Will Joe be able to take the oath on 20 Jan 2021?

Lovers of spirited democracy all over the world are a worried lot these days. Their concern is for a new leader, new regime, thus a new value system to be hopefully heralded on 20th January 2021, Venue: Washington DC. However, the Shakespearean dilemma of “to be or not to be” is still hanging in the air, thanks to the continuous tirade unleashed by the lovers of Trump-brand democracy and Donald Trump himself. 

The President-elect Joe Biden has already secured enough strength and is all set to take off. The date for oath-taking ceremony had been set by the 20th Constitutional amendment long ago. It is the 20th day of January the next year after the polls. This date cannot be changed unless, of course, it falls on a Sunday. If so, it should be the next day the 21st. But 20th January next year falls on Wednesday. So no force on earth can change this, at least this is the feeling one gets. But here is a force in the garb of Trump that does not believe nor practice – both the written and unwritten rules and values of democracy! He has already thrown a spanner in the process of transferring of power from him to Joe.

Yes, Joe Biden has already initiated steps in the direction of forming his own team. But the continuous rhetoric by Trump and his followers has already set an uncertain scene in motion wherein everyone sitting on the other side of the fence is made to feel that the days ahead are not going to unroll a red carpet for Joe. 

Why is Trump bent upon creating trouble? Does he really believe that he “won” the election? Does he sincerely feel that there had been some fraud in the voting? Simply speaking he does not believe in any of his own words. For him “words” spoken by him in his defence are weapons against his foes. He wants these words to reduce his political enemies into ashes. However, unfortunately for him it’s not going to happen. 

Therefore, he now believes and hopes that Amy Barrett, the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, would wriggle him out of his own abyss created by his helplessness at the hustings. Remember, only three weeks ago that Amy, who could not clearly spell out the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, took the oath thanks to the selection by Trump himself. He knew clearly that he had no moral authority to pick a person of his choice for the most important post in the Supreme Court, more so the polling date was only a few days away. Still he bestowed the most coveted post to her. But can she put the process of law backwards and put Trump back on the wheels again? No, it’s not in her hands. 

Trump may have picked up Amy, but not the other legal luminaries who in all likelihood would defend the spirit of free democracy and fair judiciary! So Joe will take over on 20th Jan 2021 as the next President of the US, come what may!

Also Read: How should India look at Biden?