“Welcome home.” The former president of the United States, Joe Biden, and his wife, Jill, welcomed the new tenants of the White House, Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, with these words this Monday. Thus began a ritual parallel to the inauguration ceremony in the Capitol, much more discreet, but as planned as the investiture that took place in the Rotunda of the headquarters of the US Congress: that of the move-in of the new tenants.
The inauguration is one of those moments in American political life in which everything has to be planned and millimetered and tradition dictates every movement that occurs. The Republican is an expert at breaking protocols: four years ago, when he left after his first term, he ignored everyone. But this time they followed each other strictly, or almost.
The presidential residence has dawned with a nostalgic air, of farewell. An air contributed to by the stands erected weeks ago on its perimeter for a celebration parade canceled by the same wave of polar cold in Washington that forced the inauguration to be moved inside the Capitol.
The West Wing offices were already depopulated over the weekend. On this Monday morning, the offices in the press area are empty, the computers turned off, just a handful of officials organizing groups of journalists for the final moments of Biden’s mandate. Further along, some senior official returns to pick up some object at the last minute. At the external security perimeter, Biden’s special envoy for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, waits patiently for the secret service to authorize entry into the White House, paralyzed for a few minutes while Trump’s entourage moves to a nearby church.
The first step in the protocol was the Bidens’ greeting to the new president on the porch of the White House. Trump was made to wait a bit after attending a religious service at the Church of Saint John the Baptist, in front of the presidential residence. It arrived 15 minutes after the originally scheduled time. Meanwhile, Biden has met with White House staff for the last time to say goodbye. Among the gifts he has received is the flag that flew over the building when he took office on January 20, 2021.
The greeting between the two couples has been cordial, at least before the cameras. And very brief. They, in suits and ties, Trump’s with his usual touch of red. Jill Biden, in an electric blue dress, and Melania Trump, with a huge hat that in the subsequent ceremony was a problem for her husband to kiss after taking the oath of office. When greeting each other, neither of the two presidents addressed journalists.
The second act was a private breakfast for the two couples at the White House. A supposedly relaxed time, to transfer ownership of the residence. Biden, as he explained to journalists, has also fulfilled another of the rites of the change of presidency: leaving a handwritten letter to his successor in the drawers of the Oval Office table, with his reflections or advice. What has he conveyed to you in the letter? “That is between Trump and me,” he told reporters. Your ideas on the day of the transfer of power? “Joy,” he responded succinctly. And after a moment of reflection, he added: “Hope.”
Both leaders, also as provided by protocol, moved together to the Capitol for the investiture ceremony. The moving process has then begun in the White House: white trucks have taken the Bidens’ belongings and furniture from the outgoing Administration. And others have arrived with new ones. In the Oval Office, the portrait of Andrew Jackson who presided over Trump’s first term regained its place of honor and replaced that of Franklin D Roosevelt that Biden had chosen. The so-called “Reagan rug” also returned, which adorned the office during the terms of the 40th president (1981-1989) and in the first Trump administration.
At noon, in the Capitol, Donald Trump was sworn in and gave a speech in which he outlined what his main policies would be, and announced a series of legislative measures. Immediately, the new White House sent its first statement: a list of the priorities of the new Administration and the initiatives advanced by the already president: from the deployment of the US armed forces on the southern border to the declaration that there are only two sexes, male and female, through the promise of regaining control of the Panama Canal.
The White House website, during the Joe Biden era a mere official portal, with a slightly boring appearance, has started to open with a half-minute video starring Trump, full of images from campaign rallies, moments in the Oval Office in his first term, of the presidential seal. And, after the video, a declaration of principles, and a certain trolling towards Biden: “America is back”, the motto that the Democrat proclaimed to allied countries after winning the 2020 presidential election against Trump.
“Every day I will fight for you with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have the strong, secure, and prosperous America that our children deserve and so do you. “This is truly going to be the golden age of the United States,” promises the brief message, illustrated with an image in which the new president points his finger toward the horizon.
After the ceremony at the Congress headquarters, the new president and his predecessor participate in another of the rites of this day: a lunch at the Capitol in tribute to the former head of state. A few hours later, the formal disembarkation arrives: the new White House officials take up their positions. The offices begin to fill with new faces. The 47th Administration of the United States begins.
