Sighs of relief accompany a sense of unease as Biden era dawns, Trump departs D.C.

However, Trump is leaving Washington in high-alert paralysis just two weeks after an angry mob of supporters stormed Capitol Hill and terrorized members of Congress.

Instead of flag-waving crowds and gala balls, inauguration day is playing out behind a gauntlet of National Guard troops in the centre of a largely deserted, locked-down city.

Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., will be among the comparatively small number of people attending the ceremony in person.

“I’m actually not nervous, because I have seen first-hand all of the strong security presence throughout downtown D.C.,” Hillman said in an interview.

“I’m feeling quite confident that it’s going to be safe.”

The fact that safety is even a question at a U.S. presidential inauguration is remarkable in itself. But the Jan. 6 siege at the Capitol changed everything — including confidence in the National Guard.

The FBI has been working to vet all 25,000 Guard members deployed in Washington, worried about the potential for an insider attack or other threat.

So far, 12 members have been removed from their D.C. assignment, including two who reportedly made extremist posts or texts in reference to the inauguration. There were no specific threats to Biden.

Guard members have been a fixture in the city for weeks, gradually expanding a rigid security perimeter that now encircles virtually the entire downtown core.

Unscalable two-metre fences, some of them topped with razor wire, line block after block, with streets closed off by concrete barriers, troop transports and Humvees.

For Hillman, all of it provides a pointed reminder that democracies shouldn’t be taken for granted.

“We should all celebrate our democracies, often and heartily — in my view, I think we take them for granted a little more than we should sometimes,” she said.

The fact that Congress persevered the night of Jan. 6 and ultimately finished the job of certifying Biden’s election win was a testament to the country’s enduring spirit, she said.

“No matter what the challenges … people are going to make this work because it is fundamental to their democracy. So, I think you can turn it around and see it as a real testament to the strength of institutions that have been severely tested.”

Hillman herself may already face a severe test of her own.

As one of his first actions in the White House, Biden is expected to sign an executive order rescinding Trump’s presidential permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Advocates for the project, however, are clinging to hope that the ensuing outcry — the Alberta government is already threatening legal action — will prompt the Biden team to have second thoughts.

Either way, Hillman is sanguine about a new era in Canada-U.S. relations getting off to an awkward start.

“It’s important for us to be able to have a robust and mature relationship with the United States,” she said.

“A robust, mature, and close relationship is one where you can have disagreements, and you can have them in the strongest possible terms, and you can move on, and not let those disagreements derail the entire relationship.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021.

— With files from The Associated Press

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Sighs of relief accompany a sense of unease as Biden era dawns, Trump departs D.C.

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