Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States today beginning at noon EST. The ceremony will be significantly scaled down, and health and safety protocols have been put in place to minimize the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take their oaths of office on the West Front of the Capitol building, without large crowds in attendance. In place of attendees, the Biden Inaugural Committee has placed thousands of American flags on the lawn of the National Mall to represent those who wished to attend the transition of power.
In lieu of traditional festivities, including parades and several formal balls, the new president will celebrate his inauguration with a virtual parade as well as an evening fete which will be attended by musicians, celebrities, and sports figures. Heightened security measures will protect Biden and Harris throughout the inauguration.
Here’s how to watch the Biden/Harris inauguration online.
CNN Will Stream Content For Free
CNN reported that they will air the activities of the day for free, for those who do not have the cable network in their homes. CNN International will also stream live coverage without requiring a cable log-in, from 6 a.m. to midnight EST on Wednesday, January 20. This will be available on the network’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android.
Kids Will Have A Safe Space To View The Festivities As Well
Dr. Jill Biden, the new first lady of the United States, has taped a special message for a livestream targeting children and students, and will be hosted by former Nickelodeon star Keke Palmer. It will be chock full of information for children as well as trivia questions which will be asked by incoming second gentleman Doug Emhoff. There will also be a special segment on presidential pets, per a press release from the Biden camp, as seen here . This special programming can be watched on YouTube from 10:00 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. Eastern. It will also be broadcast by Nickelodeon, Discovery Education, Amazon Prime Video, and via websites, apps, and social media platforms. It will be streamed online by PBS NewsHour.
All Major Networks Will Pre-Empt Their Regular Programming For Coverage
ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS will pre-empt their regularly scheduled programming for news coverage of the event, which included the exit of outgoing President Donald Trump as well as the arrivals of former United States Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush for the transition of power. The networks will cover Biden’s speech and the inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris. This evening, the channels will share in the airing of Celebrating America , which will attempt to unite Americans via speeches, performances by top musicians, celebrities and major sports figures, noted the Biden Inaugural Team in a press release .
Other Cable Networks Will Also Stream The Day’s Content On Their Channels
BET, C-SPAN, FOX News, MSNBC, PEACOCK, NPR, Spectrum Networks, Telemundo, Univision, Newsy, and Cheddar will also host special programming from Washington D.C. and will be joined by political experts, analysts, and guests, reported Deadline .