President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in January will be a “scaled-down” ceremony compared to previous years as the nation continues to struggle with the coronavirus, said incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain.
“I think it’s going to definitely have to be changed. We started some consultations with House and Senate leadership on that. Obviously, this is not going to be the same kind of inauguration we had in the past,” Klain said Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.”
He said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will follow safety precautions, including wearing masks and socially distancing, on Jan. 20.
“They’re going to try to have an inauguration that honors the importance and the symbolic meaning of the moment but also does not result in the spread of disease. That’s our goal,” he said.
He was asked by anchor George Stephanopoulos whether that means the absence of big crowds on the Mall and parades.
“I’m going to let those plans unfold in consultation with folks in the Capitol who organize that, with the experts who plan that,” Klain said. “You know, we ran a very effective and I think engaging Democratic convention this year in August, in a way that was safe for the people to participate and watch it in a way that communicates with the American people.”
“You know, I think we’ll have some mix of those techniques, some mix of, you know, scaled-down versions of the existing traditions,” he added.
At the same time, Klain said he doesn’t want to put a damper on people celebrating the Biden presidency as they did by dancing in the streets when Biden and Harris were declared winners of the election on Nov. 7 after Pennsylvania’s results sealed his Electoral College victory.
“We know people want to celebrate. There is something here to celebrate. We just want to try to find a way to do it as safely as possible,” he said.