The United States has a new president.
At about ten minutes before noon Wednesday, Joe Biden took the constitutional oath and became the 46th President of the United States, during a ceremony that marked the uncertain times the nation is in.
With that, another peaceful transfer of power took place, as it has happened every time there has been a change in administration since George Washington turned over the presidency to John Adams in 1797.
A few minutes before, former California Senator Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first woman and the first person of colour, to hold the office of Vice-President.
During his inaugural address, Biden stressed the need for unity, promising to be a president for all Americans whether they supported his campaign or not. But, he said without everyone working together, nothing will be accomplished.
"This is a great nation. We are good people," said Biden. "And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and war, we've come so far. But we still have far to go. We'll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities."
The ceremony was different than those past. In the time of COVID-19, a small fraction of the usual crowd in front of the U.S. Capitol was present. Also, due to the lingering threat of violence after the Capitol was stormed two weeks ago, crowds were asked to stay home and watch the ceremonies on television.
Outgoing Vice-President Mike Pence attended the ceremony, as did former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama. Former President Jimmy Carter, who is 96, did not travel to Washington, but Biden mentioned in his address that he spoke with Carter on Tuesday night.
Now-former President Donald Trump was absent, having left Washington Wednesday morning for his estate in Florida. He was the first president since Richard Nixon in 1974 to not be present for his successor's swearing-in.
With some of the traditional inaugural ceremonies scrapped due to COVID-19, the new president will join his predecessors in laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. Biden was to then enter the White House for the first time as president, where according to NBC News, he will issue a series of executive orders undoing some hallmarks of Trump's presidency. These include stopping construction of the border wall with Mexico, rejoining the Paris Agreement on climate change, and lifting the travel ban from several Muslim-majority countries.