Kamala Harris
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks as she and President-elect Joe Biden introduce their nominees and appointees to key national security and foreign policy posts at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware on November 24, 2020.
Carolyn Kaster/AP Photos
  • Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is set to be sworn into office in front of the US Capitol on Inauguration Day on January 20.
  • The transition of power comes after the deadly US Capitol attack incited by President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that resulted in five deaths and more than 100 arrests so far.
  • In an interview with NPR, Harris said “we cannot yield those who would try and make us afraid of who we are,” when asked about continuing the traditional ceremony outside the Capitol following last week’s siege. 
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said she and President-elect Joe Biden would not “yield to those who would try and make us afraid of who we are,” in response to soon being sworn into office outside of the US Capitol.

“I think that we cannot yield to those who would try and make us afraid of who we are,” Harris said in an interview with NPR when asked why it important to continue with the planned ceremony and take the oath outside on Inauguration Day. “We are, for all of our faults and imperfections, we are a nation that was founded on very important principles and guided by extremely important ideals. And we cannot abandon that.”

Pro-Trump rioters stormed into the US Capitol attack on January 6 – after President Donald Trump’s baseless theories that he was victorious in the election – as Congress was certifying the results. The insurrection resulted in five deaths, and more than 100 arrests so far. 

Ahead of the inauguration, law enforcement has heightened security efforts to ensure safety and a seamless transition. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration rehearsal was postponed from Sunday to Monday. However, as Business Insider’s Mia Jankowicz reported, President-elect Joe Biden is all for the traditional ceremony in front of the Capitol. “I’m not afraid of taking the oath outside, and we’ve been getting briefed,” Biden said in a press conference. 

“We are a work in progress, but we cannot abandon the appreciation that we should all have for the traditions that are symbolic of our commitment to our democracy, which includes a peaceful transfer of power, which includes what we do to bring in one administration after another in a way that is about upholding basic standards, and in particular, those standards as outlined in the Constitution,” Harris told NPR. 

The inauguration is slated to be a hybrid of socially distanced in-person and virtual events and will include celebrity performances including Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and John Legend.

President Donald Trump is not expected to attend as he said, "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."

Read more:

Trump says he won't attend Biden's inauguration on January 20

Biden's inauguration day will be unlike any other in history. Here's what to expect.

The head of security for Biden's inauguration said he's confident in the event's safety and that it doesn't compare to the Capitol breach

Biden's presidential inauguration will include a virtual parade and a military escort to the White House

 

Read the original article on Business Insider