Joe Biden swears the oath of office as the 46th President of the United States on the Capitol steps today.
Donald Trump will no longer be the "Commander-in-Chief" from 12 noon local time.
When I walk through Washington I feel like I'm in a war zone.
Soldiers with helmets and camouflage suits stand everywhere, holding semi-automatic rifles in their hands.
25,000 national guards guard the capital on the day of the inauguration.
It all seems gloomy.
Still, it's time for a little optimism.
America, this proud nation, is finally awakening from a four-year nightmare with the departure of Trump and the inauguration of Biden.
The change at the top may be a bitter hour for millions of Trump fans, but with Biden the United States has a real chance of a fresh start.
Nobody who is at ease should underestimate this country.
The big comeback is possible.
Abroad, people may shake their heads about the chaos during the storming of the Capitol, about the government's obvious failure in the fight against the corona pandemic.
But America is still a giant - and the country has always been able to reinvent itself after a crisis.
Joe Biden, the grandpa in the White House, shouldn't be underestimated either.
In the past few months he has made few mistakes on the way to power.
He has appointed ministers who not only embody the diversity of America, but who are all full-time political professionals.
Biden's deliberate manner may seem drowsy to many people, but after the hectic, headless rule of the Trump years, a "steady hand" in the White House is perhaps exactly what America needs.
The new president does not tweet himself, he watches little television and is generally reluctant to be driven by the hyper-fast "news cycle" of the US media.
Nocturnal surprise tweets in which ministers are fired or war threatened are certainly not to be expected from him.
Biden is also a philanthropist.
He stands for the exact opposite of Trump.
He has learned in his long political career that polarization never leads to anything good.
Unlike the previous president, he does not regard those who think differently politically as enemies per se.
With his balancing nature, he could ensure that the political climate in the USA is finally detoxified.
Trump's farewell
Donald Trump and his wife Melania did not want to receive the Bidens at the White House - as is usually the case with handovers.
You are already in Mar-a-Lago when the new residents arrive.
The new president is now greeted by the "Usher", a kind of head servant at the president's seat who takes care of the management of the presidential household.
The current Usher was personally hired by Trump, he previously worked at a Trump hotel.
The newspapers in the USA are full of curious details of what went on and on behind the scenes at the residence.
So you learn that Melania Trump has been eagerly packed for 14 days, she could hardly wait to say goodbye to the White House.
The private living quarters of the head of state in the White House will be deeply cleaned and disinfected for the new President and the new First Lady Jill Biden after the Trump move out.
A nice service when you consider that rental contracts for normal people usually only require a clean handover.
The Bidens receive new beds and mattresses at state expense, which is the standard procedure in the event of a change of government.
Because the Bidens - unlike the Trumps - sleep in one room and bed, only a new mattress is needed.
The handover of the atomic case, the so-called "football", is a little more complicated.
As is well known, the US President can use the equipment in this case to launch nuclear missiles in an emergency.
The leather bag, which is always carried by an officer, cannot just be handed over to the new president this time.
Because Trump will be in Florida before the Bidens' inauguration, the suitcase flies south with him.
The minute Biden takes the oath of office in front of the Capitol, the Trump codes switch off and a second suitcase with new codes is provided for Biden in Washington.
Trump, the next season is already in the works
The Trump presidency, in all its madness, has often been compared to a Netflix series.
The many plot twists, the constant change of plot and the expectation of the next catastrophe actually felt to me sometimes as if it was all made up by scriptwriters.
Unfortunately, it was very serious.
Series fans should still be told: There is still another season in the works, "The Impeachment".
The US Senate is expected to start the trial of Donald Trump soon, various witnesses are expected to appear, and Trump himself could be asked about his role in the events surrounding the storming of the Capitol.
Melania, Jared and Ivanka are probably there again, but as always in supporting roles.
Bad for Trump: The head of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has now declared that Trump "provoked" the storm.
This clear announcement suggests that McConnell and other Republicans might be willing to vote with the Democrats in favor of Trump's condemnation.
As a result, Trump could not only lose his pension entitlements and other privileges of ex-presidents such as free transport.
He is also threatened with the notorious ban on office, which means that he will never be allowed to run for president again.
Then hopefully this series will be canceled forever.
What is Fox News doing?
Speaking of television.
The TV channel Fox News gave Trump a big stage for four years.
Some critics like Chris Cuomo from the rival broadcaster CNN spoke disparagingly of state television because they uncritically trumpeted the greatest Trump nonsense on Fox News - not in all - but in many programs.
Most recently, Trump's lies about the allegedly stolen election were supported in several programs.
"We have the evidence. This fraud will continue and America is over for the next 20 years," rang the presenter and Trump friend Jeanine Pirro, who reaches an audience of millions.
Trump's lawyers like Rudy Giuliani or Sidney Powell were permanent guests at Fox and were allowed to spread their conspiracy theories.
However, anyone who expects those responsible at Fox News, namely the owner Rupert Murdoch, would now apologize or make some other apology, has made a mistake.
There is nothing to be seen or heard of apologies or even the slightest trace of guilty conscience.
Instead, one of the worst Trump propagandists in the station group, the presenter Maria Bartiromo, should even be promoted.
She may be scheduled to get a new prime-time "opinion show" on Fox News that early evening.
Our US stories of the week
I would like to recommend these two stories from our US team over the last few days:
Farewell letter to the US President: It's good we're rid of you, Mr Trump
Joe Biden's fight against his predecessor's legacy: demon Trump and his exorcist
Heartily
your
Roland Nelles
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His work attracts attention, his illustrations are world-famous: Edel Rodriguez's art can be seen again and again on SPIEGEL cover pictures, and he also drew the logo for this newsletter.
You can find an interview with the illustrator from 2017 here.
Photo: DER SPIEGEL
