ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
1. Wide of US Capitol building blocked by a fence, inside crews set up for Joe Biden's inauguration
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexandra Jaffe, Associated Press National Political Reporter:
"The theme the inaugural committee announced is "America United," and this sort of goes in keeping with what Joe Biden has talked about from the beginning of his campaign, he's promised to be a unifier, but that task has become both a much bigger task and a much more difficult task after the actions at the Capitol last week, the violent insurrection really at the Capitol."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Washington, D.C. - 6 January 2020
3. STILL of rioting supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the U.S. Capitol
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Washington, D.C. - 4 March 1861
4. STILL Abraham Lincoln takes the oath of office as the 16th president of the United States
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Washington, D.C. - 1 January 1865
5. STILL a scene in front of the Capitol during Lincoln's second inauguration
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Washington - 6 January 2021
6. STILL image of Trump supporters gathered at Washington monument, one holding a Confederate flag in a tree
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Arlington, Virginia - 14 January 2020
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Costello, White House Historian:
"The closest comparison I can think of would probably be, you know, Abraham Lincoln's inaugurals because you're talking about in 1861, seven states have already seceded from the union. A handful more will join them after the inauguration. And then by April, you know, the United States, is having a civil war. Four years later when Lincoln takes his second inaugural, the war, the end of the war is in sight. Robert E. Lee and his army, his forces won't surrender for about another month, but I think they can tell that the war is drawing to a close. And if ever there was an opportunity for a president to renounce and denounce the Confederacy, to denounce insurrection, to denounce people who decided to raise arms against the United States government. He doesn't do it. I mean, Lincoln calls for reconciliation, he alludes to this idea that all Americans are responsible for the Civil War, you know, not just the South. And that's something that their generation has to live with, and they have to try to figure out a way forward."
POOL
ARCHIVE: Newark, Delaware - 11 January 2021
++VIDEO AS INCOMING++
8. President-elect Joe Biden speaks to reporters after getting a COVID-19 vaccine
++ANNOTATION ON SCREEN READS:
"President-elect Biden is asking Americans to stay home for his inauguration. With no crowd, crews are creating a "Field of Flags" to fill the National Mall." +++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 12 January 2020
9. Wide zoom in of crews setting up for inauguration on the National Mall
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
10. Panning shot of crews setting up art displays on the National Mall
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
++SOUNDBITE FULLY COVERED++
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexandra Jaffe, Associated Press National Political Reporter:
"So some of that artwork representing those Americans that won't be here on Inauguration Day is already going up, but it's going up against a backdrop of extreme security measures that are already being erected in case of another violent protest on Inauguration Day. So it's a pretty striking juxtaposition of what I think Biden would describe as the hope of America and what America really has been for the past couple of weeks."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
12. Closeup of Large American flags above the inaugural stage on the Western Front of the Capitol
13. National Guardsmen behind a fence protect the inaugural stage
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 12 January 2020
14. Medium of tourist taking photos of flowers on a metal fence near the US Capitol
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
15. Wide of fences and National Guard protecting the East Front of the US Capitol building
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 12 January 2020
16. Closeup of Pennsylvania Ave sign
17. Medium of American flags outside the Trump Hotel
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexandra Jaffe, Associated Press National Political Reporter:
"Out of many unusual aspects of this inauguration, one of the biggest will be that the former outgoing president, President Trump, won't be there. He's not attending, and Joe Biden actually said that he's totally fine with that. That it's good for the nation, he believes, that Donald Trump stay home, but in his place, Vice President Pence will be there. He and his wife will be attending the inauguration again in a show of bipartisan support for Joe Biden's legitimacy and in keeping with a peaceful transition of power that I think all Americans expect and that we want to see on Inauguration Day."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 12 January 2020
19. Wide crews install fences near the Washington Monument
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, D.C. - 13 January 2020
20. Wide of person with Joe Biden flag riding by the US Capitol
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4306210
The theme for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration will be "America United," an issue that's long been a central focus for Biden but one that's taken on added weight in the wake of the violence at the U.S. Capitol last week.
In an announcement shared first with The Associated Press, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said that the theme reflects the beginning of a new national journey that restores the soul of America, brings the country together, and creates a path to a brighter future.
In keeping with the theme of unity, the committee also announced that after he is officially inaugurated, Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, and their spouses will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, and will be joined there by former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and their wives. It will be one of Biden's first acts as president, and a show of bipartisanship at a time when the national divide is on stark display.
The focus on unity has characterized Biden's presidential run from the start, and he's said repeatedly since winning the White House he sees unifying the country as one of his top priorities as president. But the scope — and urgency — of the challenge Biden faces became even clearer this week after President Donald Trump sparked an armed insurrection at the Capitol, spurred by his repeated attempts to delegitimize Biden's win.
Matthew Costello, a lead historian with the White House Historical Association, said the closest comparison to the riot would be both of Abraham Lincoln's inaugural addresses which happened before and during the Civil War.
"If ever there was an opportunity for a president to renounce and denounce the Confederacy, to denounce insurrection, to denounce people who decided to raise arms against the United States government. He doesn't do it," Costello said. "Lincoln calls for reconciliation, he alludes to this idea that all Americans are responsible for the Civil War, you know, not just the South. And that's something that their generation has to live with, and they have to try to figure out a way forward."
Security at Biden's Inauguration will be tight. The National Park Service announced Monday it would shut down public access to the Washington monument until Jan. 24, citing threats surrounding the inauguration.
The committee also announced plans for a major public art display spanning multiple blocks of the National Mall that will feature 191,500 U.S. flags and 56 pillars of light, to represent every U.S. state and territory. After Biden asked Americans to stay home for his inauguration, the "Field of Flags" is meant to represent the American people who are unable to travel to the Capitol to celebrate his swearing-in, according to the committee.
Alexandra Jaffe, a national political reporter for the Associated Press, said the artwork will be overcast by fences and armed guards protecting the area for the event.
"It's a pretty striking juxtaposition of what I think Biden would describe as the hope of America and what America really has been for the past couple of weeks," Jaffe said.
Trump himself is skipping Biden's inaugural, a decision Biden said was a "good thing," though Vice President Mike Pence and his wife plan to attend.
"(Pence) and his wife will be attending the inauguration again in a show of bipartisan support for Joe Biden's legitimacy and in keeping with a peaceful transition of power that I think all Americans expect and that we want to see on Inauguration Day," Jaffe said.
It's not the only COVID-era change to the festivities. In keeping with crowd-size restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, Biden will have a significantly pared-down inauguration, with traditional activities like the parade and the inaugural balls moving to a virtual format. But even as the celebration itself will be smaller, inauguration officials are preparing a significant security presence in preparation for what may be more pro-Trump demonstrations across Washington.
