Joe Biden inauguration: US authorities preparing for the worst

With Joe Biden’s inauguration just days away, US authorities are preparing for the worst as extremist groups vow there’ll be chaos.

The theme of January 20, when Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, is “America United”.

But less than a fortnight after a raging mob of Trump supporters overran the US Capitol, leaving five dead, the preparations for Mr Biden’s inauguration – after which he’ll officially commence his long-pledged restoration of the “soul of America” – suggest anything but.

With extremist groups vowing there’ll be chaos on Wednesday, mass reinforcements have been shipped into Washington D.C., where there are more troops right now, Democratic congressman Seth Moulton told The Guardian, than in Afghanistan.

25,000 National Guard members in DC for #inauguration. Commanding General William Walker tells @GMA they are being screened for possible insider threat. pic.twitter.com/y5kMnxJGi2

— T.J. Holmes (@tjholmes) January 18, 2021

Gun store owners across the nation say they cannot keep up with demand, with outlets running out of ammunition and running low on guns.

And the National Guard has been activated across at least 19 states, where heavily armed protesters are calling on extreme groups from both ends of the political spectrum to unite against the US government, hoping for a “second civil war” as they continue to refute Mr Biden’s victory in last November’s presidential election.

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Michigan National Guard stand on Michigan Ave in Lansing at the ready. pic.twitter.com/X52SDKF0ub

— Mandi Wright (@DetroitMandi) January 17, 2021

“This is our last chance to avoid a tyrannical government or a bloody and pointless civil war among American people, who do not have that much against each other and have more in common than they realise,” an armed militia, aligned with the anti-government Boogaloo boys, said from the steps of the Michigan State Capitol.

“Our message to the government is, we come in peace. We do not intend to commit violence, but I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes and cracks in my voice, if you continue to oppress the American people, they will remain rational no longer.”

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The deadly riots at the US Capitol on January 6 could be repeated by armed militia groups and extremists targeting the presidential inauguration. Picture: Roberto Schmidt/AFP

In a joint intelligence bulletin warning last week, federal authorities warned the deadly January 6 breach in Washington D.C would serve as a “significant driver of violence” for armed militia groups and racist extremists who are targeting the presidential inauguration.

Extremists aiming to trigger a race war “may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilise and force a climactic conflict in the United States”, officials wrote in the bulletin issued by the National counter-terrorism Centre and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments.

Capitals in battleground states – where outgoing President Donald Trump directed his baseless accusations of voter fraud – are especially on high alert, seeing Capitol buildings boarded up, fenced in and lined by police and troops.

“It kind of shook everyone up, you know, seeing what happened at the Capitol,” Miami Police Department Chief Jorge Colina told The New York Times.

“It gives you a terrible feeling of uneasiness, and so, they’re concerned with that. They’re concerned with the mindset of, ‘Are we safe here in this country?’”

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All 25,000 National Guard members stationed in Washington D.C. for Wednesday’s event will be vetted by the FBI. Picture: Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP

Workers put concertina razor wire along the top of the eight-foot ‘non-scalable’ fence that now surrounds the nation’s Capitol. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

In D.C., preparations for an inauguration under siege have left the streets deserted and businesses and public transport shuttered, with residents remarking that they’ve “never seen so many guns in my life”.

Vice president for government affairs at advocacy group, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told The Guardian that the atmosphere in Washington would force veterans “to recall the vivid images of their experiences in Baghdad”.

“We would compare ourselves to countries overseas and we could always depend on a democratic and peaceful transfer of power,” he said.

“The whole attack on the Capitol was an affront to that.”

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Extraordinary security concerns for president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration have gripped the US since the January 6 Capitol siege. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP

All 25,000 National Guard officials coming into Washington for the inauguration will now be vetted by the FBI, after authorities expressed fears of an insider attack on the event – a reflection of the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped the nation since the riots.

As Wednesday approaches, commanders have been told to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the Associated Press.

“We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” he said, adding that there had been no evidence of any threats so far among the troops.

“The question is, is that all of them? Are there others? We need to be conscious of it and we need to put all of the mechanisms in place to thoroughly vet these men and women who would support any operations like this.”

The key goal, he added, is for America’s transfer of power to happen without incident, calling it “a national priority”.

“We have to be successful as an institution,” he said. “We want to send the message to everyone in the United States and for the rest of the world that we can do this safely and peacefully.”