitol. the vice president attending the

inauguration today. president trump is not attending. we want to bring in jon karl and, jon, that relationship between president trump and his vice president completely fractured over the last couple weeks, ever since the election was certified. vice president mike pence had to do that. president trump mentioned -- to thank him in one sentence today, but that relationship was truly broken. >> it's one of the strangest things, george, about what has been in many ways a strange presidency. mike pence was the most loyal person to donald trump, at least the most visibly loyal person to donald trump in public life outside of his family. stood by him. never uttered a hint of criticism, not even background criticism. you never heard murmuring of pence being unhappy. then somehow donald trump got it into his head that mike pence

would have the power to single handedly overturn the presidential election, deny biden's victory and hand victory to donald trump on january 6th when they come and formally count the votes in the joint session of congress. a very strange idea. there were a couple of lawyers who pushed this idea on him, including a lawyer that was brought to him by mark meadows, his chief of staff. it's obviously a fantasy. it can never happen. when pence refused to go along with this, what would have been an act dweirectly in defiance o the constitution of the united states, the president became enraged. even in that speech on january 6th where the president encouraged his supporters to go to the capitol and show strength and take back their country, in that speech he criticized pence over and over. now, look, here pence is

attending the inauguration that donald trump decided he would not attend. pence, a loyalist, a trump loyalist through and through, but he believes he has a duty to carry out his constitutional obligations and that's what he is doing right here. >> thank you, jon. i want to bring in dan abrams for more on that. jon karl called it a fantasy that mike pence could have overturned it. he couldn't have done anything even if he wanted to. >> nothing. if you look back at the entire period after the election, there became dates that were seen as critical. first it was when the states were going to certify. then it became the safe harbor date. then it became the december 14th day. then it moved to january 6th, the date of the electors being counted. each time the president's chances became less and less of being able to do anything. in reality, the moment those

states certified on time, there was nothing that could be done to change it, period. so there was this continuing effort by the president and some of his allies to lead hope, that, well, there's still this coming up and january 6th was that final day. it was the final ceremonial event where something is happening and so it became symbolic of all of these up to that point failed efforts to overturn the election. january 6th was overseen by vice president mike pence and that's why it became such a big deal. >> we're seeing ted cruz, one of the senators who was questioning the election on that day that the capitol was under siege. want to bring in rick klein our political director. talk about mike pence's future, if any, in the republican party. >> mike pence decided to attend the inauguration rather than the

send-off at andrews air force base. he can say i'm loyal to trump. i understand trump, but i'm also loyal to the systems of government. if there's a future in the republican for that voice, mike pence might be the guy. there's going to be a lot of ambitious republicans who have other things to say about that. people who will confess greater loyalty to president trump and others who will say mike pence stood up too late. there were other moments he should have shown some backbone and some independence from trump. >> chris christie, is that necessary to have a future in the republican party? >> there are things that republicans believe in that donald trump accomplished in these four years, especially in the judiciary. you have to separate the republican party -- you have to separate the message from the

mess messenger. when you look at elections at the state level, there are a lot of republicans americans support. this is like the fog of war. it's impossible for us to see it now. it will become clear as the biden administration does things and the republicans react. >> there you see the congressional leaders at the capitol. house speaker nancy pelosi, congress majority leader mitch mcconnell. they're waiting for president-elect joe biden to arrive. we'll take another quick break and be right back.

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live coverage on abc news of the inauguration of joe biden and kamala harris. there you see the motorcade of the president-elect heading to the capitol right now after the church service at st. matthews cathedral, riding already in the presidential limo, but alone, not with the former president. president-elect joe biden with his wife dr. jill biden. i want to bring in one of the few speech writers who helped write two of president clinton's