“My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of
us we’re going to need each other. We
need all our strength to persevere through
this dark winter. We’re entering what may
be the darkest and deadliest period of the
virus. We must set aside politics and finally
face this pandemic as one nation, one
nation. And I promise this, as the Bible
says, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, joy
cometh in the morning’. We will get
through this together. Together.”
Full speech below
Chief Justice Roberts, Vice-President
Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer,
Leader McConnell, Vice-President Pence.
My distinguished guests, my fellow
Americans.
This is America’s day. This is democracy’s
day. A day of history and hope, of renewal
and resolve. Through a crucible for the
ages, America has been tested a new and
America has risen to the challenge. Today
we celebrate the triumph not of a
candidate but of a cause, a cause of
democracy. The people – the will of the
people – has been heard, and the will of the
people has been heeded.
We’ve learned again that democracy is
precious, democracy is fragile and, at this
hour my friends, democracy has prevailed.
So now on this hallowed ground where just
a few days ago violence sought to shake
the Capitol’s very foundations, we come
together as one nation under God –
indivisible – to carry out the peaceful
transfer of power as we have for more
than two centuries.
As we look ahead in our uniquely American
way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our
sights on a nation we know we can be and
must be, I thank my predecessors of both
parties. I thank them from the bottom of
my heart. And I know the resilience of our
Constitution and the strength, the strength
of our nation, as does President Carter,
who I spoke with last night who cannot be
with us today, but who we salute for his
lifetime of service.
I’ve just taken a sacred oath each of those
patriots have taken. The oath first sworn
by George Washington. But the American
story depends not on any one of us, not on
some of us, but on all of us. On we the
people who seek a more perfect union.
This is a great nation, we are good people.
And over the centuries through storm and
strife in peace and in war we’ve come so
far. But we still have far to go.
We’ll press forward with speed and
urgency for we have much to do in this
winter of peril and significant possibility.
Much to do, much to heal, much to restore,
much to build and much to gain. 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 has taken as
many lives in one year as in all of World
War Two.
Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds
of thousands of businesses closed. A cry
for racial justice, some 400 years in the
making, moves us. The dream of justice
for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for
survival comes from the planet itself, a cry
that can’t be any more desperate or any
more clear now. The rise of political
extremism, white supremacy, domestic
terrorism, that we must confront and we
will defeat.
To overcome these challenges, to restore
the soul and secure the future of America,
requires so much more than words. It
requires the most elusive of all things in a
democracy – unity. Unity. In another
January on New Year’s Day in 1863
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation
Proclamation. When he put pen to paper
the president said, and I quote, ‘if my name
ever goes down in history, it’ll be for this
act, and my whole soul is in it’.
My whole soul is in it today, on this
January day. My whole soul is in this.
Bringing America together, uniting our
people, uniting our nation. And I ask every
American to join me in this cause. Uniting
to fight the foes we face – anger,
resentment and hatred. Extremism,
lawlessness, violence, disease,
joblessness, and hopelessness.
With unity we can do great things,
important things. We can right wrongs, we
can put people to work in good jobs, we
can teach our children in safe schools. We
can overcome the deadly virus, we can
rebuild work, we can rebuild the middle
class and make work secure, we can
secure racial justice and we can make
America once again the leading force for
good in the world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to
some like a foolish fantasy these days. I
know the forces that divide us are deep
and they are real. But I also know they are
not new. Our history has been a constant
struggle between the American ideal, that
we are all created equal, and the harsh
ugly reality that racism, nativism and fear
have torn us apart. The battle is perennial
and victory is never secure.
Through civil war, the Great Depression,
World War, 9/11, through struggle,
sacrifice, and setback, our better angels
have always prevailed. In each of our
moments enough of us have come together
to carry all of us forward and we can do
that now. History, faith and reason show
the way. The way of unity.
We can see each other not as adversaries
but as neighbours. We can treat each other
with dignity and respect. We can join
forces, stop the shouting and lower the
temperature. For without unity there is no
peace, only bitterness and fury, no
progress, only exhausting outrage. No
nation, only a state of chaos. This is our
historic moment of crisis and challenge.
And unity is the path forward. And we
must meet this moment as the United
States of America.
If we do that, I guarantee we will not failed.
We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in
America when we’ve acted together. And
so today at this time in this place, let’s
start afresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen
to one another again, hear one another, see
one another. Show respect to one another.
Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire
destroying everything in its path. Every
disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause
for total war and we must reject the culture
in which facts themselves are manipulated
and even manufactured.
My fellow Americans, we have to be
different than this. We have to be better
than this and I believe America is so much
better than this. Just look around. Here we
stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome.
As mentioned earlier, completed in the
shadow of the Civil War. When the union
itself was literally hanging in the balance.
We endure, we prevail. Here we stand,
looking out on the great Mall, where Dr
King spoke of his dream.
Here we stand, where 108 years ago at
another inaugural, thousands of protesters
tried to block brave women marching for
the right to vote. And today we mark the
swearing in of the first woman elected to
national office, Vice President Kamala
Harris. Don’t tell me things can change.
Here we stand where heroes who gave the
last full measure of devotion rest in eternal
peace.
And here we stand just days after a riotous
mob thought they could use violence to
silence the will of the people, to stop the
work of our democracy, to drive us from
this sacred ground. It did not happen, it will
never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not
ever. Not ever. To all those who supported
our campaign, I’m humbled by the faith you
placed in us. To all those who did not
support us, let me say this. Hear us out as
we move forward. Take a measure of me
and my heart.
If you still disagree, so be it. That’s
democracy. That’s America. The right to
dissent peacefully. And the guardrail of our
democracy is perhaps our nation’s greatest
strength. If you hear me clearly,
disagreement must not lead to disunion.
And I pledge this to you. I will be a
President for all Americans, all Americans.
And I promise you I will fight for those who
did not support me as for those who did.
Many centuries ago, St Augustine – the
saint of my church – wrote that a people
was a multitude defined by the common
objects of their love. Defined by the
common objects of their love. What are the
common objects we as Americans love,
that define us as Americans? I think we
know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity,
respect, honour, and yes, the truth.
Recent weeks and months have taught us
a painful lesson. There is truth and there
are lies. Lies told for power and for profit.
And each of us has a duty and a
responsibility as citizens as Americans and
especially as leaders. Leaders who are
pledged to honour our Constitution to
protect our nation. To defend the truth and
defeat the lies.
Look, I understand that many of my fellow
Americans view the future with fear and
trepidation. I understand they worry about
their jobs. I understand like their dad they
lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling
thinking: ‘Can I keep my healthcare? Can I
pay my mortgage?’ Thinking about their
families, about what comes next. I promise
you, I get it. But the answer’s not to turn
inward. To retreat into competing factions.
Distrusting those who don’t look like you,
or worship the way you do, who don’t get
their news from the same source as you
do.
We must end this uncivil war that pits red
against blue, rural versus urban,
conservative versus liberal. We can do this
if we open our souls instead of hardening
our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and
humility, and if we’re willing to stand in the
other person’s shoes, as my mom would
say. Just for a moment, stand in their
shoes.
Because here’s the thing about life. There’s
no accounting for what fate will deal you.
Some days you need a hand. There are
other days when we’re called to lend a
hand. That’s how it has to be, that’s what
we do for one another. And if we are that
way our country will be stronger, more
prosperous, more ready for the future. And
we can still disagree.
My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of
us we’re going to need each other. We
need all our strength to persevere through
this dark winter. We’re entering what may
be the darkest and deadliest period of the
virus. We must set aside politics and finally
face this pandemic as one nation, one
nation. And I promise this, as the Bible
says, ‘Weeping may endure for a night, joy
cometh in the morning’. We will get
through this together. Together.
Look folks, all my colleagues I serve with in
the House and the Senate up here, we all
understand the world is watching.
Watching all of us today. So here’s my
message to those beyond our borders.
America has been tested and we’ve come
out stronger for it. We will repair our
alliances, and engage with the world once
again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges
but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
And we’ll lead not merely by the example
of our power but the power of our example.
Fellow Americans, moms, dads, sons,
daughters, friends, neighbours and co-
workers. We will honour them by becoming
the people and the nation we can and
should be. So I ask you let’s say a silent
prayer for those who lost their lives, those
left behind and for our country. Amen.
Folks, it’s a time of testing. We face an
attack on our democracy, and on truth, a
raging virus, a stinging inequity, systemic
racism, a climate in crisis, America’s role in
the world. Any one of these would be
enough to challenge us in profound ways.
But the fact is we face them all at once,
presenting this nation with one of the
greatest responsibilities we’ve had. Now
we’re going to be tested. Are we going to
step up?
It’s time for boldness for there is so much
to do. And this is certain, I promise you.
We will be judged, you and I, by how we
resolve these cascading crises of our era.
We will rise to the occasion. Will we master
this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet
our obligations and pass along a new and
better world to our children? I believe we
must and I’m sure you do as well. I believe
we will, and when we do, we’ll write the
next great chapter in the history of the
United States of America. The American
story.
A story that might sound like a song that
means a lot to me, it’s called American
Anthem. And there’s one verse that stands
out at least for me and it goes like this:
‘The work and prayers of century have
brought us to this day, which shall be our
legacy, what will our children say? Let me
know in my heart when my days are
through, America, America, I gave my best
to you.’
Let us add our own work and prayers to
the unfolding story of our great nation. If
we do this, then when our days are
through, our children and our children’s
children will say of us: ‘They gave their
best, they did their duty, they healed a
broken land.’
My fellow Americans I close the day where
I began, with a sacred oath. Before God
and all of you, I give you my word. I will
always level with you. I will defend the
Constitution, I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll
defend America and I will give all – all of
you – keep everything I do in your service.
Thinking not of power but of possibilities.
Not of personal interest but of public good.
And together we will write an American
story of hope, not fear. Of unity not
division, of light not darkness. A story of
decency and dignity, love and healing,
greatness and goodness. May this be the
story that guides us. The story that inspires
us. And the story that tells ages yet to
come that we answered the call of history,
we met the moment. Democracy and hope,
truth and justice, did not die on our watch
but thrive.
That America secured liberty at home and
stood once again as a beacon to the world.
That is what we owe our forbearers, one
another, and generations to follow.
So with purpose and resolve, we turn to
those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith,
driven by conviction and devoted to one
another and the country we love with all
our hearts. May God bless America and
God protect our troops.
Thank you, America.
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