The president-elect was aware that his victory in the 1960 election the previous November had been narrow (the popular-vote margin was two-tenths of 1 percent) and that his campaign had been characterized by generalities rather than specifics. He asked his confidant and advisor, Theodore Sorensen, to help him draft it. Kennedy began preparing his inaugural address in earnest in the closing weeks of his transition into office, in early January 1961. The speech’s main points were to encourage public service and provide an expansive foreign policy vision for Cold War America. Several phrases that appeared in the address entered into the national vocabulary. Kennedy’s speech was brief and thematic, using paradoxical turns of phrase that suggested poignancy and a new perspective on the meaning of political participation. Kennedy’s inaugural address on January 20, 1961, remains one of the most widely recognized examples of presidential oratory. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, JanuPrimary Source to cover President Kennedy’s inauguration and his approach to the United States’ relationship with the Soviet Union. He died a month later after catching pneumonia.Use this narrative with The Cuban Missile Crisis Narrative and the John F. Of note, the longest inaugural address was from William Henry Harrison in 1841, when he spoke for 1 hour and 45 minutes, the Encyclopedia Britannica reported. But still, some were surprised by how short his speech was after he was officially nominated. It wasn’t his official acceptance speech, which was scheduled for two days later. It means the world to me and my family and I’ll see you on Thursday. He simply said: “Well thank you very, very, much, from the bottom of my heart. In August 2020, Biden received a lot of attention when he delivered a very short acceptance speech of about 20 seconds in length at the Democratic National Convention after he was officially nominated. Incoming White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield told ABC’s This Week: “This will be a moment where President-elect Biden will really work to try to turn the page on the divisiveness and the hatred over the last four years and really lay out a positive, optimistic vision for the country, and … lay out a path forward that really calls on all of us to work together.” His speech will reach out to all Americans. The Wall Street Journal reported that Biden’s themes in his address will cover unity and recovery, and his advisers said his speech is expected to be 20 to 30 minutes in length, where he shares his “forward-looking vision” for his administration. This would put Biden’s Inauguration ceremony ending around 12:30 p.m. It’s likely that Biden will stick with tradition and also speak for about the same length of time as Obama. Similarly, both of President Barack Obama’s inaugural addresses were less than 20 minutes long. This is unusual, since Trump’s rally speeches tended to be closer to 90 minutes in length. In 2016, Trump’s speech was just under 20 minutes in length. Although there’s not a required minimum or maximum length for the speech, recent Inaugural speeches have been about 20 minutes long. Most Inaugural Addresses Are About 20 Minutes LongĪfter Biden is sworn in, he will then deliver an Inaugural address. In other words, it will take about an hour after the official Inauguration ceremony begins before Biden is sworn in as President. Central.) Then a benediction will end the ceremony.
After she is sworn in, Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States around 12 p.m. This will begin with an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the National Anthem, followed by a poetry reading and a musical performance.įollowing this, Harris will be sworn in as Vice President around 11:55 a.m. It’s expected that the Inauguration program itself will begin around 10:30-11:15 a.m. Eastern today, as is traditional for most of the recent inauguration ceremonies. In addition, Biden’s speech is likely to be only about 20 minutes long.īiden will be sworn in at around 12 p.m. What time does it end? The ceremony doesn’t last very long and most of the events will be completed by this afternoon. If you’re watching President-elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration ceremony today, you may be wondering just how long the ceremony lasts.