The US 2021 Inauguration – The Pressure of a Promise

As a non-American I have less of an attachment to the American inauguration, but as a student of history and politics there has always been an interest for me. Plus, I think not only myself but the whole world could not help but tune into it in the light of the atrocious presidency of Donald Trump [although that is an argument for another day] and the sense of relief felt by most Americans must have been immense. It was not a simple changing over of power, which would usually be a mild shift in ideals, as the true ideology of the country is America itself, it was a change from the ridiculous to the normal. Joe Biden has possibly given the Americans a sense of hope during these strange times we find ourselves in currently.

I watched the inauguration with my sister, who is more of a fan of America and American politics than me but our interests were both piqued equally; also we didn’t have much else to do. As I admired the outfits, with Bernie Sanders’ practicality becoming perhaps one of the most talked about aspects of the day on social media, I could not help but wonder at the pressure that Joe Biden would have felt on the day. The presidency is a significant office with a significant amount of power and expectation. I got the feeling that the American public would have a significant amount of expectation for their new president, perhaps more than anyone before him [maybe with the exclusion of Franklin D. Roosevelt]. Donald Trump was ridiculed world-wide, he had made a joke of the office and his political decisions had been less then admirable. Biden must become the calm after the storm, which might initially seem easy after Trump but there are monumental pressures on him which might limit this calmness.

Of course, one of the most important things currently at the front of most people’s minds is the Coronavirus pandemic, something which he clearly needs to get under control. I admit that the UK handling of it has been terrible but the fact that masks are not mandatory or that a lot of people in America do not have the conscience to wear them is beyond me. Something which Biden seriously needs to reinforce to help start off the controlling of the pandemic in the country. Trump’s disregard for the virus might have been what ultimately held him back, not every Republican voter is likely to be a COVID-19-denier and so Biden’s seriousness around the issue does seem like a breath of fresh air, so to speak. I think it is important that America is finally able to commit to the seriousness of the pandemic as America has a lot of influence on the rest of the world. Not that its decisions will change other countries views about the pandemic as most countries have been extremely conscious of it. However, America’s influence is important and its acceptance allows for other countries to work together in order to slow down the spread. This is clearly the issue that seems most significant at this precise moment in time but there are many others that Biden addressed in his speech.

As I was watching the speech I wasn’t too overwhelmed or empowered by it but I can’t say how Americans felt. It did seem very repetitive, which on the whole may not be a bad thing, it became clear to me what it is that Biden wanted to focus on during his time in office. He clearly emphasised the need to commit to the growing concern about the environment and global warming and racial discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement. It is clear that there is a change happening in the world, the growth of social media has definitely impacted the awareness of racial injustices and thus holds more people accountable in a very public sense which of course forces those higher up to answer to this; which of course they should. Biden has made the promise to recognise these issues and it is up to him as the most influential figure in the country and the world to make the changes to this continued and outdated racial discrimination. His pledge to global warming is also one that is hopeful, he has already signed to join the Paris Agreement again, something which evidently demonstrates his seriousness in regard to the issue, particularly in comparison to Trump. Biden, unlike Trump, has been able to put capitalism on the shelf [no mean feat in America] and recognise that the country needs to become heavily involved in the effort to slow global warming down. America is one of the main contributors to global warming and in contrast one of the countries that does the least to show any effort to slow it down. So, Biden’s public promise to see this as an important issue is huge. Global warming is a significant issue for my generation, this is because we are arguably the last people who can make the effort to slow it down before it is too late and thus Biden’s pledge is a reach out to this younger generation as well. Again, the fact the America will become actively involved in this movement is important because of the extreme influence America has on the rest of the world and its ability to work together with numerous countries

Ultimately, Biden’s promises are huge and they show his dedication to the causes that are most important to the generation of today. An attempt perhaps to seem modern and relevant, although all President’s should be anyway. The pressure is now on for him to deliver on these promises or he will pop the bubble of hope he has created. Although it may seem easy to appear a good, active president after Trump, the significant expectation this created is what will create the most amount of pressure on Biden. Now America, and the rest of the world, can only really sit back and watch the type of President Biden will become and whether he will deliver on his inauguration promises. The pressure is on.