The day of the presidential inauguration is when an American president must rise above the deep divisions of politics and reach to the higher duty of representing the nation. Joe Biden made that leap today with an authentic, heartfelt speech calling for repair and renewal.

Every president faces their own particular set of challenges, but the 78-year-old veteran senator and former vice-president was right when he said: “Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now.”