WASHINGTON -- Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., a son of an auto dealership manager, a longtime senator and a former vice president, was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States shortly before noon Eastern time on Wednesday.
"This is America's day. This is democracy's day. A day of history and hope," he said to open his speech, the last phrase taken from his favorite poem by Seamus Heaney (more below).
