Newly sworn-in Vice PresidentKamala Harriscontinued receiving congratulations from around the world on Thursday after taking the oath of office the day before and making U.S. history.
With Wednesday’s inauguration Harris, 56, simultaneously became the first woman, first Black person and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
A few hours later, the new vice president and new PresidentJoe Bidenbegan serving out their terms: Biden, 78, signed a stack of executive orders while Harris swore inthree new members of the Senate.
In a televised address later in the night, Harris called on Americans to summon “the courage to see beyond crisis” and “to do what is hard, to do what is good, to unite, to believe in ourselves, believe in our country, [and] believe in what we can do together.”
On Thursday, both Biden and Harris began their first full days in the White House.
Kamala Harris (left) is sworn in with her husband beside her at the Jan. 20 inauguration at the U.S. Capitol.ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty
From left: Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris.Alex Wong/Getty
President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (front) and Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (back).Alex Wong/Getty
From left: Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci.Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Elsewhere during the morning, Harris spoke on the phone with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization. Hours after being sworn in on Wednesday, Biden recommitted the U.S. to the World Health Organization, mending the country’s fracture with the group after former PresidentDonald Trumpsaid in May he would withdraw America’s affiliation in response to theCOVID-19pandemic.
Ghebreyesussaidhe was “honored” to speak with Harris and thanked the Biden administration for working to repair the U.S.’s commitment to the global health organization.
Harris and Biden later appeared at the administration’s first press briefing on the novel coronavirus alongside the country’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other federal health officials. There, Harris and Biden continued what they have said will be frequent public briefings on the pandemic, which slowed and eventually stopped during the final months of the Trump administration.
The vice president and president then sat down with Fauci, 80, as well as COVID-19 task force coordinator Jeffrey Zients and the deputy coordinator Nancy Quillian.
“We’ve hit the ground running,” Harris tweeted after, from her new@VPaccount.
On Friday, the new administration is expected to focus on efforts to rebuild the U.S. economy and next week will reportedly introduce new policies surrounding climate change, healthcare, immigration and social equality.
source: people.com
