Inauguration Day 2021: Obama, Bush and Clinton give message to Biden as Oval Office gets a revamp

Hello and welcome to our live blog today where we will be following all the events surrounding Joe Biden becoming the 46th President of the United States.

Stay tuned for all the latest news and analysis…

President-elect Joe Biden made a tearful speech before departing to Washington and made a touching tribute to his late son Beau.

“I only have one regret, that he’s not here, because we should be introducing him as president.”

After the speech Biden boarded a plane and presided over a national memorial honouring the 400,000 Americans who have died due to the coronavirus pandemic, alongside Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. 

Amid the ongoing pandemic and following the insurrection at the US Capitol, this year's celebrations will look starkly different from previous inaugurations.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) has announced a flurry of events set to be broadcast on Inauguration Day that Americans can watch virtually after urging people to refrain from attending in person. Check out the schedule compiled by The Independent below

Breaking with convention Donald Trump will not be attending the inauguration today but instead will be flying to Florida.

He is expected to leave the White House at 8am and head straight to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where there will be a brief sending-off ceremony.

Very few details have been released about the rally, but CNN reported that Trump was keen on a 21 gun salute and the red carpet being rolled out before he boards a plane to Mar-a-Lago.

Air Force One will then head back to Maryland where it will sit waiting for Biden’s first trip after his inauguration later today.

The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden will take place in a Washington today on edge, after the deadly riot at the Capitol unleashed a wave of fear and security concerns.

There have been no specific threats made against Mr Biden, but more than 25,000 troops and police have been called in and concrete barriers are blocking the streets.

The National Mall has been closed and fencing lines the perimeter of the Capitol complex. Federal authorities have been busy vetting members of the National Guard and 12 members have been removed from duty.

Two service members were identified for posting “inappropriate comments or texts" about the event, Army General Daniel Hokanson told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. At least 10 others were identified by the FBI “as having ties to fringe right-wing groups or had posted extremist views”, according to the Associated Press.

As expected Donald Trump used his final act in power to grant a pardon to ex-aide Steve Bannon, amid a flurry of other commutations.

Among the 143 people who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted by Trump early on Wednesday was, Elliott Broidy, a former Republican fundraiser who pleaded guilty in October to a charge that he illegally lobbied the president to drop an investigation into a Malaysian embezzlement scandal.

Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, who were prosecuted on federal weapons offences, were granted clemency as well.

Report by Rituparna Chatterjee

President-elect Joe Biden’s team are taking a number of precautions to try and keep him safe in the White House amid the coronavirus pandemic that has now killed more than 400,000 Americans.

Employees are expected to take daily Covid tests and wear N95 masks at all times in “extraordinary” steps to prevent transmission, as reported by Axios.

The new rules are in place for all advisers and staff “in high proximity to principals" and have been put in place to ensure the safety of the 78-year-old, who is in a high risk group, and prevent outbreaks.

An email detailing the new rules to staff sent out on Tuesday also said they would soon to eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine.

We are just hours away from Joe Biden being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. Alongside him will be Kamala Harris who will become the 49th vice president of the US.

When the momentous event kicks off later today you can watch it all in the link below:

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering starting a new political party as he adjusts to life as a private citizen later today.

Mr Trump has discussed the possibility of such a party with several aides and other people close to him, with indications it could be called the ‘Patriot Party’, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

A new party by Mr Trump could help him continue exercising influence once he leaves the office of the president, writes The Independent’s Mayank Aggarwal

The European Union’s top officials are looking to forward to “once again” having a “friend in the White House” as Joe Biden will be taking over as president of the United States.

“This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been awaiting for so long,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, hailing Biden’s arrival as “resounding proof that, once again after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House.”

“The United States are back, and Europe stands ready to reconnect with an old and trusted partner to breathe new life into our cherished alliance,” she told EU lawmakers, hours before Biden was to due to be sworn in at his inauguration ceremony in Washington.