"Top 2 Power Successors Both Women"... First Ever Female Vice President and Speaker of the House in One Place

Scenes from Biden's First U.S. Congressional Speech Since Inauguration
CNN: "A Symbolic Image of Women Being First and Second in Line for Power Succession"
Attendance Greatly Limited Due to COVID-19... Tight Security Around the Capitol

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] President Joe Biden's address to Congress on the 28th (local time), held one day before his 100th day in office, showed significant differences compared to previous presidents' speeches. Historically, presidents delivered their addresses weeks after inauguration, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this speech was timed to coincide with the 100th day. The pandemic also restricted the attendance of both lawmakers and audience members. While typically around 1,600 people attend, this year attendance was limited to 200.

As a result, most government cabinet members and White House staff were unable to attend. Traditionally, all cabinet members attend the presidential address to Congress, and a designated survivor is appointed to relocate to another location to watch the speech remotely in case of emergencies. However, this designated survivor practice was absent from this speech.

First Lady Jill Biden meets via video call with guests invited to President Biden's congressional speech
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Additionally, presidents often invite symbolic figures as special guests to emphasize their policy agenda during the address, seating them in the chamber. Due to COVID-19, these guests could not be invited in person. Instead, the White House invited five individuals separately to watch the speech via video conference.

The five guests invited included Javier Quiros Castro, a Mexican immigrant and recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who currently works as a nurse; Stella Keating, the first transgender youth to publicly testify in the Senate on LGBTQ rights; and Tatiana Washington, a gun violence prevention advocate from Wisconsin whose aunt died in a domestic violence incident.

The Washington Post (WP) reported, "The guests invited by First Lady Jill Biden represent key issues of the Biden administration, from immigration to gun control."

Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (second from left) [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Most notably, the highlight of this congressional address was the presence of the Vice President and the Speaker of the House seated behind President Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as the President of the Senate by virtue of her office, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat behind the president, marking the first time in history that two women occupied these seats during a presidential address to Congress.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain commented, "It has been 14 years since the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, attended a presidential address in 2007, and now both seats are filled by women." CNN described the speech as "truly historic," noting that it symbolized women holding the first and second positions in the presidential line of succession.

Another aspect of this address was the heightened security following the unprecedented Capitol breach in January. Steel fences were installed around the Capitol building, and all roads surrounding the Capitol were closed two hours before the speech began.

Furthermore, the National Guard was deployed to the Capitol building after the breach. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), while about 100 National Guard members were deployed during former President Donald Trump's address last year, this speech saw approximately 2,600 National Guard personnel deployed?26 times more than the previous year.

On the 28th (local time), ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's congressional address, he is seen moving toward the Capitol under tight security.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]