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Awkward moments inauguration8/30/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() That was Kennerly’s first “proper” inauguration, he said. “I became a private citizen the minute he was sworn in,” joked the former White House photographer. Kennerly vividly remembers the final East Portico ceremony, when Carter took the oath on 1977. Before that, the ceremony was held at the East Portico. Ronald Reagan was the first to be sworn in there, starting in 1981. It was more accessible to more people.”īiden is still expected to take the oath of office from the West Front of the US Capitol, where the public swearing-in ceremony usually takes place. “They wanted it because you could get more people to see it. They’d already made that decision,” Kennerly said. “People said that Reagan wanted a bigger venue, but he actually had nothing to do with it. It was the first one held on the West Front of the US Capitol. Reagan and his wife, Nancy, attend the inauguration on the West Front of the US Capitol in 1981. It's just beyond any kind of understanding for me. “You’re not going to have that show of unity because Trump has not conceded the election. ![]() “Every tradition is broken, including the peaceful transfer of power after what happened on January 6,” Kennerly said, referring to the pro-Trump rioters who breached the US Capitol last week. “The symbolism and the imagery of it is critical.”īut that has been marred by Trump’s persistent - and baseless - claims that the election was stolen from him. “It's a celebration of American democracy, it’s a celebration of how we peacefully transfer power,” he said. Trump’s post-election actions have frustrated Kennerly, who has covered 13 presidential campaigns and photographed many an inauguration. The parade has been a staple of inaugurations throughout the years, but there won’t be one this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, wave to the crowd as they ride down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade in 1981. Even Trump rode with Obama.”īut this will not be the case this year, as President Donald Trump has said he will not attend the inauguration of Joe Biden. “Harry Truman didn't like Eisenhower, but he rode up to the Hill with him. “Whether they liked each other or not, they would ride together for the show of unity,” said Kennerly, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who’s now a presidential scholar at the University of Arizona. This tradition, of the incoming president riding to Capitol Hill with the outgoing president, goes all the way back to the 19th century - although then it was a horse-drawn carriage instead of a bulletproof limo. Despite how depressing it was to lose that election - and I know it was for him - they still did the show.” “And the role is important for America, and (President Bush) knew that. “I can’t say they were glad to see (the Clintons) walk up the steps, but at least they played the role,” photographer David Hume Kennerly said. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush greet the Clintons as they arrive at the White House before Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. ![]()
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