Editor’s note: This commentary is by Walt Amses, a writer who lives in North Calais.
America’s transfer of power was anything but peaceful, but did provide an illuminating contrast between the once and future presidents with Donald Trump fleeing south in the early morning to grub one last flight on Air Force One and organize an unseemly series of events so self congratulatory you almost felt sorry for its sheer cluelessness. Almost. But with his gaze firmly on the clock like Cinderella, he had much to do before it struck noon when he officially became a former president and future suspect, defendant, and co-conspirator.
Seething over the A-listers who snubbed his White House like the plague — even before the plague — now pledged to attend or perform at Joe Biden’s inauguration galas, Trump consoled himself with one last stroll down a red carpet, complete with brass band and a 21-gun salute. Where was Ted Nugent when you needed him? But the final curtain call of self aggrandizing, fake platitudes and bizarre pomp, barely weeks after egging his supporters on to mayhem and murder, was completely out of place but as we’ve seen — all too frequently — not at all out of character.
The reality of Trump’s departure prompted one more departure from reality as he touted his term’s “accomplishments” in a 20-minute video released on the same day the nation’s death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic topped 400,000, at least a quarter of whom have passed since his abdication of the presidency after losing the election in early November. Apart from the fact that his remarks were enough to jump-start an aging fact checker’s libido, the ex-president demonstrated once again that he wouldn’t be mired in anyone else’s reality, not by a long shot. Closing his remarks with “the best is yet to come” sounded more like a threat than an expression of optimism.
Meanwhile, back on earth, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris arrived in heavily fortified Washington on Tuesday evening they went directly to the Lincoln Memorial, where, overlooking the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument illuminating the background, they took the first tentative steps toward bringing the fractured nation together, recognizing the terrible toll Covid-19 has exacted. Vice President- elect Harris pointed out that for many, many months Americans have grieved alone but “tonight, we grieve and begin healing together.”
This plain affirmation of the incredible grief and unprecedented loss suffered over the past year, often alone or isolated from relatives and friends, offered comfort as well as the kind of inspiration we have come to expect of our leaders. Harris went on: “Though we may be physically separated, we, the American people, are united in spirit and my abiding hope, my abiding prayer, is that we emerge from this ordeal with a new wisdom — to cherish simple moments, imagine new possibilities and open our hearts to one another.” Hundreds of cities and towns across the country joined the tribute. The Empire State Building in New York and the Space Needle in Seattle were alight; the archbishop of Washington delivered an invocation; and gospel singer Yolanda Adams gave a stirring rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Wednesday, on the same steps that two weeks ago were violated by the Trump-inspired goon squad attempting to overturn the election and start a “race war,” Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, firmly declaring “Democracy has prevailed” in an inauguration that felt comforting in its adherence to tradition and defiant in its rejection of the acrimonious last four years.
Just as he had acknowledged the suffering of Covid victims and their families the night before, the new president gave a clear-eyed assessment of the challenges he will face, emphasizing the importance of defending not only the Constitution but the honesty necessary to keep people informed; honesty too often replaced recently by self-serving deceptions leaving millions of Americans in the thrall of preposterous conspiracy theories, hardly capable of rational thought. Biden’s address was as full of hope as Trump’s was of dread.
Now, three days later, the “American carnage” Biden’s predecessor outlined in his own shocking inauguration speech in 2017 is here, thanks to willful neglect, loyalty usurping competence and the aggressive promotion of minorities as convenient scapegoats: Muslims as terrorists — banned from entering the country; Hispanics as “rapists” and drug dealers — walled off from the southern border; and African Americans — under increasing threats from the “good people” in the KKK, Proud Boys and the American Nazi Party.
Biden’s priorities, clearly outlined and slated for the first days of his administration are aimed directly at confronting institutional racism wherever it rears its ugly head by overturning the Muslim travel ban; stopping cold any additional construction of “the wall”; offering a path to citizenship for immigrants; and focusing on the eradication of white supremacy, singled out by the FBI as the most dangerous source of domestic terrorism the nation is facing. No small feat, but just opening the discussion was a breath of fresh air.
In fact, even for those of us who do not generally stand on ceremony, the inauguration itself was a moving representation of America’s potential: breaking barriers by electing the first woman and woman of color to the vice presidency; Lady Gaga singing the national anthem, glancing over her shoulder at the Old Glory-festooned Capitol as she sang “And the flag was still there”; and the gathering of former presidents of both parties, Supreme Court justices, congressional representatives and senators — the very embodiment of what our democracy is — finally coming together in a centuries-old tradition that justifies the hope we have for the country and each other. Our institutions, customs and heritage went a long way to offset the unsettling chaos that has become our experience these last years.
Trump, in his closing remarks to a farewell crowd, claimed he’d “be back in some form.” Every inspiring word we heard on Wednesday said, “No, you won’t.”
