Jio Biden, 78, will take oath as the 46th president of the United States tonight. Hours from the inauguration, President-elect Biden paused on what might have been his triumphal entrance to Washington Tuesday evening to mark instead of the national tragedy of the Covid pandemic with a moment of collective grief for Americans lost.

There were 400 lights lit at Lincoln Memorial to mark the 400,000 people who had succumbed to the virus in the country. “It’s hard sometimes to remember. But that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation. That’s why we’re here today. Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all whom we lost,” Biden said.

In his farewell address to the nation Tuesday, Donald Trump extended his wishes to the Biden administration. “This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” Trump said.

“I did not seek the easiest course… By far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices, because that’s what you elected me to do. Your needs were my first and last unyielding focus,” he added. Trump will not attend Biden’s inauguration ceremony.

During his brief remarks, Biden faced the larger-than-life statue of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War president who served as more than 600,000 Americans died. As he turned to walk away at the conclusion of the vigil, he faced the black granite wall listing the 58,000-plus Americans who perished in Vietnam.

Biden was joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who spoke of the collective anguish of the nation, a not-so-subtle admonishment of outgoing President Donald Trump, who has spoken sparingly about the pandemic in recent months.

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