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<\/p>\nWASHINGTON \u2014 President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. arrived in the nation\u2019s capital on Tuesday for the first time since his election, and on the eve of his inauguration, he did what his predecessor declined to do by leading a national mourning for Americans killed by the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
In a somber sundown ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in a city virtually occupied by troops on guard against political violence, Mr. Biden paid tribute to the victims of the pandemic on the same day that the death toll in the United States topped a staggering 400,000 \u2014 and almost a year to the day from the first report of the virus appearing in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo heal we must remember,\u201d Mr. Biden said, standing in front of the Reflecting Pool, which was surrounded by 400 lights meant to mark the 400,000 victims of the virus. \u201cIt\u2019s hard sometimes to remember. But that\u2019s how we heal. It\u2019s important to do that as a nation. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here today. Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all whom we lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the incoming president spoke, the bells at Washington National Cathedral began to chime and the Empire State Building in New York and the Space Needle in Seattle were illuminated. Cities from Miami to San Diego also lit buildings for the occasion while Mr. Biden\u2019s inaugural committee encouraged Americans to light candles in their windows in a show of national solidarity. Events were also held in the two cities that Mr. Biden calls his hometowns, Wilmington, Del., and Scranton, Pa.<\/p>\n
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The evocative ceremony provided a moment of catharsis that the nation has not experienced until now and underscored the change in store as Mr. Biden takes the oath of office on Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States. Throughout the pandemic, President Trump has refused to hold a similar event of national mourning and offered little public empathy for its victims, even as he and members of his family and staff have themselves been infected and recovered from the virus.<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump made no mention of the grim new landmark of 400,000 dead on Tuesday in his farewell address to the nation and referred to the victims in just a single sentence. \u201cWe grieve for every life lost, and we pledge in their memory to wipe out this horrible pandemic once and for all,\u201d he said in the address, which was released on video.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, he focused on the \u201cbrutal toll\u201d the virus took on the economy and boasted of his success in developing a vaccine in record time, without mentioning the troubles in distributing the lifesaving shots.<\/p>\n
For Mr. Biden, 78, it was a melancholy day as he prepared to take the reins of a country in crisis on Wednesday. In leaving Wilmington for Washington to achieve a goal he spent three and a half decades seeking, he was openly emotional, wiping tears from his eyes and choking up. He mused aloud about his own death and said he wished it was his dead son, Beau Biden, who was becoming president rather than him. But he insisted that dark days would be followed by brighter ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s deeply personal that our next journey to Washington starts here, a place that defines the very best of who we are as Americans,\u201d the president-elect said at a send-off ceremony at the Major Joseph R. \u201cBeau\u201d Biden III National Guard\/Reserve Center in New Castle, Del., named for the son who served in Iraq and as the state\u2019s attorney general before dying of brain cancer in 2015. \u201cI know these are dark times, but there\u2019s always light. That\u2019s what makes this state so special. That\u2019s what it taught me: There\u2019s always light.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paraphrasing James Joyce, who once said, \u201cWhen I die, Dublin will be written on my heart,\u201d Mr. Biden paused to compose himself and his voice trembled. \u201cExcuse the emotion, but when I die, Delaware will be written on my heart,\u201d he said. Referring to Beau Biden, he added: \u201cI only have one regret, that he\u2019s not here. We should be introducing him as president.\u201d<\/p>\n
The president-elect flew to Washington rather than taking the train \u2014 the favorite mode of transportation for \u201cAmtrak Joe\u201d \u2014 because of security concerns less than two weeks after a mob encouraged by Mr. Trump stormed the Capitol and temporarily halted the counting of the Electoral College votes ratifying Mr. Biden\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n
transcript<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, we will make America great again.\u201d \u201cThis was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period.\u201d \u201cSean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts.\u201d \u201cHo ho! Donald Trump has got to go!\u201d \u201c… five-year ban that I\u2019ve been talking about a lot \u2014 it\u2019s not a Muslim ban \u2014 we\u2019re now putting it into effect.\u201d \u201cWe have confirmed that F.B.I. Director James Comey has been …\u201d \u201c… fired because of the Russia investigation.\u201d \u201cHe\u2019s a showboat. He\u2019s a grandstander.\u201d \u201c… the appointment of a special counsel. Mueller will have leeway to run the investigation as he sees fit.\u201d \u201c … and President Trump goes abroad.\u201d \u201cSo, I\u2019m going to be very brief. Thank you.\u201c [rocket launching] \u201cThey will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.\u201d \u201cYou will not replace us!\u201d [loud noise] \u201cBut you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.\u201d Crowd: \u201cDon\u2019t look!\u201d \u201cThe president has denied these allegations.\u201d \u201cFake news!\u201d \u201cI watched the news this morning, and they were all saying, \u2018Will he sign it by Christmas?\u2019 Tax cuts for American families.\u201d \u201cHappy New Year, everybody.\u201d \u201cPresident Trump is under fire.\u201d \u201cQuote: \u2018Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?\u2019\u201d \u201cWas it hush money to stay silent?\u201d \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cThe embassy of the United States, here in Jerusalem.\u201d \u201c… growing outrage over how the Trump administration treats illegal migrants.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s horrible and tough, but just remember, a country without borders is not a country at all.\u201d \u201cAnd then they go after us for a Russian hoax. It\u2019s a witch hunt hoax.\u201d \u201cA witch hunt!\u201d \u201cIt is a total witch hunt.\u201d \u201cYou have these phony witch hunts.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m here because I believe it is my civic duty.\u201d \u201cThis confirmation process has become a national disgrace.\u201d \u201cSomething about when I put this hat on, it made feel like Superman.\u201d \u201c… to negotiate with you about how we can keep the government open …\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep it open if we have border security.\u201d \u201cThe American … the American …\u201d \u201cIf we don\u2019t have border security, Chuck …\u201d \u201cI\u2019m with you.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re not going to keep it open.\u201d \u201cThe longest government shutdown in U.S. history continues.\u201d \u201cThe president\u2019s former fixer and lawyer said he and Mr. Trump committed crimes together.\u201d \u201cHe is a racist. He is a con man and he is a cheat.\u201d \u201cSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller\u2019s report on the Russia investigation has just been made available to the American public.\u201d \u201cNo collusion, no obstruction.\u201d \u201cWe decided we would not make a determination as to whether the president committed a crime.\u201d \u201cWe were in Japan for the G20. We came over and I said: \u2018Hey, I\u2019m over here. I want to call up Chairman Kim.\u201d \u201cRepresentative Ilhan Omar …\u201d Crowd: \u201cSend her back! Send her back!\u201d \u201cIt was going to hit not only Florida, but Georgia. It could have … it was going toward the Gulf.\u201d \u201cSyria … we\u2019re bringing our soldiers back home. That\u2019s a big thing.\u201d \u201cPresident Trump defending his July phone call with the leader of Ukraine.\u201d \u201cThe call was perfect. There was no quid pro quo.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry.\u201d \u201cArticle 1 is adopted.\u201d [gavel bangs] \u201cThe U.S. airstrike has killed Iran\u2019s most important military commander.\u201d \u201cQassim Suleimani … ending his evil reign of terror forever.\u201d \u201cThis nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece.\u201d [applause] \u201cThe impeachment trial of Donald John Trump, president of the United States.\u201d \u201cGuilty.\u201d \u201cNot guilty.\u201d \u201cNot guilty.\u201d \u201cGuilty.\u201d \u201cThis is what the end result is.\u201d [applause] \u201cThe outbreak of a mystery virus in China.\u201d \u201cWe have it totally under control.\u201d \u201cE.R. doctors saying we are on the verge of a medical disaster.\u201d \u201cIt will go away, just stay calm.\u201d \u201cIt will probably go away by itself. If we had a vaccine, that would be very helpful.\u201d \u201cOur country wasn\u2019t built to be shut down.\u201d \u201cAcross this country, two crises have converged, protests over the death of George Floyd and the pandemic.\u201d \u201cJustice! … Now!\u201d [bang] [sirens] \u201cThe rise and spread of the QAnon conspiracy …\u201d \u201cI understand they like me very much.\u201d \u201c… the radical left …\u201d \u201c… shut up, man …\u201d \u201cWho would you like me to condemn?\u201d \u201cWhite supremacists and … right-wing militias.\u201d \u201cProud Boys, stand back and stand by.\u201d \u201cAnd I have a mask right here, you know, when I think I need it. \u201cThe president of the United States tested positive for the coronavirus.\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t feel so good. And now I\u2019m better. Don\u2019t let it dominate you.\u201d \u201cThe wait is over, Election Day is finally here.\u201d \u201cCBS News projects Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States.\u201d \u201cIt was a rigged election.\u201d \u201cThe numbers are corrupt.\u201d \u201cThey cheated and they rigged our presidential election, but we will still win it.\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue …\u201d \u201cU.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!\u201d \u201c… the most significant breach of the Capitol since the War of 1812.\u201d \u201cTwitter has permanently suspended President Trump\u2019s account.\u201d \u201cThe president of the United States incited this insurrection.\u201d \u201cTake it down!\u201d \u201cHe must go.\u201d \u201cThe first president in history to be impeached twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He traveled by a chartered white and gray passenger jet, which itself was another break from custom. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all sent government planes to pick up their successors to bring them to the capital for their inaugurations, but Mr. Trump has made clear he has little interest in helping his successor, and Mr. Biden\u2019s staff said they opted not to ask for an official jet.<\/p>\n
After months of trying to overturn the results of the democratic election, Mr. Trump has scorned the traditional transition of power, refusing to invite Mr. Biden for the usual postelection visit to the White House and refusing to attend Wednesday\u2019s inaugural ceremony.<\/p>\n
But he did offer well wishes to his successor in his farewell video on Tuesday without actually using Mr. Biden\u2019s name. \u201cThis week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cWe extend our best wishes and we also want them to have luck, a very important word.\u201d<\/p>\n
The president, who has not appeared in public in days and remained in seclusion at the White House in his final hours in office, used the 20-minute video posted online to frame his administration as a period of progress despite the pandemic and the assault on the Capitol.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not seek the easiest course,\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cBy far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices, because that\u2019s what you elected me to do. Your needs were my first and last unyielding focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
In listing what he sees as his accomplishments, the departing president cited the strong economy before the pandemic, tax cuts, regulation curbs, judicial appointments including three Supreme Court justices, the revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, his investment of additional money in the military, the normalization of relations between Israel and several of its Arab neighbors and his confrontations with China and Iran. \u201cI am especially proud to be the first president in decades who has started no new wars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump again condemned the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol without acknowledging any responsibility for encouraging his supporters, for which he has been impeached by the House and faces trial by the Senate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol,\u201d the president said. \u201cPolitical violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated.\u201d He made no mention of the fact that he had incited the crowd beforehand and told them even after they invaded the Capitol and he was telling them to go home that \u201cwe love you, you\u2019re very special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Trump made clear he would not go away and be silent, assailing the \u201cpolitical censorship\u201d and \u201cblacklisting\u201d by social media companies that have cut off his accounts. \u201cNow, as I prepare to hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday,\u201d he said, \u201cI want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Mr. Biden\u2019s ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, he was joined by his wife, Jill Biden, as well as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff. Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, delivered the invocation while two acclaimed gospel singers, Yolanda Adams and Lori Marie Key, performed.<\/p>\n
Mr. Biden noted during the event in Delaware that 12 years ago he assumed the vice presidency as the partner of a Black man sworn in as president and that on Wednesday he would assume the presidency as the partner of a Black and South Asian woman who would be sworn in as vice president.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell me things can\u2019t change,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can and they do. That\u2019s America, that\u2019s Delaware, a place of hope and light and limitless possibilities. And I\u2019m honored, I\u2019m truly honored to be your next president and commander in chief and I\u2019ll always be a proud son of the state of Delaware.\u201d<\/p>\n