The end of the Trump era will in theory look like this. At midday on Wednesday 21 January, Joe Biden will stand on the west front of the United States Capitol, place his left hand on a Bible, raise his right and utter 35 words: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States.”
With that oath of office Biden will become the 46th president and power will drain from his predecessor, who will become a common citizen, an ex-president, number 45, no longer commander-in-chief, head of state or Oval Office occupier. The moment will thrum with pomp and pageantry. There will be drums, a bugle, the Hail to the Chief anthem and a 21-gun salute. A polished choreography, originating from George Washington’s inauguration in 1789, to symbolise the continuity of democratic rule and the peaceful transition of power.
Of course, this assumes that, despite Donald Trump challenging the results of last week’s election, Biden and Kamala Harris will be able to take office the conventional way. If that happens, millions of viewers around the world will celebrate and a socially distanced crowd on the National Mall will cheer the end of what they consider a four-year nightmare.
And then an urgent question will crystallise: can Biden and Harris put America back together? Can they end an era of hyper-polarisation and economic inequality that has degraded democracy and turned Americans against each other; that has shredded the idea of America?
“Many Republicans and Democrats believe the other side isn’t just mistaken but evil,” says John Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College political scientist. Cultural, ethnic, geographic and racial divisions underpin party affiliations as never before, producing ideological polarisation in Congress not seen since the civil war.
Source: US Politics - theguardian.com
