Happy Inauguration Day, America! It’s just about time for someone new to take a seat in the Oval Office.
Before Biden takes the oath, join us on a ride through inaugurations past:
Wondering what the scaffolding is behind Abraham Lincoln’s 1861 swearing-in ceremony?
It’s being used in construction of the Capitol dome, which was completed four years later in 1865. (AP Photo)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is pictured here at his first inauguration. At his second in 1937, he became the first president to be sworn in on January 20th.
FDR actually holds the record for the most inaugurations: four. Term limits were enacted after he died. (AP Photo)
Something you likely won’t see today: Moments after he officially became president in 1953, Dwight Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower waved to Americans out of an open car. (AP Photo)
Jacqueline Kennedy took part in two inauguration ceremonies for two different presidents.
She shared the first with her husband, John F. Kennedy — here’s a tender moment from right after he was sworn into office in 1961. (AP/Henry Burroughs)
The second was more somber.
“Jackie O” stands beside Lyndon B. Johnson as he’s sworn in inside the presidential plane — just hours after JFK was shot and killed. (AP/Cecil Stoughton)
At Jimmy Carter’s inauguration in 1977, he became the first president to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue — now a tradition.
A spectator burst into the Inaugural Parade, only to be quickly detained by police and Secret Service. (AP Photo)
Bill Clinton took the oath of office in 1993, with Hillary by his side.
Clinton’s inauguration was the first to be live-streamed. Ah, the internet. (AP/Ed Reinke)
In more inaugural “firsts,” George W. Bush’s ceremony marked the first time a former president attended the inauguration of their son. (AP/Doug Mills)
In 2009, Barack Obama became the nation’s first Black president — and the first president to be inaugurated two days in a row.
He and Chief Justice John Roberts had to perform a do-over after they stumbled over words in the oath of office. (AP/Chuck Kennedy)
And finally, America’s most recent inauguration ceremony: Here’s Donald Trump taking the oath of office in 2017, with Melania by his side. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The Year in Kayleigh McEnany — the Press Sec. who promised to never lie to you.
McEnany claimed, "We don't have time in the middle of a pandemic for publicity stunts," as Blue Angels flew overhead in a meaningless show of patriotism 🇺🇸
Quite the effort to frame the president's use of "kung flu" as not racist back in June.
Brandon Bernard: If you don’t know his name, you should.
He was convicted of kidnapping and killing two white youth ministers on a Texas military reservation in June of 1999. He was 18 years old at the time. Today, he is scheduled to be executed by the federal government.
The bipartisan backlash to Bernard’s death sentence reaches far and wide — from the halls of Congress to the hills of Hollywood.