Washington: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. is expected to get cracking on his first day in the Oval Office with a series of executive actions, reports New York Times. That will mean rollback of Trump’s domestic agenda as well as a paradigm shift in how US conducts relations with the comity of nations.
In the first hours after he takes the oath of office on January 20, Biden is expected to convey to the United Nations that the US will be again a part of the concerted effort to combat climate change, thus scrapping Trump’s decision to pull out from the Paris climate accord.
He is also expected to give coronavirus pandemic the importance it deserves by appointing a “national supply chain commander” and establishing a “pandemic testing board,” adds the New York Times.
He could also upturn Trump’s travel ban on mostly Muslim countries and resettle refugees fleeing war and strife. He also proposes to restore the rights of government workers to unionize.
Executive orders are likely to be issued to rapidly implement these directives and set the tone of the administration in the days to come, said sources. He is, however, unlikely to jettison the Trump agenda lock stock and barrel, in keeping with his resolve not to alienate further those who did not vote for him.
Biden, in his first address as president-elect, promised to 'end the era of demonization' and to reach out to disappointed Trump supporters.
He further vowed to unite the nation, pledging to a be a 'president for all Americans - whether you voted for me or not', as he called upon the country to heal. During her speech earlier, Kamala Harris echoed the sentiment when she described Biden as a healer, a ‘uniter’, a tested and steady hand.
As the TV networks awarded the election to Biden, president Trump was playing golf at his Virginia course with his regular pals. Trump had re-tweeted claims of election fraud earlier in the morning and issued a statement saying: 'Legal counts decide the election not the news media.'
In his 15-minute speech Saturday, Biden thanked his supporters, particularly African American voters who gave him the Democratic nomination and turned out in the general election, along with his campaign staff.
After his remarks, the entire Biden family – including his son Hunter with his new baby and the Biden grandchildren – came out on stage to join Joe and Jill. ‘‘We're seeing all over the nation, cities across the country, indeed across the world outpouring of joy and hope and renewed faith,’’ Biden said in his address.
‘‘Tomorrow will bring a better day. And I'm humbled by the trust and confidence you've placed in me. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify. Who doesn't see red states and blue states. Only sees the United States.’’
Trump family split
On the other hand, a pig-headed Donald Trump is not planning to concede defeat despite his son-in-law Jared Kushner asking him to do so.
Kushner seems to be at odds with Trump's eldest sons who launched a barrage of Sunday morning tweets claiming their father's defeat was fraudulent.
Trump household seems to be a fractured family, but the outgoing president is unfazed and yet again stepped out to play golf. The family split could be another unsavory chapter in the current saga. A part of the problem is that no one in the inner circles was read to bell the cat and advise Trump to call it a day.
