for the second time, of o , in .
Inside the Capitol Rotunda, resting one hand on the Bible he inherited from his mother, he raised the other to swear before Chief Justice John Roberts that he would “protect the Constitution.”
The Republican billionaire, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election, is now, at age 78, the oldest president to hold office.
That swearing-in completed the most spectacular “comeback” in recent American history: of a former president who never conceded defeat in 2020, who shouted “revenge” on his opponents, who was convicted in a criminal court, who escaped two assassination attempts.
Trump took the oath of office in the same place where his supporters stormed on January 6, 2021, trying to prevent the validation of Biden’s victory. The Democratic president, who completed half a century in politics, organized a transition without conflicts, for the man who did not stop for a minute to ridicule him.
“Welcome home” he even told him a little earlier, when Trump and his wife, Melania, went to the White House for a last, ceremonial visit before they themselves settled in the presidential palace.
However, 82-year-old Biden made sure, minutes before handing over power, to preemptively pardon members of his family – an unprecedented action – as he fears they will be targeted by Republicans.
Unlike Trump, who snubbed his inauguration, the 46th president went to the Capitol, the “Cathedral” of American political life. By his side, former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, the former vice presidents, but also the billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, as well as the ubiquitous Elon Musk.
