Joe Biden Inauguration – President’s grandson Beau steals show as UK PM Boris Johnson hails ‘fantastic’ new POTUS

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

With the Biden presidency now underway, we're concluding our inauguration live blog.

You can follow our other live blogs on the day's news here.

See you in four years!

IN PICTURES - THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT ATTEND A VIRTUAL INAUGURAL PRAYER SERVICE THIS MORNING

BIDEN INAUGURATION A 'FANTASTIC THING AFTER BUMPY PERIOD', SAYS PM

The inauguration of President Biden is a "fantastic thing for America after a bumpy period", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Speaking after the inauguration ceremony, Johnson said: "Obviously it's the job of all UK prime ministers to have a very close relationship - close working relationship - with the president of the United States.

"And actually when you look at the issues that unite me and Joe Biden - the UK and the United States - right now, there's a fantastic joint common agenda.

"I really congratulate Joe and Kamala Harris on their achievement, on their inauguration today. It's a fantastic thing for America, it's a step forward for the country, it's been through a bumpy period.

"And for us and America, it's a big moment. We've got things we want to do together."

WHAT WILL BIDEN DO WITH HIS NEXT EXECUTIVE ORDERS?

Joe Biden spent the first hours of his presidency signing 15 executive orders overturning Trump-era programmes, with more expected in the coming days.

He is expected to sign orders related to the coronavirus pandemic today and economic support on Friday, according to the Washington Post.

On Monday, he will reportedly sign an order increasing requirements on government bodies to buy goods and services from American companies.

He will then sign orders related to racial equity on Tuesday, the climate on Wednesday, healthcare on Thursday, and immigration on Friday.

EXPLAINER - WHO IS KAMALA HARRIS' SISTER MAYA HARRIS?

Maya Lakshmi Harris is a lawyer, public policy advocate, and writer and the youngest daughter of  Shyamala Gopalan and Donald J. Harris.

In 2015, she was appointed as one of three senior policy advisers to lead the policy agenda for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

She is the younger sister of Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States.

Maya, 53, was also a political and legal analyst for MSNBC and served as chairwoman for her sister's 2020 campaign for president.

Harris received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 2006, and her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 2012.

She was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and Montreal, Quebec.

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The former Senator for California made history by becoming the first woman, as well as the first black and South Asian woman to hold the vice-presidency.

Harris wore a regal purple outfit produced by black fashion designers Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson.

In American politics, the colour purple is seen as a sign of bipartisanship as it’s a mix of the Republican red and the Democratic blue.

It's not the first time the hit animated comedy is believed to have made "predictions" about the future.

Fans joked the series predicted the UK's tiered lockdown by comparing it to the huge glass-dome prison that covered Springfield in The Simpsons Movie.

SIMPSONS FANS BELIEVE KAMALA HARRIS INAUGURATION OUTFIT WAS 'PREDICTED' BY PRESIDENT LISA

Simpsons fans are joking the series predicted Kamala Harris' inauguration day ensemble as Lisa's purple suit and pearls look strikingly similar.

In the episode Bart to the Future, the cartoon character is president of the US and claims the country inherited "quite a budget crunch" from former president Donald Trump.

Fans have noticed that Kamala Harris' ensemble is almost identical to Lisa's attire.

In the episode, which was first aired in 2000, Lisa wears a purple suit and a pearl necklace.

The vice president donned a purple outfit and matched it with black heels and a pearl necklace at the inauguration ceremony held at the Capitol yesterday.

OBAMA, BUSH, AND CLINTON URGE UNITY

Former president Barack Obama, George Bush, and Bill Clinton have released a video message to urge unity after Joe Biden's inauguration.

The three are seen stood together at a memorial in Washington, DC.

Obama is : "We have got to not just listen to folks we agree with, but listen to folks we don't.

"One of my fondest memories of the inauguration, was the grace and generosity that President Bush showed me, and Laura Bush showed Michelle."

Bush added: "I think the fact that the three of us are standing here talking about a peaceful transfer of power speaks to the institutional integrity of our country. Mr. President, I'm pulling for your success."

BIDEN DANCES WITH GRANDSON

Video shows President Biden dancing with his grandson Beau at last night's inaugural celebration at the White House.

Eight-month-old Beau is the child of Biden's son Hunter.

He is named after Biden's other son, Joseph "Beau" Biden III, who died from glioblastoma in 2015.

Biden was seen holding the infant while watching a remote performance by Demi Lovato of Bill Withers' Lovely Day.

'WE WANT TO EXPAND PEACE WITH ARAB WORLD', SAYS NETANYAHU

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he hopes to work with the Biden administration to "continue expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world".

It comes after Israel last year signed agreements to normalise relations with the UAE, Morocco, Sudan, and Bahrain.

Speaking in a video message, Netanyahu said: "Congratulations President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on your historic inauguration.

"President Biden, you and I have had a warm personal friendship going back many decades.

"I look forward to working with you... to continue expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world and to confront common challenges."

HOW DOES BIDEN'S USE OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS COMPARE TO PAST PRESIDENTS?

Biden spent his first hours as president signing 15 executive orders to overturn a number of Trump-era policies.

Executive orders can be used by presidents to dictate - within limits - how a certain law should be enforced.

Biden has made heavy use of the orders just in the first 24 hours of his term.

In his first two weeks in office, President Trump signed eight, while President Obama signed nine.

George W Bush and Bill Clinton signed two and three orders in their first fortnight respectively.

WORLD 'MUST RAISE AMBITION ON CLIMATE CHANGE', SAYS KERRY

The world has to "raise its ambition" if it is to properly tackle climate change, new climate envoy John Kerry has said.

Writing on twitter, Kerry, who previously served as Secretary of State, said: "Today, rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, restoring America’s credibility and commitment — setting a floor, not a ceiling, for our climate leadership.

"Working together, the world must and will raise ambition. It’s time to get to work - the road to Glasgow begins here."

This November, Glasgow will host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, with the parties of the Paris Agreement expected to enhance their commitments for the first time since the original accord.

IN PICTURES - TRUMP SUPPORTERS WAIT TO GREET HIM NEAR HIS MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE IN FLORIDA YESTERDAY

TRUMP 'PUT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AT RISK', SAYS SPANISH PM

Donald Trump put American democracy at risk, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has said.

Speaking after the inauguration of President Biden, Sanchez said: "Some years ago, some may have thought Trump was a bad joke.

"But now, five years later, we have realised he has put at risk nothing less and nothing more than the most powerful democracy in the world."

PRESS SEC PLEDGES 'TRUTH AND TRANSPARENCY'

New White House press secretary Jen Psaki has pledged to "bring truth and transparency back" to press briefings.

Speaking at her first briefing, Psaki said: "When the president asked me to serve in this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room.

"There will be times when we seen things different in this room, among all of us. That's okay, that's part of our democracy.

"And rebuilding trust with the American people will be central to our focus in the press office and in the White House every single day."

JOE BIDEN'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS...

• blocked the deportation of Liberians who had been in the US for "many years"
• directed officials to interpret the Civil Rights Act as outlawing workplace discrimination based on gender, race, and other aspects of personal identity
• introduced an “ethics pledge” that will bar executive appointees acting out of personal interest
• reversed a number of Trump-era orders related to “regulatory process”
• committed the administration to “embedding equity across federal policymaking and rooting out systemic racism and other barriers to opportunity from federal programs and institutions”.

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JOE BIDEN'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS...

• overturned a Trump order excluding undocumented migrants from the census
• directed officials to “preserve and fortify” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, intended to protect the rights of undocumented people brought to the US as children
• repealed restrictions on entry to the US from a number of Muslim-majority countries
• directed agencies to end the "harsh and extreme enforcement" of immigration policy under the Trump administration
• paused the building of the wall on the Mexican border

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WHAT EXECUTIVE ORDERS HAS JOE BIDEN SIGNED?

Joe Biden spent his first hours in office signing 17 executive orders and other actions overturning a number of Trump-era policies. The orders...

• mandated mask-wearing and social distancing on federal property
• launched the "100 Days Masking Challenge" urging American to wear masks
• reversed the US withdrawal from the World Health Organisation
• re-established a number of government positions related to pandemic response
• extended a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the pandemic
• extended a pause on student loan repayments
• re-entered the United States into the Paris Climate Agreement

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REJOINING PARIS ACCORD 'HUGELY POSITIVE' NEWS, SAYS PM

Joe Biden's decision to recommit the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement is "hugely positive news", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

Writing on twitter this morning, he said: "President rejoining the Paris Agreement is hugely positive news.

"In the year we host in Glasgow, I look forward to working with our US partners to do all we can to safeguard our planet."

BIDEN HAILS RETURN TO PARIS ACCORD

President Biden has hailed the return of the United States' to the Paris Climate Agreement.

Following his election win, Biden vowed to rejoin the agreement on his first day in office, and yesterday signed an executive order to bring it back into force.

The agreement, signed in 2015, pledged the vast majority of countries around the world to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

President Trump announced the withdrawal of the US in June 2017, claiming the agreement had been "very unfair at the highest level to the United States".

A post from Biden's twitter account this morning read: "We're back in the Paris Climate Agreement."

'EUROPE HAS A FRIEND IN THE WHITE HOUSE', SAYS EU COMMISSIONER

Europe has a friend in the White House again, European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen has said.

Speaking in the European parliament, she said: "Once again, after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House.

"This new dawn in America is the moment we've been waiting for so long.

"Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner."

POLICE AND PROTESTERS CLASH IN PORTLAND

Police and protesters clashed last night during a demonstration calling for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the federal agency tasked with enforcing immigration policy and preventing illegal immigration into the United States.

It has faced particular criticism over the separation of children from their families in detention centres at the Mexican border.

Around 100 protesters began a march towards an ICE facility at around 9pm, but police deployed tear gas after the assembly was declared unlawful at around 9pm.

At least one person was reportedly arrested.

CHINA BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR NEW ADMINISTRATION, SAYS GERMANY

China will remain the biggest foreign policy challenge for the Biden administration, the German foreign minister has said.

Speaking following yesterday's inauguration, Heiko Maas said: "The new US President will certainly continue to consider the foremost challenge for US foreign and security policy.

"In this area, there are issues on which we should co-operate more closely. We stand ready to do so."

PARTING WORDS

 Joe Biden said that his predecessor Donald Trump wrote him a "very generous" letter and that he will speak to the former president.

Biden informed reporters at  about the letter after reports that  left the note for him as he departed for the final time as the country's leader.

"The president wrote a very generous letter," .

“Because it was private, I won’t talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous.”

Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki in her first briefing on Wednesday said of Trump's letter: "It was both generous and gracious."

YOU'RE FIRED?

President Joe Biden warned incoming aides on Wednesday if they treat anyone with disrespect he'll fire "them on the spot."

During the virtual ceremony in the White House's State Dining Room, Biden said: "I'm not joking when I say this. If you're ever working with me - and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone - I promise you I will fire you on the spot.

"On the spot. No ifs, ands, or buts. Everybody, everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity. That's been missing in a big way in the last four years.

"Cathy's gone through all your backgrounds, talked to me about you. I'm confident you have the capacity to do it."

Biden addressed his virtual tough-guy talk to nearly 1,000 appointees.