Joe Biden sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America

Joe Biden has been sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America after taking his oath of office, taking over from Donald Trump.

The heavily scaled back inauguration which drew few crowds to Washington DC, the nation's capital was attended by almost every living former president, including George Bush and his wife, Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and his wife Mitchell Obama. Also in attendance are outgoing Vice president, Mike Pence, House Democrats and Republicans members - though Donald Trump decided to break precedent by missing the event.

Following his inauguration as US president, Biden, 78 became the oldest person to be sworn in as president.

In his inaugural speech, he swore to preserve, protect and defend America.

Just minutes before that, new Vice President Kamala Harris took her oath, too. She became the nation’s first Black and first Asian American vice-president. 

Biden took his oath by placing his hand atop a large, 19th-century Bible, a family heirloom accented with a Celtic cross and held by his wife, Jill Biden. Biden.

His friend and former president took to Twitter to congratulate him saying "This is your time"

Congratulations to my friend, President @JoeBiden! This is your time. pic.twitter.com/LXzxGnBAfz

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 20, 2021

Biden is expected to sign 15 executive orders, as well as a flurry of memorandums and decrees from the Oval Office, according to his top policy advisers.

He will immediately rejoin the Paris climate accords, end the effort to leave the World Health Organization, repeal a travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries, revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and extend a pause on student loan payments and a federal moratorium on evictions and foreclosures.

He will also send a sweeping immigration bill to Congress and impose a national mandate requiring mask wearing in federal buildings and interstate travel.

A veteran of Washington first elected to the Senate in 1972, where he served until becoming vice-president under Barack Obama in 2009, Biden enters the White House with one of the deepest résumés in American political history.