Joe Biden: Inaugural Address

Joe Biden delivered his inaugural address under difficult circumstances. The nation was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down many American businesses and institutions, drove people into their homes, and inundated the nation’s health-care system. Additionally, the nation was sharply divided by the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Although Biden handily won both the popular vote and the Electoral College, each candidate won twenty-five states, and outgoing president Donald Trump, along with many of his supporters, was vocal in his belief that the election was marred by fraud, uncounted votes, and other irregularities, and that Biden was thus an illegitimate president. Then on January 6 of that year, after a speech by Trump at the White House, his supporters marched to the Capitol Building and rioted in an effort to prevent the count and certification of the electoral votes. This event led to a second impeachment trial for the outgoing president, contributing further to the nation’s turmoil. In view of the tumult that surrounded the end of the Trump administration, Biden’s Inaugural Address was noteworthy for its calming effect on listeners and readers.