Massachusetts politicians took to social media Wednesday and said they breathed a collective sigh of relief as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in to the two highest offices in the country.
“Collective sigh of relief that we survived the abuses of the last four years. Now we enter a state of reflection and healing from the trauma caused by [President Donald] Trump, his lies, and disrespect,” Rep. Tami Gouveia (D-Acton) said on Twitter. “He wreaked havoc on our country and our democracy that will have repercussions for years to come. And much work remains.”
Biden and Harris assumed the presidency and vice presidency as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the nation, businesses remain shuttered, and political divides are clearly visible. Only two weeks ago, a mob loyal to Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to interrupt the counting of electoral votes.
“No kidding, @POTUS @JoeBiden just finished his inaugural address and I just breathed a giant sigh of relief,” Sen. Becca Rausch said.
On the same steps that Biden and Harris took their oath of office, law enforcement 14 days earlier used tear gas, flashbangs, and pepper spray to repel insurrectionists.
“Trump may be out of office, but what he represents is deeply embedded in our culture and psyche as a nation. We will have to do major work to repair and reconnect,” Rep. Liz Miranda (D-Roxbury) said on Twitter.
Harris made history Wednesday as the first Black American, first South Asian American, and first woman to serve as vice president of the United States.
“The first, not the last,” U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan said on Twitter.
And Trahan was not the only member of the Massachusetts delegation in Washington for the inauguration. Newly-minted U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss also watched the events live from the U.S. Capitol.
“Watching President Biden take the oath, it felt like a weight being lifted. I could breathe easier,” he said on social media.
State Treasurer Deb Goldberg said Harris and Biden can “begin the tough task of moving our country forward.”
“This is what democracy is about,” she said.
Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr congratulated Biden and Harris and said “the swearing-in of a president is always an important day in American history.”
“Today, we inaugurate a new president and vice president and I wish Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, our nation’s first woman and first Asian and African American to serve in that position, the very best in healing the divisions in our country and leading us to a state of good public health and greater prosperity,” the Gloucester Republican said in a statement.
Gov. Charlie Baker also took to social media Wednesday to congratulate Biden and Harris on their inauguration.
“We wish them and their families all the best, and look forward to partnering with the new administration on behalf of the people of Massachusetts,” he said.
Secretary of State Bill Galvin said civility between the two major political parties was on display Wednesday, adding that “we haven’t seen that now for four years.”
“For four years, everything has been veiled in this intense hostility, and just to have that common interest and common courtesy publicly displayed like that was the first sign that normal has returned,” he told the News Service. “It’ll be reassuring to the country and the world that there’s a sense of normalcy is returning.”
Former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney said Wednesday’s inauguration occurred at a difficult time for the nation and that he is praying “President Biden will call upon our better angels, uniting the nation at a time of division.”
“Despite the differences Americans may have on matters of policy, we share the common goal of ensuring that America continues to be a beacon of hope and freedom for all,” he said on social media.
For the past four years, Attorney General Maura Healey has brought legal challenges against the Trump administration, and on Tuesday joined a coalition of attorney generals who filed nine lawsuits against efforts by Trump to roll back environmental regulations.
Healey said Wednesday that she had filed “hundreds of comments, briefs, and lawsuits” over the course of the Trump presidency.
“AGs held the line,” she said on Twitter. “I never lost hope because I saw in my AGO colleagues what real public service looks like. We enforced the rule of law when no one else would. We fought for all people, not just the few.”
Former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, who was the first person of color elected as governor of Massachusetts, said he welled up watching Harris take the oath of office.
“Every time there is a milestone of this kind, I am reminded, indeed, I’m ever mindful of the journey of Black people in this country, especially Black women,” he said on Bloomberg TV. “And the affirmation that a milestone like this has about what is possible in America. What is different and unique and exceptional about America should not be missed, not just for Black and brown people or Asian Americans or women but for all Americans.”
Addressing his supporters as president for the last time at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump told them he “will always fight for you” and that that he would be watching and listening.
“We will be back in some form,” he said.
Trump added, “I wish the new administration great luck and success. I think they’ll have great success. They have the foundation to do something really spectacular.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 State House News Service.