This was President Obama taking his second oath of office indoors on January 20th 2013. The date of the 20th fell on a Sunday so they did the big event at the Capitol the following day in which he did the oath again.
I’d bet against that (the bolded-by-me part), because of how likely it is that January 20 will come as the culmination of weeks of COVID deaths and hospitalizations at an ever-increasing rate. The news will be bleak. A massive gathering in D.C. will seem out of the question.
I mean, I hope I’m wrong about all that. But it’s likely to happen if current trends continue (and Trump isn’t going to lift a finger to stop any of that in coming weeks).
1- Since it was phrased as “or”, I’d say 95%, Pence is a dick, but he strikes me as more traditionalist and would attend. It’s possible Donald orders him not to, in which case I hope Pence tells him to pound sand. No way in hell does Don the Con attend.
2- I wouldn’t, but I’m not as gracious as Biden. He’ll probably thank the career civil servants for their help in the transition.
3- Indoors. No need for a crowd. Set the good example, especially since the pandemic will still be raging.
Hey, I look forward to returning to this thread on Inauguration Day to see how we did. My predictions:
No way in hell will Trump attend. I give it 50-50 that Pence will.
Joe will find a diplomatic way to acknowledge the past administration with grace, without outright thanking Trump. He’ll say something about “the dedicated people who worked hard in the last Administration because they love America” and/or he’ll thank the voters who supported Trump for caring enough about the country to hold sincere convictions. Though one hopes the Biden speechwriters take the time to make the phrasing more elegant than what I’m spontaneously typing.
The physical swearing in will be small (unless Covid miraculously goes away by then). But Democratic operatives will figure out gimmicks to engender a feeling of support and enthusiasm through social media/small local socially distanced gatherings around the country/whatever.
No to Trump, but I expect Pence to show up unless it’s EXTREMELY small.
I was struggling with words, but then this post nailed it:
I expect the number of people physically present to be small. The only people who need to be there are Roberts, Biden, Harris, and a couple of video people. They will all wear masks. They won’t crowd each other.
I expect they will do it outdoors on the mall and have some distanced spectators. They could spray-paint circles in the grass, for instance. But if the pandemic is really raging, they may do it on the white house lawn, essentially in private, with just the principals and a few close family members.
Not a chance in hell Trump attends. Pence may attend; at that point, Trump won’t have anything more to offer to him, so he’ll probably try to show some decorum. I get the feeling Trump may actually try to hold a rally of some kind that day. If so, the major media networks and websites need to agree to a total blackout on coverage of it.
I agree with previous posters who said Biden will try to thank the people who worked in the previous administration generally, without referring specifically to Trump.
The ceremony will likely be a small one, not a typical inaugural. I’m thinking Reagan’s second inaugural in 1985 (held in the Capitol Rotunda, because it was absolutely frigid in D.C. the day of) may serve as something of a template.
And then he’ll bombard Twitter with claims that the crowd at his rally was soooooo much biglier than Biden’s. Which it most likely will be, because Biden will most likely be adhering to COVID protocol.
Vice President Mike Pence is reportedly planning to leave for a foreign trip after confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s win on Jan. 6.
Three U.S. officials told Politico that Pence is considering a week-long overseas trip that would begin on Jan. 6, the day he is expected to confirm Biden’s win and his ticket’s loss in the presidential election.
The vote itself places Pence in an awkward spot given President Trump’s refusal to concede the race. Pence’s job is largely ceremonial, but his constitutional duty is to confirm the winner of the election.
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Leaving the country could allow Pence to avoid the ire of Trump and his supporters.
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Ya think?
My bold. “Week long”? Um… this isn’t gonna blow over in a week. Better pack spring and summer clothes, too, Mike.