Washington is facing a big enemy in the most “desolate” inauguration ceremony.
On January 20, President-elect Joseph Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States at the Washington Capitol.
In light of the grim situation of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, Biden’s inauguration will be held from Jane – the inaugural ball, congressional luncheon will be cancelled, and the celebration parade and singing and dancing will be turned to live online.
The inauguration ceremony will be reduced from 200,000 to 2,000 in the past, and absent is also the first outgoing President Trump in 150 years not to attend the inauguration of his successor.
However, such a lonely inauguration has made the whole of Washington, D.C., ready. At present, it is almost closed.
The fully armed 25,000 National Guard members have been on standby in the capital, which is 2.5 times the number of guards at the previous inauguration ceremony and three times the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. Secret Service even divided downtown Washington into militarized red and green districts for management, covering areas including the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Square and the vicinity of Congress.
Green District Street is only allowed for residents and merchants to pass through, and the Red District is only allowed to enter authorized vehicles. Local residents said that even on September 11, the blockade was not as strict as it is now.
Ironically, some of these 24-hour guards are still under internal vetting.
Due to the January 6 parliamentary riots, some demonstrators were suspected to have military backgrounds, and there seemed to be “receed” within the congress.
The FBI is worried that personnel involved in the presidential inauguration defense mission may pose an internal threat of attack.
The FBI will check if anything alarming has happened.
However, so far, there is no evidence of threat.
Trump “rips up” the United States and turns amnesty into a business
After September 11, most of the threats in the United States came from external forces, such as extremist organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State; but this time, the United States believes that the threat comes from within, including Trump’s supporters, far-right militants, white supremacists, etc.
For this major change, Fudan University Shen Dingli, a professor at the Center for Study and Research of American Studies, believes that this shows that American politics is highly “polarized”.
Trump’s four years in office have gained many supporters, and also caused the United States to be seriously torn, greatly damaging the international image of the United States.
On Trump’s last day in office, U.S. media quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that he would issue about 100 pardons and commutation orders, including white-collar criminals and well-known rappers motivated to obtain money, but it is expected not to include Trump himself.
The New York Times also published a report that people around Trump have turned the amnesty into a business.
Exposed documents show that Trump’s former private lawyer and former U.S. federal prosecutor are all involved in the business, and Trump’s private lawyer’s advisers even offered an offer of 2 million yuan to sell a pardon.
Shen Dingli pointed out that the unprecedented number of Trump’s amnesties, especially some of the people who were granted were controversial and suspected of using power for personal gain.
However, Shen Dingli also pointed out that Trump would not pardon himself, because if he made this “ugly decision”, he would probably be cancelled or overturned by Biden, so Trump did not It will take risks.
Biden’s “new official takes office” A large wave of new policies is on the way
On the other hand, Biden is ready to “reverse” the keyword of “new official to take office”.
In a briefing on January 16, Biden’s team said that within 10 days of Biden’s inauguration, dozens of executive orders will be signed, focusing on the four major crises of the coronavirus, the economic crisis caused by the epidemic, climate change and racial inequality, in order to reverse the serious damage caused by the Trump administration and push the United States forward.
On his first day in office, Biden will sign about 12 executive orders to reverse the controversial decisions of the Trump administration.
These include re-accession to the Paris Agreement, lifting the travel ban against Muslim communities, and issuing an injunction to wear masks.
In addition, according to U.S. media reports, Biden also plans to submit an immigration bill to Congress on the day of his inauguration, providing an avenue for about 11 million illegal immigrants to obtain U.S. citizenship.
On the second day of office, Biden plans to sign an executive order on COVID-19, including expanding testing, providing financial assistance to families severely affected by the epidemic, and a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief economic stimulus package.
In addition, from January 25 to February 1, Biden will sign several executive orders on supporting communities of color, reforming the criminal justice system, etc.
Will Biden’s implementation of the new policy go smoothly?
However, Biden’s 180-degree policy turn also brings some controversy and risks. For example, Biden or the suspension of the US-Canada oil pipeline project may cause 28,000 jobs to disappear.
The loosening of immigration policy also gives Latin American immigrants hope. On January 16th local time, thousands of Honduran immigrants have taken a caravan north to the United States, putting great pressure on multinational borders.
Regarding Biden’s series of policies, Shen Dingli believes that the Democrats are trying to regain their former world leadership through international cooperation and leading by example.
For disappearing jobs, Biden-led Democrats will dig into the new energy policy.
Another focus of Biden’s policy is the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, which in his eyes is the first step in the rescue and recovery plan.
However, many of the so-called American rescue plan, which Republican lawmakers have been blocking, such as providing $350 billion to state and local governments. The relief funds, even within the Democratic Party, are not rigid.
In response, Shen Dingli pointed out that the COVID-19 epidemic has dragged down the U.S. economy. The United States is trying to save the economy by printing money while also making the world pay for the United States.
This trend will not change with Biden’s rise to power. Therefore, the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan may pass smoothly, but 1.9 trillion US dollars The number of yuan is too large, and it may eventually be cut.
