president joe bidens motorcade through a window

A capital at a standstill celebrates an inauguration unlike any other

Guarded, silent, and rattled, photos show downtown Washington, D.C. as it experiences a presidential transition unlike any other in recent history.

January 20, 2021: President Joe Biden's motorcade makes its way up 15th Street towards the White House on inaguration day. The 46th president of the United States was sworn in shortly before noon, at a ceremony that was smaller and quieter than previous years due to the coronavirus pandemic and security threats.

Photograph by NINA BERMAN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Photographs byNina Berman, Andrea Bruce, David Guttenfelder, John Stanmeyer, and Stephen Wilkes
January 18, 2021
15 min read

Emptied of people. Emptied of vehicles.

In the days leading up to the inauguration of President Joe Biden, perimeters of fences, weapons, soldiers, and heavily armed police blocked off chunks of Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol, where the event was to take place. Authorities vowed there would be no threat from the violent mob that breached the building on January 6 trying to stop the certification of November's election.

In recent days, our photographers have covered this eerie quiet in Washington, as governors of other states also deployed their National Guards to defend their Statehouses from attack.

a person with an American Flag pattern top hat

January 20, 2021: Terri McClain came from Seattle, Washington, to watch the inauguration, though the security perimeter made it difficult to see any of the proceedings.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
three people celebrating with pots and pans outside of their home in Washington D.C.

January 20, 2021: JaNelle Latney (left) and her two brothers celebrate the first day of the Biden/Harris administration outside their home in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Photograph by Jared Soares, National Geographic
two people come face to face

January 20, 2021: During a rally in D.C. moments before Biden was sworn in as president, Rubin Israel, a Trump supporter from California, yells during an intense argument with local resident Bobby Blassingame, who was denouncing Rubin as a racist.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
the Washington Monument behind a street filled with National Guard members

January 20, 2021: On inauguration day, thousands of law enforcement and military were on site to ensure a smooth transition of power. There was little access to the section of Washington, D.C. that hosts federal buildings.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
a rock wall with paper Kamala Harris pictures decorating it

January 20, 2021: A house in Washington, D.C. known for its rotating Barbie displays is redecorated to commemorate the inauguration of Kamala Harris as America's first female vice president.

Photograph by Jared Soares, National Geographic
flags representing the crowd that would have attended the inauguration
January 19, 2021: Nearly 200,000 flags represent the crowd that would have attended the inauguration of Joe Biden, if not for the pandemic and recent security threats. The plan to hold a socially distanced ceremony was scrapped after a mob breached the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.
Photograph by Stephen Wilkes, National Geographic
Police officers from around the country assembling at the Washington Convention Center

January 19, 2021: Police officers from across the country assemble at the convention center in downtown Washington D.C. to be sworn in for service during the next day's inauguration.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
government workers moving trash cans on the hill in Washington D.C.

January 19, 2021: Though the streets are eerily quiet, a fear of violence is acutely felt across the city in the days leading up to the inauguration. In the area around Capitol Hill, government workers remove trash cans for security reasons.

Photograph by Andrea Bruce, National Geographic
the streets deserted except for people experiencing homelessness and a lone runner

January 19, 2021: With traffic and public transportation restricted, Washington D.C. is empty except for homeless people and pedestrians.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
a view of two silhouetted figures walking on H Street in Washington D.C.

January 19, 2021: The typically clogged streets around Union Station are open but host few cars. The metro stop is temporarily shut as one of the many security precautions being implemented this week.

Photograph by Andrea Bruce, National Geographic
a restaurant worker looking out the window as police assemble for security duty

January 19, 2021: A restaurant worker looks out the window as police assemble for security duty before Wednesday's inauguration. The week of the event typically draws thousands of people to Washington, D.C. This year, the dual threats of Covid-19 and terrorism have shut down all gatherings.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
200,000 flags outside of the U.S. Capitol

January 18, 2021: Nearly 200,000 American flags stand on the National Mall to symbolize those who are unable to attend the Inauguration due to COVID-19. On Tuesday, January 19, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris lit the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor the 400,000 Americans who have died from the virus.

Photograph by Stephen Wilkes, National Geographic
two members of the National Guard behind a fence protecting the Capitol

January 18, 2021: To fend off threats of inauguration violence, local officials and the U.S. military have rolled out unprecedented security measures across downtown Washington, D.C. A perimeter of armed guards and seven-foot-tall fencing prevent unauthorized individuals from reaching the U.S. Capitol.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
security tape in front of the U.S. Capitol

January 18, 2021: Fencing, concrete barricades, and police tape mark off the streets surrounding the U.S. Capitol in downtown Washington, D.C. The National Park Service has closed public access to the National Mall until January 21, the day after the inauguration.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
a person wearing a mask looking in on the security protecting the Capitol

January 18, 2021: Passersby stop to observe the National Guardsmen deployed en masse around the Capitol. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the governors of Virginia and Maryland have asked people not to attend the Inauguration and instead view the ceremony virtually.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
a trump mask sitting on a sale rack

January 18, 2021: As the city prepare for President-elect Joe Biden to take the Oval Office, items featuring Donald Trump are sold on clearance at the Washington Welcome Center in downtown Washington, D.C.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
a person standing in the middle of a road holding a anti-Trump sign

January 18, 2021: A D.C. resident holds a protest sign echoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s claim that President Trump is a “clear and present danger” during her speech on January 13th advocating for his impeachment.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
the trump hotel in Washington D.C.

January 18, 2021: The Trump International Hotel is surrounded by layers of fencing in preparation for the transfer of presidential power. For the last four years the hotel has attracted lobbyists and foreign leaders hoping to curry favor in Washington, D.C.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
members of the national guard on couches

January 18, 2021: Members of Texas’s National Guard gather in the lobby of the Homewood Suites hotel at 5:00 a.m. in downtown Washington, D.C., before starting the day's assignments.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
national guard trucks and personnel in front of the capitol

January 18, 2021: Armed National Guards patrol the roads leading to the U.S. Capitol. Washington officials have also closed 13 Metro stations and rerouted 26 bus routes due to the security perimeter.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
a woman standing at an intersection on MLK Jr. Avenue

January 18, 2021: In any other year, Anacostia, a neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C., normally celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a parade, high school bands, and dance squads. This year, the neighborhood was quiet due to the pandemic, but signs of the Reverend still line Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

Photograph by Andrea Bruce, National Geographic
National Guard troops file through downtown, the glow of streetlights and sunrise lighting their way

January 17, 2021: National Guard troops file through the downtown Washington D.C. intersection of New York Avenue and H Street NW, the glow of streetlights and a Sunday sunrise lighting their way.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
a National Guard vehicle checkpoint at 7th Street SW in Washington D.C.

January 16, 2021: National Guard vehicle checkpoints, such as this one on 7th Street NW, mark the perimeter of a fortified "Green Zone."

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
A man looks out his front door at a National Guardsman at a vehicle checkpoint in Washington D.C.

January 16, 2021: A man looks on at the National Guard vehicle checkpoint across the street from his home near 7th Street SW.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
businesses that have boarded their storefronts in anticipation of inauguration in Washington D.C.

January 15, 2021: In anticipation of riots and demonstrations, businesses across downtown Washington D.C. boarded up their storefronts and windows.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
a woman, her sister, and her daughter prepare for a picnic in Dupont Circle in Washington D.C.

January 17, 2021: Outside of the secured "Green Zone," life in The District continued as usual. In northwest Washington D.C.'s Dupont Circle, Winter Smith, 6, prepared for a picnic with her aunt Sydney Smith, and mother, Mikaela Smith. "We would like to be able to celebrate the inauguration, but we can't go," said Mikaela Smith.

Photograph by Andrea Bruce, National Geographic
grinning statues from Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum look out onto an abandoned street

January 17, 2021: Photographs of grinning statues from the Washington D.C. Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum look out onto an abandoned 10th Street NW.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
A souvenir shop selling Presidential inauguration merchandise in Washington D.C.

January 17, 2021: Open for business despite heightened security, a souvenir shop near a National Guard checkpoint displays merchandise for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris's imminent inauguration.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
the Washington Monument as seen through new fencing in Washington D.C.

January 16, 2021: Light reflects off of fencing erected around the Washington Monument, which is walled off along with the National Mall as part of the pre-inauguration security measures.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
Trump International Hotel surrounded by barricades in Washington, DC,

January 15, 2021: A double barricade lines the entrance to Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Although city officials have discouraged travel to the region for the inauguration, major hotels remain open, with enhanced security measures and premium prices—some quadrupling their rates.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
a road blocked and guarded by National Guard in Washington D.C.

January 15, 2021: Dozens of Washington, D.C. streets surrounding the National Mall and Capitol building are closed to traffic, and monitored by the National Guard. Known as the "the red zone," the area is restricted to authorized vehicles only, in an unprecedented closure of the city.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
the sealed perimeter around the entire Mall and the Washington Memorial in Washington D.C.

January 15, 2021: Fences line the perimeter of the entire National Mall and Washington Memorial, making the zone impenetrable.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic
a DC Metro police officer stops people from entering a checkpoint at 14th and H

January 17, 2021: A D.C. Metro police officer stops pedestrians from entering a restricted area at 14th and H Streets—a key hub of the city that is normally buzzing with shoppers and tourists, but is now in the restricted "red zone." Numerous checkpoints around the city limit foot traffic.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
visitors to Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C.

January 16, 2021: Flags aflutter and music blaring, Black Lives Matter Plaza—the stretch of 16th Street NW in front of Lafayette Park and the White House—remained open for pedestrians, morphing into an island of noise in a sea of eerie, barricaded silence.

Photograph by Nina Berman, National Geographic
The Martin Luther King Memorial at dusk in Washington D.C.

January 15, 2021: A lone wreath festoons the base of Washington, D.C.'s Martin Luther King Memorial.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer, National Geographic