Joe Biden's forward-looking inaugural speech to be themed around unity

Joe Biden, in his maiden address to the nation soon after being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, would deliver a forward-looking speech built around the theme of unity, advisors close to the President-elect said.

According to the advisors, in his first moments after being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts after the clock strikes 12 noon (local time) at the West Front of the Capitol, Biden will speak about the need to bring the country together during an unprecedented moment of crisis.

He will reach out to all Americans, and call on every citizen to be part of meeting the extraordinary challenges facing fellow Americans, his advisors said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.

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Biden’s “remarks will be a forward-looking vision for his presidency while addressing the moment we are living in as a country. The speech is built around the theme of unity,” said the advisors who were not authorized to speak to the press.

The speech is likely to last between 20 and 30 minutes. The theme of the speech is America United.

“As the President-elect would often say on the campaign trail, there is nothing this country cannot do when we do it together,” the advisors said.

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Notably, Biden’s speech writer is Indian American Vinay Reddy. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, Reddy was the chief speech writer to Biden during his second term as the vice president of the US from 2013 to 2017. He is the first ever Indian American to be appointed as a presidential speech writer.

According to The Wall Street Journal, people familiar with his plans said Biden has been drafting the speech since the start of his presidential transition in November. Aides have said his speech will be in keeping with the major themes of his campaign, including unity, bipartisanship and optimism, the daily noted.

“He wants to use the moment to call Americans to unity,” incoming White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.