It’s a new day in America – President Joe Biden

It’s a new day in America

My fellow Americans,

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 anew. And America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause, the 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 today I stood on hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, 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 the nation we know we can be and we must be.

I’ve taken the sacred oath each of those patriots before me has 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 possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, 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. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. 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, and now a 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.

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 into 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 reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.

So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasked 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 may God protect our troops.

Thank you, America.

President Joe Biden

The above video was recorded from the TV screen. The original copyright belongs to CNN.

美国华盛顿特区当地时间1月20日11点49分，乔·拜登在国会大厦前宣誓就任美国第46任总统。

“这是美国的一天。这是民主的一天。”拜登说，“今天我们庆祝的胜利，不是一个候选人的胜利，而是一个事业的胜利——民主事业的胜利。”

拜登强调了团结的重要性：“为了克服这些挑战，恢复美国的灵魂并确保美国的未来，需要的远不止是言语，还需要民主国家中最难以捉摸的东西——团结。”

他动情地说，“我知道，如今在一些人看来，谈论团结可能听起来像一个愚蠢的幻想。我知道，分裂我们的力量很深，而且是真实存在的。但我也知道，这些力量并不新鲜。我们的历史一直在美国的理想与残酷丑陋的现实之间不断斗争：美国的理想是我们人人生而平等，而残酷丑陋的现实是，种族主义、本土主义、恐惧、妖魔化早已将我们撕裂。”

他提到了新冠疫情的挑战和它已经造成的灾难性损失：“百年一遇的病毒，悄无声息地缠绕着这个国家。它在一年内夺走的生命数量，相当于美x国在二战中失去的所有生命。数以百万计的工作岗位消失了，数以十万计的企业惨遭关闭。”

“我们领导世界，不是因为强大才成为榜样，而是成为榜样使我们更强大。我们将成为和平、进步和安全的强大和值得信赖的伙伴。”

最后，拜登表示，“我们怀着目的和决心，将目光投向那些肩负我们时代使命的人。他们以信仰为支撑，以信念为动力，彼此忠诚，全心全意为我们所爱的国家服务。”