Washington: Trump’s last day in the White House

Whoever for more than two months refused the verdict of the ballot box by denouncing imaginary fraud will become the first president not to attend the swearing-in of his successor for 150 years. Joe Biden will leave his stronghold of Wilmington, Delaware, to join Washington where he will participate, in the evening, with the future vice-president Kamala Harris, in a ceremony in front of the Abraham Lincoln memorial in honor of the nearly 400,000 victims of Covid-19 in the United States. At 24 hours before taking the oath, the federal capital, traumatized by the murderous assault on the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, looked like an entrenched camp.

Security measures surrounding the inauguration ceremony, scheduled for 12 p.m. local time on Wednesday (5 p.m. GMT), are exceptional. Some 25,000 National Guard troops and thousands of police officers from across the country will be deployed to provide security. High gates, sometimes topped with barbed wire, protect the “red zone” between Capitol Hill and the White House. We are far from the atmosphere of jubilation that had invaded the capital after the victory of Joe Biden.

The organizing committee of the ceremony has limited the number of guests and, on the immense esplanade of the “National Mall”, where thousands of Americans traditionally come to see their new president being sworn in, more than 190,000 flags have been planted for represent this absent audience. Since January 6, nearly 70 protesters have been charged with participating in the violence and hundreds of people are under investigation. Among them, elected officials and former or active members of the police.

Joe Biden wants to mark the contrast with Donald Trump

In both substance and form, Joe Biden, who will become at 78 years old the 46^e president of the history of the United States, intends to mark as sharp a contrast as possible with his predecessor, in particular in his manner of doing politics. Mitch McConnell, leader of the Republicans in the Senate, will be present, at his invitation, at a mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in which he will take part on Wednesday. “This symbolism is important”, underlines David Axelrod, former close adviser to Barack Obama. “We’ll see if that makes a difference. But Joe Biden knows that relationships and small acts of humanity are important in politics. It is an art that he masters to perfection, ”he tweeted.

On the diplomatic front, his future Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, promised, this Tuesday, January 19, to break with four years of unilateralism. “We can reinvigorate our alliances,” he was to say during his hearing before the Senate, according to the text released by his team. “Together, we are in a much better position to counter threats posed by Russia, Iran and North Korea and to defend democracy and human rights. ”

Donald Trump, who leaves power with a popularity rating at the lowest and 34% good opinions according to the Gallup Institute, could address Americans via a final video message. On Monday, First Lady Melania Trump posted a very smooth six-minute farewell message in which she made only a brief allusion to him. “As Donald and I wrap up our time at the White House, I think of all the people I have kept in my heart and their incredible stories of love, patriotism and determination,” she said. said.Remained silent just after the violence on Capitol Hill perpetrated by supporters of her husband, in this message she called on Americans to be passionate about the causes that are dear to them. “But always remember that violence is never the solution, and will never be justified,” she argued.