Biden makes his return to Washington area on eve of inauguration, set to lead divided nation in throes of pandemic

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland (AP) — Joe Biden is making his return to the Washington area on the eve of his inauguration as the nation’s 46th president.

Biden touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, taking a brief flight from his home state of Delaware down to the District of Columbia. In contrast to his predecessor, Biden flew on a chartered plane. President Donald Trump arrived at the base in 2017 on a government plane.

Biden’s decision to fly came as a response to growing security concerns surrounding his inauguration. The Democrat had originally planned to travel to Washington by Amtrak, which he rode to and from Washington throughout his Senate career, but the option was scrapped amid threats of violence against the president-elect.

Biden is slated to deliver remarks with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at a Covid-19 memorial later Tuesday, before spending the night at Blair House, the president’s official guesthouse.

He will be inaugurated on Wednesday.