WASHINGTON – President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s inaugural committee released new details on Sunday about his trip to the White House following his oath at the United States Capitol, which further underscore the reduced and largely virtual nature of his plans to the inauguration day.
After taking the oath of office, Biden will conduct a traditional review of military troops with the aim of highlighting the peaceful transfer of power, the Presidential Inauguration Committee said in a statement. The committee also said that Biden will receive an official escort, with representatives from all branches of the armed forces, for a block before arriving at the White House.
The statement did not leave much detail unclear, including the nature of the rest of Biden’s trip about 1.5 miles from the Capitol to the White House. For a long time, a huge presidential race slowly descends Avenida Pennsylvania, passing by thousands of enthusiastic spectators, with the newly installed president walking part of the way.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, the inaugural committee this year asked Americans not to travel to Washington for the event. The committee hopes to stop large crowds that can transmit the virus, which kills more than 2,000 Americans every day.
In place of the big face-to-face extravagances of previous years, the inaugural committee said it was planning a “virtual parade” across the country, presenting “iconic images of a new president, a new vice president and their families making their way to the Casa Branca “along with” musical acts, local bands, poets, dance groups and more homage to America’s heroes on the front lines of the pandemic. “
Committee officials are planning to mimic the various segments across the country that were broadcast during the Democratic National Convention in August, when the spread of the virus also banned large physical meetings.
Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have been vaccinated against the coronavirus and will therefore face little personal risk. But officials at the inauguration hope to avoid an event that could aggravate the furious spread of the virus across the country and model behavior that reflects public health guidelines.
The announcement on Sunday came days after workers dismantled a large parade exhibition booth that had been built in recent weeks in front of the White House, apparently with a measure of hope for a slightly more traditional event. But the continued spread of the virus has made this impossible.
Maju Varghese, the executive director of the Inaugural Presidential Committee – a non-profit entity financed by private donations – said in a statement that the committee was working towards “an inclusive and accessible celebration that brings Americans together and unifies our nation, especially over a period so difficult time for our country. “
The planned “Pass in Review”, in which Mr. Biden and Mrs. Harris will observe the uniformed military, will be conducted on the east side of the Capitol, after Biden’s oath on the west side of the building. There, he is to deliver a speech to the nation flanked by a reduced meeting of government officials and dignitaries.
The traditional military review is intended, in part, to celebrate the United States’ tradition of a peaceful transfer of power, but its announcement came on a day when this fundamental aspect of American democracy was in doubt.
An audio recording emerged on Sunday from a telephone conversation on Saturday when President Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn the election and threatened Raffensperger with “a criminal offense” . Also on Sunday, 10 former defense secretaries jointly published a statement in The Washington Post warning against any political interference in the presidential transition by the Pentagon, whose Trump leadership has accumulated with supporters since the November election.
It remains unclear whether Trump plans to attend Biden’s inauguration, let alone attend the new president’s traditional welcome to the White House before a limo ride to the Capitol for the ceremony. The inaugural committee’s statement made no mention of the outgoing president, and a committee official gave no further details.