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President-elect Joe Biden said Monday he is unafraid of taking his oath of office at an outdoor ceremony planned for next week, in the wake of the storming of the U.S. Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob.
Biden will be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 20, two weeks after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building.
“I am not afraid to take the oath outside,” Biden told reporters as he got the second dose of his COVID-19 PFE, +1.59% BNTX, +7.52% vaccine at a hospital in Newark, Del.
On Monday, the head of the National Guard said that at least 10,000 troops will be deployed in Washington by Saturday, and an extra 5,000 could be requested from other states, the Associated Press reported. The increase in requests comes as officials brace for more and possibly violent protests surrounding Biden’s inauguration.
This year’s inauguration will be significantly scaled down amid the coronavirus pandemic, with some events going virtual.
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Biden also told reporters that there should be “real, serious focus” on holding accountable those people who “engaged in sedition,” and that he hoped the Senate could hold an impeachment trial while simultaneously working on extra coronavirus relief.
The House is moving toward impeaching Trump this week. But it’s unlikely the Senate would hold a trial before Jan. 20, meaning such a move would come after Biden takes office.
