Joe Biden and Lady Gaga on 2nd of November, 2020 at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo by=Drew Angerer/ Getty Images North America/AFP) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez are to perform at the inauguration ceremony for incoming US President Joe Biden. She will sing the national anthem at the ceremony on 20 January. Lopez, who also endorsed Mr. Biden last year, will give a separate musical performance.
After the ceremony, Tom Hanks will host a star-studded televised special. Titled Celebrating America, the 90-minute prime-time program will also feature US musicians Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, and Ant Clemons, and will be broadcast live by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and MSNBC. Mr. Biden's inaugural committee said it would "celebrate the beginning of a new national journey toward an America united" and "showcase the American people's resilience, heroism, and a unified commitment to coming together as a nation to heal and rebuild".
When Mr. Biden is sworn in, Washington DC will still be under a state of emergency after a mob stormed the Capitol on 6 January. Around 10,000 National Guard troops will be in the city and about 5,000 on standby. Otherwise, the ceremony's attendance will be "extremely limited" in line with social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Biden team, which has urged Americans to avoid traveling to the capital. Donald Trump will avoid it after disputing the election result and the first president to skip his successor’s inauguration since 1869.