'I will fight for all Americans': full text of Biden's inaugural speech

Joe Biden officially became the 46th President of the United States. We are publishing a translation of his inaugural speech into Russian. Recall that ForumDaily leads text broadcast of the inauguration: news is constantly updated.

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“Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans: This is America's day. This is a day of democracy, a day of history and hope, a day of renewal and determination through centuries of hardship. America faced new challenges, and America rose to fight.

Today we celebrate the triumph not of the candidate, but of the deeds. Democracy affairs. The people, the will of the people was heard, and the will of the people was recognized. We have learned again that democracy is priceless. Democracy is fragile. And during this time, my friends, democracy triumphed.

Therefore, now in this sacred land, where only a few days ago violence sought to shake the very foundation of the Capitol, we have gathered as one nation, under God, indivisible, to effect a peaceful transfer of power, as it was more than two centuries ago.

Looking forward on our unique American path, we are restless, courageous, optimistic and determined to be the nation we know we can and should be.

I thank my predecessors on both sides for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know the stability of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, just like President Carter, with whom I spoke last night and who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for serving us all his life.

I have just made a sacred oath to each of these patriots. An oath first taken by George Washington. But American history does not depend on any of us, but on all of us. From us people who are looking for a better union.

This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries we have been through the storm, we have come this far. But we still have a lot to go.

We will move forward with speed and urgency, because we have a lot to do in this winter of danger and significant opportunity. Much needs to be repaired, a lot to be restored, many to be cured, a lot to build and a lot to achieve.

Few peoples in world history have faced and faced such challenges in times like us. A virus that harms entire countries. In one year, he took as many lives as America lost in the entire Second World War. Millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of businesses have closed, and 400 years of pursuit of racial justice is pushing us forward. The dream of justice for all is no longer delayed. The cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that couldn't be more desperate or clearer. And the rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and that we will defeat.

It takes more than words to rebuild the soul and secure America's future. This requires precisely the elusive of all that is in democracy: unity.

Another January, New Year's Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. As he put pen to paper, the President said, “If my name ever goes down in history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul will be in it.” My whole soul today is this: to unite America, to unite our people, to unite our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Unite to fight the enemies we face: anger, resentment and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, unemployment and hopelessness. By uniting, we can do great things, important things. We can fix the mistakes. We can make people do good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome a deadly virus. We can reward jobs and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare safe for everyone. We can ensure racial justice and we can make America again the leading force for good in the world.

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I know that these days, talk of unity may sound like a silly fantasy to some. I know that the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know that they are not new. Our history is a constant struggle between the American ideal, that we are all created equal, and the harsh, ugly reality, the racism, the nativism, the fear, the demonization that has long torn us apart.

This struggle is eternal and victory is never guaranteed. Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, the World War, 11/XNUMX, through struggle, sacrifice, and failure, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry us all forward. And we can do it now. History, faith and reason point the way to unity. We can see each other not as enemies, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the screaming and lower the temperature. For without unity there is no peace, only bitterness and rage. No progress, just debilitating resentment. There is no nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the way forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do this, I guarantee we won't lose. We have never, never, never failed in America when we acted together.

So today, at this time, in this place, let us all start over. Let's start listening to each other again.

Listen to each other. See each other. Show respect for each other. Politics should not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Any disagreement should not be the cause of all-out war. And we must reject a culture in which the very facts are manipulated and even fabricated.

My fellow Americans, we must be different from this. America should be better than this. And I believe America is much better. Just look around. Here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome, as mentioned earlier, completed against the backdrop of the Civil War, when the union itself literally hung in the balance. And yet we survived. We won.

Here we stand and look at the National Mall, where Dr. King talked about his dream. Here we stand where 108 years ago, at another inauguration, thousands of protesters tried to block the brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we celebrate the swearing-in of the first ever female vice president, Kamala Harris. Don't tell me that nothing can change!

Here we stand opposite the Potomac, opposite Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who have given their last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. And here we are standing literally a few days after the rebellious crowd thought that they could use violence to silence the will of the people, stop the work of our democracy, drive us out of this sacred land. That did not happen. This will never happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never. Never!

Photo: video frame YouTube / FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul

To everyone who supported our campaign, I humbly express your faith in us. Let me say this to all those who did not support us. Hear me out as we move forward. Measure me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. This is democracy. This is America. The right to peaceful dissent as our republic's guard is perhaps our nation's greatest strength. However, having heard me clearly, differences should not lead to disunity.

And I swear to you that I will become the president of all Americans. For all Americans.

And I promise that I will fight for those who did not support me, just as hard as those who supported me.

Centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people is a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects that we as Americans love that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, safety, freedom, dignity, respect, honor, truth. The past weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and lies. Lies told for power and profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders who have made a commitment to respect our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat lies.

Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans look to the future with fear and trepidation. I understand that they are worried about their jobs. I realize that they, like my father, are lying in bed, staring at the ceiling at night and asking, can I stay healthy? Can I pay my mortgage bill? As I think about their families and what happens next, I promise you, I understand. But the answer is not to close yourself off, to retreat into competing factions, to distrust those who are not like you - or similar, or do not get their news from the same source as you.

We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservatism versus liberality. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we are willing to take the place of another. My mom used to say, "For a minute, step into other people's shoes." Because this is the essence of life: there is no consideration of what fate will do to you. There are days when you need help, there are days when we are encouraged to lend a helping hand. It should be so. This is what we do for each other. And if we are like that, then our country will be stronger, it will prosper, it will be ready for the future. And we can still disagree.

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My fellow Americans, in the work that lies ahead, we will need each other. We need all our strength to endure this dark winter. We are entering what could be a difficult and deadly period of the virus. We must put politics aside and finally face this pandemic as one nation. As a united nation. And I promise you this, as the Bible says, “Weeping may last all night, but joy comes in the morning.” We will get through this together! Together!

Look, friends, all of my colleagues with whom I served in the House and Senate, we all understand that the world is looking, looking at all of us today. So here's my message to those outside our borders: America has passed the tests, and we have emerged stronger from them. We will rebuild our alliances and interact with the world again. Not to meet yesterday's challenges, but for today's and tomorrow's challenges. And we will lead not only by the example of our strength, but also by the strength of our example. We will be a strong and reliable partner for peace, progress and security.

Look, you all know we've been through a lot in this country. And in my first speech as president, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer, to remember all those whom we lost this year due to the pandemic, those 400 Americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons , daughters, friends, neighbors and colleagues. We will honor their memory by becoming the people and nation that we know we can and should be. Therefore, I ask you, let us say a silent prayer for those who gave their lives and those who no longer exist, and for our country. Amen.

Friends, now is the time of testing. We are facing an attack on our democracy and truth, a furious virus, growing inequality, the sting of systemic racism, the climate crisis. America's role in the world. Any of the above will be enough to challenge us, but the fact is that we face all of this at the same time, placing on the nation one of the most serious responsibilities we have had. Now we will be tested.

We're going to take a step forward. It's time for courage, because there is so much to do. And that's true. I promise you, we will be judged, you and I, after we have dealt with these cascading crises of our era. The question is, will we rise up to the challenge, will we cope with this rare and difficult time? Will we fulfill our obligations and pass on a new, better world to our children? I think we should. I'm sure you do too. I believe this will happen. And when we do that, we will write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, American history. A story that can sound like a song that means a lot to me. It's called "American Anthem." And one verse that I want to highlight is: “The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day. What will be our legacy? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are done. America, America, I gave you everything I could."

Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are gone, our children and our children's children will say of us: “They gave their all, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.”

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My fellow Americans, I end today where I started, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word. I will always be on an equal footing with you. I will defend the Constitution. I will defend our democracy. I will defend America. And I will give everyone, all of you, to preserve everything I do in your service, thinking not about power, but about opportunity. Not about personal interests, but about the public good. And together, we will write an American story of hope, not fear, unity, not division, strength, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness.

Let this be the story that guides us. A story that inspires us and a story that tells about how we responded to a historical challenge, how we met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die in our day, but flourish for America to secure freedom at home and become a beacon for the world again. This is what we owe to our ancestors, to each other and to future generations.

So, with purpose and determination, we face the challenges of our time, supported by faith, driven by conviction, and committed to each other and to the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America."

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