Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader
McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans.
This is America’s day. This is
democracy’s day. A day of history and hope. Of
renewal and resolve.
Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and
America has risen to the challenge.
Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a
cause, the cause of democracy.The will of the people
has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is
fragile.
And at this hour, my friends, democracy has
prevailed.
So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence
sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation,
we come together as one nation, under
God, indivisible, carry out the peaceful
transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.
We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold,
optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must
be.
I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here. I thank them from
the
bottom of my heart. You know the resilience of our Constitution
and the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke to last
night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.
I
have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington.
But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of
us, but on all of us. On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union. This is a
great nation and we are a good people. Over the
centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far.
But we still have far to go. We will press forward with speed
and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.
Much to repair. Much to restore. Much to heal. Much to build. And much
to gain.
Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or
difficult than the one we’re in now. A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the
country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as
America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs
have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making
moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet
itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy,
domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.
To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to
secure the future of America – requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.
In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863,
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the
President said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and
my whole soul is in it.” My whole soul is in it.
Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing
America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation. I ask every American
to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the common foes we face: Anger,
resentment, hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence. Disease, joblessness,
hopelessness. With unity we can do great things. Important things. We can right
wrongs. We can put people to work in good
jobs. We can teach our children
in safe schools. We can
overcome this deadly virus. We can reward
work, rebuild the middle class, and make
health care secure for all. We can
deliver racial justice. We can make America, once
again, the leading force for good in the
world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish
fantasy. I know the forces that divide us are deep
and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a
constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all
created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that
racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is
perennial. Victory is never assured.
Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War,
9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our
“better angels” have always prevailed. In each of these
moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward. And, we can do so
now.
History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see
each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity
and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the
temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.
No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.
This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and
unity is the path forward. And, we must meet this moment as the
United States of America. If we do that, I
guarantee you, we will not fail. We have never, ever,
ever failed in America when we have acted together.
And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start
afresh. All of us. Let us listen to one another. Hear
one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics need not
be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have
to
be a cause for total war. And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves
are
manipulated and even manufactured.
My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America
has to be better than this. And, I believe America is better than this. Just
look around. Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol
dome that was completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself hung in the
balance. Yet we endured and we
prevailed. Here we stand looking out to the
great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago at
another inaugural, thousands of protestors tried to block brave women from marching
for the right to vote. Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in
American history elected to national office – Vice President Kamala Harris.
Don’t tell me things can’t change. Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington
National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in
eternal peace. And here we stand, just days after a riotous
mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the
work of our democracy, and to drive us from this sacred ground. That did not happen. It will never happen. Not today. Not
tomorrow. Not ever.
To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed
in us.
To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward.
Take a measure of me and my heart. And if you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America.
The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps
our
nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must
not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you: I will be a President for
all Americans. I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those
who
did.
Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote
that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.
What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans? I think I know.
Opportunity. Security. Liberty. Dignity. Respect. Honor. And, yes, the truth.
Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson.
There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and
for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as
Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our
Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.
I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear
and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of
their families, about what comes next. I get it. But the answer is not to
turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look
like
you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you
do.
We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus
urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of
hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility. If we’re willing
to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment. Because here is the
thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you. There are some
days when we need a hand. There are other days when we’re called on to lend one. That
is
how we must be with one another. And, if we are this way, our
country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.
My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other. We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark
winter. We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the
virus. We must set aside the politics and finally face
this pandemic as one nation.
I promise you this: as the Bible says weeping may endure for a
night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get
through this, together The world is watching today.
So here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we
have
come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances
and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges,
but today’s and tomorrow’s. We will lead not merely by the example
of our power but by the power of our example. We will be a strong and trusted
partner for peace, progress, and security.
We have been through so much in this nation. And, in my first act as President, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent
prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic. To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands
and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We will honor
them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be. Let us say a
silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for
our country. Amen.
This is a time of testing. We face an attack on democracy and on
truth. A raging virus. Growing inequity. The
sting of systemic racism. A climate in
crisis. America’s role in the
world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But
the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation
with the gravest of responsibilities. Now we must step
up. All of us.
It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And,
this is certain. We will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises
of our era. Will we rise to the occasion? Will we master this rare and difficult hour?
Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new
and better world for our children? I believe we must and I believe we will. And when we do, we will write the
next chapter in the American story.
It’s a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called
“American Anthem” and there is one verse stands out for me: “The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this
day What shall be our legacy? What will our
children say?… Let me know in my heart When my days are through America
America I gave my best to you.”
Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation. If we do this then when our days are through our
children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best.
They did their duty. They healed a broken land.
My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you I give you my word. I will always level
with you. I will defend the Constitution. I will defend our
democracy. I will defend America. I will give my all in your service
thinking not of power, but of possibilities. Not of personal interest, but of the
public
good. And together, we shall write an American story of
hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light,
not darkness. An American story of decency and dignity. Of love and of healing. Of
greatness and of goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires
us. The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history.
We met the moment. That democracy and hope, truth and
justice, did not die on our watch but thrived. That our America
secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That
is what we owe our forebearers, one another, and generations to follow. So, with purpose
and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time. Sustained by faith. Driven by conviction. And, devoted to one
another and to this country we love with all our
hearts.
May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America.
