Inauguration Of President Biden Watched From Bucks County

While they weren’t able to make it in person, Bucks Countians watched President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the oaths of office Wednesday afternoon.

If not for COVID-19 and security threats, inaugurations normally draw Americans from around the country to Washington D.C. to see the transfer of power. Due to the unprecedented conditions, Bucks Countians who had originally hoped to see the inauguration stayed home.

Judy Hoover, the recording secretary for the Bucks County Democratic Women’s Forum, said she had hoped to go to Washington D.C. with her sister if Biden won, but COVID-19 dashed her dream to attend in person.

“I watched it on TV from the minute that ex-President Trump left the White House and through to the end,” she said.

Hoover explained that she hopes the end of President Donald Trump’s term would end the “fear and anger and rumor mongering.”

She added: “I hope to see people come together and do things for one another, and I hope to see a family of citizens that work together.”

Christopher Bailey, a resident of Bristol Township’s Croydon section, said he likely would have gone to see the inauguration in Washington D.C., but the pandemic dictated his decision.

Instead, he watched the ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on a computer screen.

“For those who oppose the transition of power, I challenge them to answer one simple question: Since when has humility and compassion ever killed a cause?” Bailey said.

“Congratulations to the new administration and hopefully this is a step in the right direction,” he added.

Bucks County Commissioners Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia said she watched from the area, but had not planned on going to Washington D.C. because it can be a “cold arduous day when you are an observer.”

“With this new administration, I am looking forward to being told the truth even when it is ugly, humility – which I see as one of the most important traits a leader can have – empathy, and decisions based on actual facts,” said Diane Ellis-Marseglia, who lead the commissioners’ Democratic majority.

Wednesday’s swearing in saw Harris, a woman of color, break barriers when she became vice president.

Hoover said she had tears in her eyes seeing Harris take office.

“I cried through the whole thing. To see a woman that so represents the melting pot of American blows my mind. That is America,” she said.

Hoover said her 12-year-old granddaughter watched the ceremony with her and asked if she could become president one day.

“I told her ‘yes,’” Hoover said.

For Ellis-Marseglia, she looks forward to having Harris serving in the vice president role.

“Vice President Harris is smart, dynamic, and fearless,” she said. “I absolutely love her and think she is going to be a role model for men and women alike.”

Constance Moore, a Bristol Township School Board member, said she is “very excited” to have Harris as the new vice president.

Breaking with norms, outgoing President Trump, who for months spread the conspiracy theory that he actually won the 2020 election, did not attend Biden’s inauguration. Instead, Trump headed to Florida in the hours before with a ceremony featuring his family at Joint Base Andrews outside of the nation’s capital.

In Biden’s inauguration speech, he called for Americans to come together and unite against the fight to rid the world of COVID-19 and other profound challenges.

“I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days,” Biden said. “I know that the forces that divide us are deep, and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.” 

In a press release emailed to reporters, Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s office said he attended the inauguration of as part of the Problem Solver Caucus, which is made up of Democrats and Republicans.

“Congressman Fitzpatrick, vice-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, will be congregating with his Democrat and Republican colleagues as a sign of unity and healing for our nation,” the congressman’s office said.

“Looking back will help us as a nation move forward with courage and strength. We need that now more than ever,” tweeted Christina Finello, the Democrat who ran against and lost to Fitzpatrick last fall.

District Attorney Matt Weintraub, a Republican running for reelection, posted on his campaign page, that many may ask how the country moves forward in such “unique” times.

Weintraub pointed to the word of President Abraham Lincoln during his second inaugural address in 1865: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.”

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