There was, by day’s end, something of a magic-show quality to it all, a “now you see it, now you don’t” vanishing act designed to comprehensively scrub clean the Trumpian stain.
It won’t, of course, all be easy sailing. Sure, the Republicans so desperate to reclaim at least the appearance of being serious and responsible partners in government after four years in which they greased the pole for Trump and his minions and helped light wildfires throughout the body politic are, temporarily, issuing platitudinous statements about coming together for the common good. But that lurch toward bipartisanship will likely last only until it comes time to debate major Biden legislative initiatives in Congress over the coming weeks. From then on, partisan rancor will likely become the norm again.
The press is praising Biden after four years of attacking Trump; reaction and analysis on The Five
This is a rush transcript from The Five, January 20, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
JUAN WILLIAMS, CO-HOST: Joe Biden officially sworn in as our 46th president today. The new commander in chief at the White House right now and is in the Oval Office for the first time. Biden stressing unity in his inauguration speech. Promising to be a president for all Americans.
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PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Few people in our nation s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we re in now, a once in a century virus that silently stalks the country.
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It was a sight that shook the world: Images of a violent pro-Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the presidential election, threatening lawmakers’ lives, flying the Confederate flag in the building’s halls and erecting a gallows outside.
But the chaotic and deadly end of Donald Trump’s presidency was in many ways the inevitable result of four years of a president who stoked distrust, divison, anger and racism and ultimately sought to undermine the election itself, with large swathes of his party echoing his claims.
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One of the great ironies of life is that as you get older time seems to pass much more quickly. But I have found that the last four years have been an exception. I can hardly remember a time before Donald Trump dominated our political culture. But it s over now. Today Trump flies off to Mar-a-Lago to plot his next comeback and Joe Biden moves into the White House to plot a comeback for America.
Four years ago today, Donald Trump proclaimed, American Carnage stops right here and stops right now. He should have said, American carnage
starts right here, right now. There isn t room here to list it all. And Lord knows, we don t want to relive it anyway. But it s important to remember that Trump s crimes in office go beyond norm busting and being a pathological liar. He was corrupt on an unprecedented level and he abused the power of the presidency repeatedly putting his own needs ahead of the national interest time and again. He showed reckless disregard for the