Joe Biden is set to become the nation’s 46th president today. He is slated to take the oath of office around noon, which is when Donald Trump’s term as president ends. Sign up for CNBC Pro to stream the inauguration with commentary: http://cnb.cx/3iC88Vl

Set against a backdrop of a locked-down Washington, D.C., and a socially distanced ceremony, Biden, in his inaugural address, is expected to plead for national unity as political, economic and health care crises grip the nation. He will take over the presidency two weeks after a deadly pro-Trump riot at Capitol Hill and as deaths from Covid-19 continue to surge. Since the pandemic began early last year, the disease has killed more than 400,000 people in the United States.

Kamala Harris will make history as the country’s first Black, female and South Asian vice president.

The first members of Biden’s Cabinet are slated to be sworn in over the next few days, as well, including Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary. Biden’s Democratic Party, likewise, will assume a bare majority in the Senate after three new lawmakers – Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, and Alex Padilla of California – also take their oaths of office.

» Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision
» Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC
» Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic

Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide.

Connect with CNBC News Online
Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/
Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC
Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC

#CNBC
#CNBCTV
WATCH LIVE: The presidential inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — 1/20/21