Joe Biden was sworn in just before noon on Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States, in an inauguration ceremony unlike any other.

Why it matters: The 78-year-old Democrat assumes the presidency at a fraught moment for the country, which remains polarized and in the grips of a coronavirus crisis that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.

• The inauguration took place on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where just two weeks earlier a pro-Trump mob staged a deadly riot to disrupt the certification of Biden's victory.
• Former President Trump did not attend the ceremony. He departed Washington on Air Force One for the last time on Wednesday morning, heading to Florida as he awaits a post-presidency impeachment trial on charges of "inciting an insurrection."

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