WASHINGTON: Republican President Donald Trump left the White House on Wednesday after a tumultuous four years in office, hours before Democrat Joe Biden assumed the helm of a country beset by deep political divides and battered by a raging coronavirus pandemic.
Biden, 78, becomes the oldest US president in history at a scaled-back inauguration ceremony in Washington that has been largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance, due both to the coronavirus as well as security concerns following the January 6 assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania landed in Florida on Wednesday as President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration began in Washington.
The couple descended the stairs of Air Force One and waved to the press, but did not stop to answer questions.
Trump opted to break with tradition and skip the inauguration of Biden and vice president-elect, Kamala Harris. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen were in attendance at the US Capitol.
Ahead of the inauguration of US president-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, countries around the world expressed cautious hope for a reset in relations while prioritizing their own interests.
China was hoping for “a collaboration beneficial to both sides,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said.
But China would preserve its own interests and national security and not be defamed by the United States, the spokesperson added.
The comments come after the designated incoming secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, named relations with China as a central challenge for the US on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Iran said it was generally ready to clear its differences with the US. But the ball was in Washington’s court, President Hassan Rowhani said on Wednesday.
“Everything they do, we will do exactly the same ... no more, no less,” Rowhani told state television. With reference to the 2015 nuclear deal, Rowhani said that if Biden was serious about fulfilling its international obligations towards Iran, Tehran would do the same.
Outgoing President Donald Trump had left the deal and imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, after which Tehran stopped fulfilling the technical requirements of the deal. Rowhani said Iran would return to its obligations if the rest of the deal — namely scrapping the sanctions — was implemented as well. He declined a full or partial renegotiation of the agreement.
In London, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted that Britain, one of Washington’s most important allies, was looking forward to working with Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris.
“Many congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on this historic day,” Raab tweeted.
“From climate change to trade and security, our two countries share a close bond and special relationship. We look forward to working with you on shared priorities as a force for good in the world.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany would look for common ground with the new administration, as he expected the US to “rejoin the WHO [World Health Organization] and the climate deal,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We will not always be of the same opinion as the new administration, but we will do everything to find solutions,” Maas said.
European Council President Charles Michel called for the United States and European Union to create a “new founding pact” for transatlantic relations.
To do so, he invited Joe Biden — who is set to be sworn in as president of the US on Wednesday — to Brussels for a summit.
“Today is an opportunity to rejuvenate our transatlantic relationship which has greatly suffered in the last 4 years,” he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a similar tone, saying the EU was ready for a reset in transatlantic relations.
To this end, she suggested several areas of cooperation, for example creating a new trade and technology council.
Meanwhile, climate activist Greta Thunberg bid Trump farewell on Twitter, mocking a tweet he had once posted to make fun of her after an emotional speech at a UN summit on climate change in New York.
“He seems like a very happy old man looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!” she tweeted, posting a photo of Trump boarding the Marine One helicopter from the lawn outside the White House. — dpa/Reuters
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