Joe Biden enters White House ground for first time as President
Jan 20, 2021
Washington [US], January 21 : US President Joe Biden walked onto the White House grounds for the first time as President on Wednesday.
He was greeted by military members and a band with first lady Jill Biden by his side, CNN reported.
The band played "Hail to the Chief" and "God Bless America" as the couple looked out.
Joe Biden took a moment to jog over to a press area, while he was walking to the White House, and fist-bumped a member of the press, according to CNN's Brianna Keilar, who was standing nearby.
"Keep doing what you are doing," Biden said, Keilar reported.
Taking to Twitter, the White House said President Biden will take decisive actions to address the challenges that the country is facing.
"President Biden assumes office at a time when our nation is facing crises that demand urgent action. Starting today, the President will take decisive actions to address these challenges, prevent other harms, and restore America's place in the world," the White House tweeted.
Moments later, Kamala Harris entered the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the first time as vice president after walking a parade route to the White House grounds with her family.
Biden and Harris were sworn in as the US president and vice president, respectively on Wednesday. Harris has made history as the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president.
Biden was sworn in by Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.
President Biden offered a forewarning during his inaugural address, describing the nation as weathering a "winter of peril" amid a generational pandemic and other ailments.
"We will press forward with speed and urgency," he said. "We have much to do in this winter of peril and significant opportunities." He also talked about the importance of unifying the country, saying "my whole soul is in this."
"Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation," he said.
The President called on Americans to come together to overcome the extraordinary challenges that face the nation - an idea that he often mentioned on the campaign trail.
