With the coronavirus pandemic curtailing the traditional presidential parade from the Capitol to the White House, the inauguration of President Biden replaced it with a made-for-screens montage of performers from all 56 states, territories and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, entered the White House for the first time as the first family shortly before 4 p.m., and the virtual “Parade Across America” has now kicked off.
The hour-long festivities are being hosted by Tony Goldwyn, who played the president on “Scandal,” and include an appearance by the former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, a reunion of the band The New Radicals, something called the Dance Across America and Nathan Apodaca, the Idaho man who went viral on TikTok this summer for skateboarding while drinking cranberry juice and listening to Fleetwood Mac.
Among the groups performing are a student equestrian team from Culver Academies in Indiana, the South Shore Drill Team from Chicago, the Kilgore College Rangerettes from Texas and Bango, the mascot of the Milwaukee Bucks pro basketball franchise. (Remember, the Democratic National Convention was supposed to take place in the Bucks’ arena.)
There will be a small group marching in Washington that will include drumlines from the alma maters of Mr. Biden (the University of Delaware) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Howard University). According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the virtual parade will include 1,391 participants, 95 horses and nine dogs.
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