Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, my distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans. This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day.
A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.
Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. (the people) The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile.
And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.
そしてこの瞬間、民主主義は勝ったのです。
So now, on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.
As we look ahead in our uniquely American way — restless, bold, optimistic — and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
And I know I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.
I have just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots have taken — an oath first sworn by George Washington.
先ほど、すべての愛国者が行う神聖な宣誓をしました。ジョージワシントンが初めて行った宣誓です。
But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union. This is a great nation. We are a good people. Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go.
We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair. Much to restore. Much to heal. Much to build. And much to gain. Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging, difficult than the time we're in now.
A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.
Cry for survival comes from planet itself, a cry that can't be any more desperate, any more clear. Now a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.
To overcome these challenges — to restore the soul and to secure the future of America — requires so much more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.
In another January, on New Year's Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote: “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”
Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. Uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the foes we face: Anger, resentment, hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence. Disease, joblessness, hopelessness.
With unity we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome this deadly virus. We can reward work, and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice. We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial. Victory is never assured.
Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward. And, we can do so now. History, faith and reason show the way, the way of unity.
We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature.
For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward. And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.
We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together. And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh. All of us. Let us listen to one another again. Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another.
Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.
Just look around. Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol dome, as was mentioned earlier, completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet we endured and we prevailed.
Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women (from) marching for the right to vote.
Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office — Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change.
Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace.
ポトマック川の向こうには、アーリントン墓地があります。最後の献身を捧げた英雄が眠っている場所です。
And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. Not ever.
To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. And if you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our republic, is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength.
Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.
聞いてください。意見の不一致が分裂につながってはなりません。
And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans, all Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.
Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity. Security. Liberty. Dignity. Respect. Honor. And, yes, the truth.
Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders — leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.
Look, I understand that many my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs, I understand like my dad they lay in bed staring at the night staring at the ceiling wondering. Can I keep my health care? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next.
But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do.
We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility. And if we're willing to stand in the other person's shoes as my mom would say, just for a moment stand in their shoes.
Because here’s the thing about life. There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand, other days when we’re called to lend a hand. That's how it has to be it's what we do for one another. And if we are this way our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.
My fellow Americans, and the work ahead of us. We're gonna need each other. We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation. One nation.
And I promise you this. As the Bible says, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
約束します。聖書にあるように、一晩中泣いて悲しんでも、朝と共に喜びが来きます。
We will get through this together. Together.
一緒に克服しましょう。一緒に。
Look, folks, all my colleagues I serve with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today. So here’s my message to those beyond our borders.
America has been tested, and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. And we’ll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress and security.
Look, you all know, we’ve been through so much in this nation, and my first act as president I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all of those we lost this past year to the pandemic. Those 400,000 fellow Americans. Moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
We’ll honor them and become the people and nation we know we can and should be. So I ask you, let’s say a silent prayer for those who have lost their lives and those left behind and for our country.
Amen. Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth. A raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America's role in the world. Any one of these is enough to challenge us in profound ways. The fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we’ve had.
Now we’re going to be tested. Are we going to step up, all of us? It’s time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain. I promise you, we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion is the question.
We will master this rare and difficult hour. We will meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children. I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will.
And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, the American story, a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me.
“The work and prayers of century have brought us to this day. What shall be our legacy, what will our children say. Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you. Let’s add, let’s us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days were through, our children and our children’s children will say of us, they gave their best. They did their duty. They healed a broken land."
My fellow Americans, I will close the day where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you I give you my word. I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I will defend our democracy. I will defend America. And I'll give all, all of you. Keep everything I do in your service. Thinking not of power, but of possibilities. Not of personal interest, but of the public good.
And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity. Of love and of healing. Of greatness and of goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us. The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived. That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world.
That is what we owe our forebears, one another, and generations to follow.
それこそが、我々の先祖、我々同士、次の世代に対する義務なのです。
So, with purpose and resolve we turn to those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts.
Good evening. So, thank you good evening. Congressman John Lewis before his passing wrote, 'Democracy is not a state, it is an act.' And what he meant was that America's democracy is not guaranteed. It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. To guard it, and never take it for granted and protecting our democracy takes struggle. It takes sacrifice. But there is joy in it. And there is progress. Because we the people have the power to build a better future. And women, our very democracy was on the ballot in this election, the very soul of America at stake.
And the world watching you ushered in a new day for America.
【注】 ※1 公民権活動の重要人物だった下院議員。2020年7月に癌のため亡くなった
※2 "state"のもつ「国家、州」の意味が後述される"a nation(国家)"へ繋がり、"United States of America"を強めている。(追記:2020.11.09.11:00am)
To our campaign staff and volunteers, this extraordinary team, thank you for bringing more people than ever before into the democratic process. And for making this victory possible, thank you to the poll workers and election officials across our country who have worked tirelessly to make sure every vote is counted. Our nation owes you a debt of gratitude. You have protected the integrity of our democracy.
And to the American people who make up our beautiful country. Thank you for turning out in record numbers to make your voices heard. And I know times have been challenging, especially the last several months. The grief, sorrow and pain. The worries, and the struggles. But we've also witnessed your courage, your resilience, and the generosity of your spirit.
You marched and organised for equality and justice. For our lives, and for our planet. And then you voted. You delivered a clear message. You chose hope, unity, decency, science and yestruth.
皆さんはジョー・バイデンをアメリカ合衆国の次期大統領に選びました。
You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America.
Joe is a healer. A uniter. A tested and steady hand. A person whose own experience of loss gives him a sense of purpose that will help us as a nation reclaim our own sense of purpose and a man with a big heart, who loves with abandon. His love for Jill, who will be an incredible first lady. His love for Hunter and Ashley and his grandchildren and the entire Biden family.
While I first knew Joe as Vice President, I really got to know him as the father who loved Beau. My dear friend, who we remember here today. And to my husband Doug, and our children Cole and Ella and my sister Maya and our whole family. I love you all and more than I can ever express.
We are so grateful to Joe and Jill for welcoming our family into theirs in this incredible journey, and to the woman most responsible for my presence here today, my mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris who is always in our hearts.
When she came here from India at the age of 19. She maybe didn't quite imagine this moment. But she believed so deeply, and in America, where a moment like this is possible. And so I'm thinking about her, and about the generations of women, black women, Asian, white, Latina Native American women who throughout our nation's history have paved the way for this moment tonight.
Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality and liberty and justice for all, including the black women who are often too often overlooked, but so often prove they are the backbone of our democracy.
All the women who have worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century. 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment, 55 years ago with the Voting Rights Act, and now in 2020 with a new generation of women in our country who cast their ballots and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard.
Tonight I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their vision to see what can be unburdened by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders. And what a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country, and select a woman as his vice president.
But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl, watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender. Our country has sent you have a clear message: dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they've never seen it before, but know that we will applaud you every step of the way.
To the American people, no matter who you voted for, I will strive to be a vice president, like Joe was to President Obama. Loyal, honest and prepared, waking up every day, thinking of you and your family. Because now is when the real work begins, the hard work, the necessary work, the good work, the essential work to save lives and beat this epidemic. To rebuild our economy, so it works for working people. To root out systemic racism in our justice system and society. To combat the climate crisis. To unite our country and heal the soul of our nation.
And the road ahead will not be easy. But America is ready. And so are Joe and I. We have elected a president who represents the best in us, a leader, the world will respect and our children will look up to. A Commander in Chief will respect our troops and keep our country safe, and a president for all Americans. And it is now my great honour to introduce the President elect of the United States of America. Joe Biden.