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President Biden giving his inaugural speech.
Controversy on the Hill
A quick brief on the events occurring at Capitol Hill.
On January 6, a group of pro Trump supporters entered the Capitol causing Congress to evacuate. 5 people were killed in the riot, and three members of the extremist militant group Oath Keepers were charged with conspiracy in committing federal crimes (Thomas Edward Caldwell, Donovan Crowl, and Jessica Watkins).
Thousands of Trump rally attendees marched to Capitol Hill, after former President Trump claimed to have won the election despite the results putting Democrat President Joe Biden in the oval office.
As a result of the turmoil that occurred at the Capitol Hill riots, local police and around 25,000 to 26,000 National Guard troops were deployed to protect the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
In the weeks leading up to President Biden’s inauguration, the House voted to impeach Trump a second time (the first occurrence in which a president has been impeached twice; 2019 and 2021). No president has been convicted yet. Democrats sent the impeachment article to the Senate on Monday January 25.
Some argue that the impeachment trial is unfair and unnecessary, drawing upon the evidence of Trump’s then soon departure from the presidency. Others say that it is a needed process due to their claims of former President Trump’s “instability”, and the role he played in the riots.
As of Tuesday January 26, 45 GOP senators have voted against the impeachment trial, which will likely lead to an acquittal on the accusing charge suggesting Trump ignited the capitol riots.
After the results on November 4, Trump claimed the election was a “fraud”, and refused to concede. Trump claimed his campaign held “valid and legitimate legal challenges” to Biden’s victory. However, after over 50 lawsuits, the Trump campaign failed to overturn the election results.
Some say Trump’s refusal to concede led to the riots on Capitol Hill, and he announced his concession from office the next day. Trump decided to not attend Biden’s inauguration. However, he left a letter for Biden, which the President described as “very generous”.
Meanwhile, President Biden is over a week into office, and has signed a record amount of executive orders; including a push of orders promoting “racial equity”. President Biden also plans to tackle COVID-19 by increasing investments in advanced testing, doubling drive-through testing. He also aims to centralize the supply of equipment such as masks and face shields.
The President, in addition, is attempting to raise the minimum wage to $15.
One of Biden’s earliest moves was to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, a confrontation of what he deems an existential threat of climate change.
After the controversy of the election, the Capitol Hill riots, and the inauguration process, Biden is aiming to make sweeping policy changes for America.