In his first message to foreign nations as president, Joe Biden vowed to repair the U.S.’ alliances with other nations.
“We will repair our alliances, engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
“America has been tested. And we’ve come out stronger for it,” Biden said.
Biden declared that the U.S. is facing a “time of testing” and must rise to the challenges.
“I believe we will,” he said about overcoming obstacles, after he listed a number of major concerns, including the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the role of the U.S. in the world, racial injustice, and the “attack on our democracy.”
He held a moment of silence for the more than 400,000 people who have died from the coronavirus.
“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 who we lost in this past year to the pandemic,” Biden said during his inauguration speech.
“We will honour them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be,” Biden said before bowing his head in silence.
He declared that a violent mob cannot overturn the democratic traditions of the U.S. weeks after an attack on the Capitol.
“Here we stand just days after a mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground.
“It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever,” he said.
Biden has become president of the U.S., now that the term of former president Donald Trump officially ended, as of noon (1700 GMT) on Wednesday.
Biden assumes the presidency as the country seeks to recover from a pandemic and economic turmoil.
