Perspective: Biden’s Swearing Will Be Historic On At Least Three Fronts Plus
January 15, 2021 | By Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie |
It will be a most historic event when Joseph R. Biden takes the Oath of Office from Chief John Justice Roberts a Republican nominee for the Supreme Court, at 12 noon in Washington, DC on January 20, 2021. This day will go down in the annals of American history as being most historic on many fronts. We will look at three for now in this segment of this perspective.
After his swearing in, the then President Joseph R. Biden will go down in history as not only the 46th president, but the oldest person to hold the levers of power in the USA as president at 78. Should he not live long enough to see out his four year term in office, his running mate the first female to be appointed a Vice President, Kamala Harris will automatically become president and will become the first female to hold such a high office in the Commonwealth of the United States of America’s 240 plus years as a Republic. Having wrenched independence from Britain in 1776 after a bloody civil war and revolution.
First Female VP
By noon January 20th 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris will become as stated above the first female vice president of America and also one of mixed race, that of Asian and Caribbean dissent. This will be most historic and comes on the heels of Barak Obama’s ascendency as the first person of colour to serve as US President. Not just one term like Trump, but the maximum allowed by US law, that of two consecutive four year terms. Trump has been trying to undermine Barak’s legacy.
Trump’s Absence
If Donald J. Trump carries out his threat not to attend Biden’s inauguration, then that too will take on historic proportions. He will not be the first sitting president not to attend his successor’s big day of inauguration. There were three such no shows before. President Andrew Jackson readily comes to mind who did not attend his successor’s big day in 1869. The whole event will be steeped in history on these three fronts at least. We are sure other historic milestones will be marked on this most auspicious day of January 20, 2021.
What will be Trump’s Legacy?
Impeachment
There is talk about impeaching Trump for a second time. Should this happen then he will go down in history as being the only president to be impeached twice. Impeachment means being charged. The Senate is likely not be able to meet in time to remove him from office in time before he leaves office in roughly 10 days.
COVID-19
Trump did not bring COVID-19, but he was in denial and botched the management of the pandemic. This led to over quarter million deaths and millions in new infections daily. This will be part of his poor legacy.
One Term President
Trump will join the list of one term Presidents. He will be widely criticized if not villi filed for not supporting Biden on this day of his inauguration. This is not illegal, but appears to be most immoral, Unstatesmanlike, if not unfortunate. Trump has also not conceded to Biden that he lost the November 3, 2021 election, certainly not directly. After the certification by the joint sitting of the Houses he promised to facilitate a smooth transfer of power. This verbal assurance by Trump has been widely interpreted as a form of concession.
Unity
These acts of concession and his attendance at Biden’s inauguration could be great opportunities to help to unite if only symbolically seen as a sense of healing and unity in what is widely described as a divided country. Trump will also go down in history with a somewhat tarnished legacy for not being more compassionate in wake of what has been widely felt as police excesses, especially to people of colour. Some have even said extra-judicial killings.
This is a time to celebrate ..
Certainly not to alienate
A time to unite
Not a time to be uptight
A time to do that which is right
Trump has a legacy to protect
So wouldn’t in history be a reject?
If so! What the heck!
As we look at the dying moments of Trump’s presidency we are compelled to conclude that the 45th President who has held the high office of Commander-in Chief of the greatest army and most powerful nation on earth squandered a glorious opportunity to make his legacy one of greatness in the annals of American history and that of the world.
Conclusion
How will we remember Donald J. Trump? As a white supremacist sympathiser or a Divider-in-Chief who never saw that all lives mattered? Or just a one term narcissistic bigot who came, saw, lied, incited violence, was corrupt and brought the Office of the Presidency of the USA to an extremely low level, even into disrepute.
Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie is a poet, & veteran journalist who has written in over 15 publications across the world. A truly internationally exposed media operative.
