The entire country is still in shock about the events that took place on January 6th. Many Pro-Trump rioters broke into the U.S Capitol, and it is apparent that the security at the Capitol is not as strong as it should be. President elect Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated on January 20th, and with political tensions being as high as they have ever been in the US, and the fact that it will be happening in the middle of a pandemic, it begs the question, will it be any different from what a typical inauguration?

There is always a lot of security at the inauguration, but this year it will likely be taken to another level. Over the last four years, political tensions have been at an all time high, and both Democrats and Republicans have been able to find a middle ground. The intensity reached a high when Pro-Trump supporters breached the US Capitol Building in hopes of finding evidence of voter fraud, claiming that Biden illegitimately won. Biden was confirmed as the official election winner later that night, and the President gave a speech stating that he conceded and that there would be a peaceful transfer of power. However, there is still fear that something big could happen on Inauguration Day, so security is expected to be extra beefed up. 

President elect Biden told reporters “I’m not afraid of taking the oath outside.”

There has been no talks about holding it at another location. The last planned inauguration that did not take place at the Capitol was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, and that was at the White House. This was towards the end of World War II, and FDR was also ill at the time, and would die three months later. The last inauguration that did not take place at the Capitol, planned or unplanned, was Lyndon B. Johnson, which took place on a plane following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

One other thing that will differ during the inauguration is that there will be a much smaller crowd. Being that it is the middle of a pandemic, social distancing will be heavily enforced in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. For reference, Barack Obama had around 1,000,000 people at his 2012 inauguration, Biden is set to have far less.

President Donald Trump has also stated that he will be absent at the Inauguration, however Vice President Mike Pence has stated that he will be present

Joe Biden’s inauguration is set to be drastically different from any previous inauguration, and it is going to be interesting to see what other precautions will be set in place throughout the next next five days.