At Texas restaurant, hopes for recovery and unity

Biden stresses his goal to unite America and end this ‘uncivil war’

In his first remarks as president, Joe Biden stressed that the nation must come together, and he will aim to achieve that as the 46th commander-in-chief. 

“Democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile, and at this hour my friends, democracy has prevailed,” Biden said on the West Front of the Capitol just after he was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Biden said few people in U.S. history have faced more challenges than exist right now, the pandemic that has left more than 400,000 people dead across the country, millions of jobs lost and thousands of businesses closed. 

Biden calls for end to ‘uncivil war’ between Republicans and Democrats

“The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer,” Biden said. “To overcome these challenges to restore the soul and secure the future America requires so much more than words, it requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy — unity, unity.”

Biden said his “whole soul is in it” to unite America, later saying that the forces that divide people are “deep and they are real.” 

“We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature,” he said. 

Biden pledged to be a president for all Americans and to end the current “uncivil war” that “pits red against blue.” 

“To all those who did not support us, let me say this, hear me 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 peaceably in the guardrails of our republic is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength.”