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On Wednesday, 20 January Joe Biden will be sworn in as America’s 46th president of the United States, after scoring a record-breaking victory on his third attempt at winning the White House.

The man he beat, Donald Trump, was elected on the promise to ‘drain the swamp’ in Washington, and in response Democrat voters elected a candidate from the heart of the political establishment.
After 36 years in the Senate, and Barack Obama’s VP for eight more, Joe Biden is Washington Man epitomised – though has always presented himself as the common man.

Known as the ultimate DC deal-maker and champion of bipartisan politics, he has already called upon both Democrats and Republicans to control the Covid-19 pandemic, and build prosperity, and has stated his desires to ‘restore the soul of America’.

Â鶹Éç special correspondent James Naughtie charts Joe Biden’s blue-collar roots and political career, and asks what can he and the Democratic Party offer America, following one of the most divisive periods in American history.

(Photo: US President-elect Joe Biden delivers a televised address to the nation, after the US Electoral College formally confirmed his victory over Donald Trump. Credit: Mike Segar/Reuters)