Get an on the street look as to what the Inauguration of Joseph Biden looked land left like in Washington, DC on January 20, 2021. With the city in a lockdown by the military, the 46th President of the United States was sworn in during the smallest inauguration in modern history. Check out the video below to see the entire experience.
The best way to describe my experience covering this inauguration is EMPTY. I stayed at a hotel less than 1 mile from the Capitol Building which gave me the opportunity to walk to the proceedings. This is the 4th inauguration that I’ve covered during my career and it was by far the most eerie and alarming.
My first inauguration that I covered was Obama in 2009. That event was chillingly cold weather wise, but in every other way it was filled with massive crowds and a celebration by his supporters. 2013 for Obama was a far less celebratory affair with smaller crowds but no riots, no protests, and relatively no problems.
Trumps Inauguration in 2017 was filled with riots and protests from those who were upset at his election victory. Anti-Trump groups blocked Trump supporters from attending the Inauguration, and riots, fires and vandalism started in the streets in Washington, DC that night.
All of that pales in comparison to the absolutely eerie and in many ways scary feeling in Washington, DC in 2021 for Joe Biden. I walked the streets the night before to find the city in a complete military lockdown. I walked around for hours around the fencing that had been erected to block off access to the entire National Mall. I didn’t find or see a single Biden supporter. I also never saw a single Trump supporter that so many people in the Biden Administration were worried about.
All I saw was a MASSIVE military presence. 25,000 members of the National Guard. That was in addition to Secret Service, Capitol City Police, Customs and Border Patrol, The Park Service and more. The entire city was in complete lockdown with fully armed assault rifles. I’d only ever seen something like this in my visits to third world countries in airports and around embassies, but never to this degree. This was a very heart breaking thing to witness.
My goal with every inauguration that I’ve covered has been to show my fellow citizens what it’s like from the ground perspective to attend and witness the inauguration of our President. There are more than enough press getting the same shots of the President putting his hand on the Bible to take the oath. I’ve always wanted to show that it’s like for the normal people out there. This was the first time the National Mall was completely blocked off to citizens unless you had an in with a politician. It was surreal.
On inauguration morning the streets were completely empty. I walked from my hotel down Massachusetts Avenue and then to New Jersey Avenue towards the Capitol Building. Every street, every intersection, every alley way barricaded by huge military vehicles and guarded my military personnel. The only crowd I could find were full of members of the press. I got as close as any of us could to the Capitol Building near Union Station. That was the area where they were shuttling in dignitaries who were apparently important enough to be let inside.
Standing so close to the Capitol Building yet not being able to hear or see anything going on there was just….crazy. If it weren’t for the news you would have no clue that our country just inaugurated a new President. There were no speakers, no large screens, NOTHING. Nobody on the outside where I was located had any reaction to anything. In fact at 11:48am when Joe Biden was sworn in, there wasn’t a single person there who really even knew it happened. No clapping, no cheers, nothing. It was like it never happned.
They used two large buses to block off access to the Capitol Building from where we were standing. That was the closest any person could get. This was the area that saw the largest crowd of the day which was at best 200-300 people with the vast majority of them being photographers and members of the press. There were 3 Trump supporters who were there peacefully. And there were 3 Biden supporters who were also there peacefully. THAT WAS IT.
The only people causing any issues were the crazy “Homos to Hell,.” people (group of 3) who come to every inauguration I’ve ever documented seeking to stir up trouble. And they weren’t affiliated with either Trump or Biden supporters. They just love the attention they bring from provoking the crowds with insults.
At around 1pm everyone just kind of left. There were a small handful of vendors trying to sell Biiden/Harris beanies, hats and magazines, but there was really nobody there to buy them. It was so empty out there that I even passed a USPS delivery van that was parked on the side of the road and the mail delivery person had the door open just rocking out to music in his own world.
The entire experience seemed like a scene out of a dystopian movie. Odd, eerie, somber, and just sad. I’m very grateful that I was able to document this event and the other 3 that I’ve done. Handing power over to the person who becomes the most powerful person in the world is a very historic event. This one just felt like it never happened. I’m not a conspiracy theorist and I’m not saying it didn’t happen. I’m just saying if you were there on the streets with me and the other 250 people that gathered….we never knew it happened.
Below are some images taken during my two days covering this event. They blocked off the entire National Mall from January 19th through January 22nd. I truly hope future inaugurations will bring the freedom of access to myself and all fellow Americans. And I thank you for taking the time to read and watch the documentary that I created.
All images were taken using the Sony A6500 with the Tamron 17-70mm lens. I had my bigger cameras with me, but this bundle was more than enough for the small affair brought in our 46th President.