A Historic Week Begins in Washington

How to heal the wounds of an America that is on edge? At the start of a historic week, the Joe Biden camp revealed on Sunday its plan to resolve the Unites States’ economic, social and health crises, without being impeded by Donald Trump’s impeachment. At the same time, several demonstrations have already begun to gather in certain state capitals in order to protest Biden’s inauguration, which will happen on Wednesday in Washington.

Around two dozen people, many of whom were carrying guns, gathered in front of the state capitol in Columbus, Ohio. They were monitored by several dozen members of the National Guard stationed around the building. Several dozen people — some waving the American flag — also gathered in front of the state capitol in Columbia, South Carolina. They were imitated by a small group of protesters, some of whom were armed, standing outside a wire fence surrounding the Michigan capitol under the surveillance of state police.

In Washington, between soldiers standing at every intersection, rows of barbed wire and imposing fences, the area around the Capitol resembles a fortress. In fact, Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 in an unrecognizable capital, transformed into a defensive camp after the deadly assault. Around 25,000 National Guard soldiers are expected to arrive in the next few days.

The FBI has warned against armed demonstrations in Washington and the 50 state capitals. Messages posted on social media have already announced demonstrations, although it is not known how many will be attending.

Authorities in certain states have said that they do not have any precise indications of possible demonstrations. Many officials have said that they are ready for any eventuality. They have no desire for the riots of Jan. 6 to be repeated. In the course of the last few days, more than 125 people have been arrested in connection with the insurrection.

More than one-third of state governors have called for the National Guard to protect their capitals and aid local law enforcement. Many have called states of emergency; others have closed their capitols to the public until the day after Biden’s inauguration. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stated on Sunday that law enforcement will “protect the rights of peaceful protesters […] we will also just as vigorously resist violence.” Certain state legislators have also cancelled sessions or reduced their activities for the coming week, stating security measures.

In Salem, Oregon, where a mob broke into the state capitol last month, the first floor windows have been boarded up and the National Guard deployed. The state legislature was due to begin its session on Tuesday, but a majority of its activities have been postponed for at least two days due to concerns about potential violence. “The state Capitol has become a fortress,” stated Democrat Peter Courtney, president of the Oregon Senate. “I never thought I’d see that. It breaks my heart.”

Reunifying America

Democrat Biden has focused his inauguration around a “united America” and plans to return to the ways of his predecessors, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, to extend a hand toward a bruised and divided country. “I think you can expect that this will be a moment where President-elect Biden will really work to try to turn the page on the divisiveness and the hatred over the last four years and really lay out a positive, optimistic vision for the country, and […] lay out a path forward that really calls on all of us to work together,” Kate Bedingfield, incoming White House communications director, said on Fox News.

“These last few weeks have proven out just how damaged the soul of America is and how important it is to restore it. That work starts on Wednesday,” Ron Klain, incoming chief of staff for President Biden, confirmed Sunday on CNN. During the first few days of his tenure, Biden intends to have the United States rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change and lift the entry ban into the United States for nationals of several countries, most of which have Muslim majorities.

The 46th president of the United States also hopes to give new momentum to the largest vaccination campaign in the country’s history. This is urgent: On average, since Jan. 1, more than 3,000 people have died from COVID-19 daily in the United States, and more than 236,000 cases are reported daily. The stuttering start to the vaccination campaign has not slowed down this massacre any less. Obama’s former vice president hopes that 100 million doses of the vaccine will be delivered during the first 100 days of his term, in vaccination centers set up in gymnasiums, stadiums and schools. “It is absolutely a doable thing,” stated the highly respected Anthony Fauci, who will become Biden’s main adviser on COVID-19 after having performed the same role for Trump. Around 100,000 medical staff will be mobilized.

Biden, a political veteran, will at first be compelled to govern by executive order, in order to avoid going through Congress and the Senate in particular, which is busy with the process of removing Trump from office.* Entire sections of his program, like his Herculean plan to restart the economy with a stimulus package of $1.9 trillion, meant to aid millions of Americans who currently live on unemployment benefits, must be submitted for the approval of elected officials. He must also respect the congressional calendar in order to confirm the members of his cabinet, each subject to a vote in the Senate.

And the impeachment trial of his predecessor could commence just a few hours after Biden takes office. The Democrats have accused the billionaire Republican of “inciting an insurrection” among his supporters against the Capitol on Jan. 6, an attack that left five dead. Trump committed “the most serious presidential crime in the history of the United States of America,” Jamie Raskin, one of the elected officials who launched the proceedings, stated directly on Sunday.

The Trump camp sees the process as a shameful attack on the Constitution and American democracy. His team has said in a statement that a lawyer has not yet been chosen to represent him. The influential Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, close to the outgoing president, has urged the Democratic leaders of the Senate to reject these proceedings, once they are arrive at the Senate. Otherwise, he promised in a letter posted on Twitter on Sunday, “We will be delaying indefinitely, if not forever, the healing of this great Nation if we do otherwise.”

Trump has already announced that he has decided not to be at his successor’s inauguration. He will fly out Wednesday at dawn to his luxurious Florida resort. In the meantime, the White House has stated that he will continue “to work tirelessly for the American people,” and that “his schedule includes many meetings and calls.”

*Editor’s note: Trump’s presidency ended on Jan. 20 with Biden’s inauguration. The Senate will hold a trial on one article of impeachment, passed by the House of Representatives on Jan. 13. A conviction by the Senate could bar Trump from holding any future federal office.