Joe Biden says his inauguration will NOT have million-strong crowd on the National Mall or a parade and says it will look like Democrats' all-virtual convention
President-elect Joe Biden says his inauguration January 20th won't have an assembly of a million cheering fans on the Mall – nearly four years after President Trump's presidency got off to a rocky start after false claims about crowd size.
Biden framed the issue in terms of the coronavirus, and referenced his 'virtual' party convention, which also shattered norms amid the pandemic.
He said he would perform the traditional swearing-in at the Capitol – considered an important symbol of the transfer of power, even as President Trump continued to call the election 'rigged' in a way that could undermine Biden's legitimacy.
President-elect Joe Biden said his inauguration would 'closer to what the convention was like' than typical inaugural'
The way it was: Crowds gather before Barack Obama is sworn in for the first time on January 20, 2009
Biden says keeping people safe is his first consideration for his Jan. 20 inauguration. He said it will be 'Highly unlikely there will be a million people on the Mall going all the way down the mall' due to the pandemic.
In that sense, his inauguration will break historical patterns going back decades, although there were low-key swearing-ins earlier in the nation's history.
Biden was asked about the subject following a speech in Wilmington, told that a lot of Americans are wondering what his inauguration would look like.
'So am I,' he quipped.
He suggested that the festivities could end up looking like the largely virtual convention Democrats held in August, with online activity in the states.
Biden said his inauguration wouldn't have crowds lined up down the Mall as they were for Barack Obama's inauguration
Biden said he would hold festivities at the Capitol
President Donald Trump gives his inaugural speech on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States
Trump delivered his 'American carnage' speech, before his press secretary spoke inaccurately about the size of his inaugural crowd
Biden says his team is talking with congressional leaders about their plans for the inauguration. The swearing-in ceremony and a lunch for the new president and vice president are held at the Capitol.
Biden says he wants people to be able to celebrate safely. He says, "There will probably not be a gigantic inaugural parade." He says details are still being worked out.
It isn't just COVID-19 and the crowds that will make things appear different. Trump has yet to say he will attend, and has yet to concede. Other traditions, like a traditional tea at the White House for the outgoing and incoming presidents and their spouses, and a joint ride in the presidential limo to the Capitol, are certainly up in the air.
He said it would be 'closer to what the convention was like than typical inauguration.'
On the first day of his presidency, Trump press secretary Sean Spicer claimed the inaugural crowd was far larger than Barack Obama's, despite photo evidence that clearly contradicted it.