A Capitol Police officer stands with members of the National Guard behind a crowd control fence surrounding Capitol Hill. By. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GETTY
The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, whose father is Jamaican and the first Black woman to be vice-president, will take place on Jan. 20 and members of the Virgin Islands National Guard will be there to provide added security.
During a phone interview with the Consortium, Virgin Islands National Guard Public Affairs Officer, Captain Marcia Bruno, said, “It is an extreme honor” to send troops to the ceremony. “The fact that we are still committed to travel to D.C. to complete the mission even though things are ramping up in those areas is a testament to us in the military.”
Capt. Bruno confirmed that the USVI National Guard will be in attendance and added that it is customary for all 50 states and territories to send members of the National Guard to the inauguration, adding that VING has sent troops to every inauguration.
However, Capt. Bruno also indicated that the inauguration of Mr. Biden will not be an average affair due to the current political climate on the mainland. On Jan. 6, Pro-Trump rioters interrupted Congress and broke into the U.S. Capital while they were certifying the Electoral College results of the recent presidential election. On Inauguration Day, there is an expectation that the added security will be up to the task of preventing such mayhem.
The event will take place on the West Front of the U.S Capitol around noon. The proceedings will include both Mr. Biden and Mrs. Harris taking the Oath of Office followed by an inaugural address.
NBC News reported on Jan. 12 that right-wing extremists have been using encrypted communication on the app Telegraph “to call for violence against government officials on Jan. 20.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, some 20,000 troops, some armed, will descend on Washington for the inauguration. National Guard Bureau Chief General Daniel Hokanson said that the troops will be there to help with “security, logistics, communications, and liaison missions.”
The president was impeached a second time Wednesday night by House Democrats who were joined by 10 Republicans. The impeachment article accuses Mr. Trump of inciting a riotous mob to storm the Capitol, which led to five deaths, including to Capitol police officers. Mr. Trump's fate now rests with the Senate, where at least 17 Republicans will need to join democrats to convict the president and remove him from the White House, and from ever running for elected office again.
