On Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. His running mate, Kamala Harris, was sworn in as the 49th vice president, and is the first woman, first African American and first Asian American to hold the office.
The inauguration was held at the U.S. Capitol, which just two weeks earlier was the scene of an insurrection by militant supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump. The riot left five dead, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.
In response to security concerns, thousands of armed National Guard troops were stationed in Washington, D.C. And due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, only around 1,000 supporters and well-wishers were in the crowd.
In a break with tradition, Trump was not in attendance to see his successor sworn in, having instead left for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida earlier in the morning. The previous three presidents, however, were there, including Biden’s former running mate, former President Barack Obama.
Harris was sworn in on two Bibles, one that belonged to her friend Regina Shelton, the other once owned by Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice. Biden, meanwhile, was sworn in on a Bible that has been in his family for the last 127 years. It was the same Bible his late son Beau Biden used when he was sworn in as Delaware’s attorney general.
“Today we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy,” Biden said in his inauguration speech after being sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts. “The people, the will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.”
Here’s a look at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris through the lenses of photographers who were there.