January 20, 2021
Press Release
Belmopan – U.S. Embassy Belmopan is pleased to announce today’s inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as President of the United States and Kamala Harris as Vice President, on the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in accordance with the U.S. Constitution and laws. President Biden will serve as the 46th President, and Vice President Harris as the 49th Vice President in U.S. history, with Harris being the first woman, the first African American, the first Indian-American, and first Caribbean American to serve in this capacity.
The audience for today’s ceremony was limited due to health precautions, but was attended by a number of former presidents and vice presidents of the United States, including Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Mike Pence, along with respective first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton, among other former and current elected officials.
The Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, overseen by the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, chose the inaugural theme “Our Determined Democracy: Forging a More Perfect Union” to highlight the inaugural ceremony as a “hallmark of American governance and democracy.”
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to President Biden, who swore the oath on a Bible that has been in his family since 1893—the same one used during his senatorial and vice-presidential swearing in ceremonies.
The official inauguration ceremony is followed by several activities, carefully planned to incorporate health and safety-related protocols to avoid the risk of COVID-19.
