Inauguration To Take Place Amid Heavy Security, Deep Divisions Between Americans

By Leigh Barr

Published January 20, 2021 at 1:16 PM EST

Heavily armed National Guardsmen on security detail at the U.S. Capitol in preparation for any violence at the Biden inauguration. [Phil Pasquini/Shutterstock]

Joe Biden will be sworn in at noon today as the 46th President of the United States.

Normally, this day would be filled with pageantry and symbolism, as we transition from the Trump presidency to Biden’s.

But we are so very far from normal on this Inauguration Day.

President Trump will not attend. Yesterday he released a farewell video in which he told his supporters that he accomplished in Washington what “we came here to do.” He left the White House aboard Marine One and delivered his final speech as President at Joint Base Andrews. Trump plans to be at his private home in Florida at the time of the inauguration. He will be the first outgoing president to not attend his successor’s swearing-in ceremony in 150 years.

Two weeks ago, a mob who supported the president’s unproven claims of voter fraud and a "stolen election" ransacked the Capitol trying to disrupt the final certification of Biden’s win.

As a result, there are more than 20-thousand troops in D-C to guard against a repeat of violence.

And we are still in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic which has changed how we interact.

Ohio teachers and school staff will be among the prioritized groups to receive COVID-19 vaccines in this latest rollout phase. That phase began this week with Ohioans aged 80 and older receiving the vaccine. Teachers and school staff are scheduled to be vaccinated beginning February 1.

Governor Mike DeWine included educators in this round of vaccines in an effort to try and get more students back into physical classrooms—even if its only for a few days a week as part of a hybrid model.

The governor wants a commitment from superintendents on a return to in-person learning as part of the process for putting teachers and staff on the early vaccine list.

A sizeable portion of Ohio’s school students continue to learn remotely as the coronavirus continues its spread statewide.

The inauguration has also raised fears of potential violence in state capitals. The Statehouse in Columbus and other government buildings in Columbus have been closed as a precaution and security measures have been increased.

Tom Sutton, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Baldwin Wallace University
Jenny Hamel, Education Reporter, State Impact Ohio, Ideastream
Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV