Joe Biden packs food for charity in show of unity
On the cusp of becoming president, Joe Biden took a trip from his home in Delaware to pack food bags for charity in Philadelphia.
On the cusp of becoming president, Joe Biden pressed for unity, while Donald Trump remained secluded in the White House at the centre of a capital inundated with troops and security barriers.
The president-elect marked the Martin Luther King Jr holiday on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) with a trip from his home in Delaware to pack food bags for charity in Philadelphia — a gesture symbolising his call for Americans to come together after four divisive years.
“Service is a fitting way to start to heal, unite, and rebuild this country we love,” Mr Biden said in a video.
But the 78-year-old’s fervent appeals for optimism and healing — which are also set to dominate his inauguration ceremony — are running up against the hard reality of multiple crises.
When Mr Biden takes the oath of office at noon on Wednesday (4am Thursday AEDT), he will face a city under the protection of more than 20,000 National Guard soldiers.
Checkpoints and large zones closed to ordinary citizens mean there will be only a smattering of guests. Similar lockdowns have been imposed at state capitol buildings around the US where local authorities fear provocations from right-wing groups ahead of the inauguration.
Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller said that the military and FBI were even vetting National Guard troopers, who carry automatic weapons, in case any of them posed a threat.
“While we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capital,” Mr Miller said.
In a culturally significant mark, country singer Garth Brooks said that he was joining the musical line up at Mr Biden’s ceremony, stressing this was “not a political statement, this is a statement of unity.” Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez are already set to perform.
Mr Trump, who has still not congratulated Mr Biden or invited him for the traditional tea visit in the Oval Office, has been largely out of the public eye since his supporters rampaged through congress on January 6, triggering his historic second impeachment a week later.
His final Gallup poll as president on Monday showed him exiting with just 34 per cent approval, his record low.
Mr Trump, the first president to lose re-election since George H.W. Bush was replaced by Bill Clinton, is skipping Mr Biden’s inauguration — the first ex-president to snub his successor in a century and a half. On inauguration day, he’ll travel to his Mar-a-Lago golf club residence in Florida, departing the White House early in order to benefit from full presidential travel privileges up to the last minute.
Marine One will take him from the White House to Joint Base Andrews to catch Air Force One — the presidential plane that will no longer be his to use from noon. According to a Bloomberg report, Mr Trump is organising a send-off for himself at Andrews, watched by a crowd of invitees.
AFP
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