Former military pede:
Marines not saluting when Biden walks in is to me the biggest most telling thing of all. Those guys are highly vetted and would be out on their ass so fast it would make their head spin if they were trying to make a personal statement by not saluting. If we continue to see this trend then something is going on.
The timing is irrelevant. The Constitution simply states that the prior term ends at noon on the 20th. There is no mandated time for when the oath is to be taken by the successor. The only requirement is that they must take the oath before assuming office. It could be taken after the date and time of "transition" (see Zachary Taylor, for instance), but the successor isn't technically POTUS until he takes the oath. Also, nothing prevents the successor from taking the oath early, whether it's 10 minutes, 10 hours or 10 days. They just can't assume office until the expiration of the predecessor's term. So the theory that Trump took the oath early on the 11th, would be plausible as constitutionally valid if say, SCOTUS decided tomorrow that he actually won.
The 20th amendment where it states that the term ends at noon on the 20th, was approved by the 72nd Congress, March 2, 1932, a congress AFTER the Corporation of the UNITED STATES debacle.
The Constitution of the Nation of the United States does not include this amendment.
Former military pede: Marines not saluting when Biden walks in is to me the biggest most telling thing of all. Those guys are highly vetted and would be out on their ass so fast it would make their head spin if they were trying to make a personal statement by not saluting. If we continue to see this trend then something is going on.
Question.... Was Biden officially sworn at this point - if so, this is really a "head scratcher"
10 minutes early...cant have 2 Presidents at the same time. Nullifies the act in my thinking.
The timing is irrelevant. The Constitution simply states that the prior term ends at noon on the 20th. There is no mandated time for when the oath is to be taken by the successor. The only requirement is that they must take the oath before assuming office. It could be taken after the date and time of "transition" (see Zachary Taylor, for instance), but the successor isn't technically POTUS until he takes the oath. Also, nothing prevents the successor from taking the oath early, whether it's 10 minutes, 10 hours or 10 days. They just can't assume office until the expiration of the predecessor's term. So the theory that Trump took the oath early on the 11th, would be plausible as constitutionally valid if say, SCOTUS decided tomorrow that he actually won.
The 20th amendment where it states that the term ends at noon on the 20th, was approved by the 72nd Congress, March 2, 1932, a congress AFTER the Corporation of the UNITED STATES debacle.
The Constitution of the Nation of the United States does not include this amendment.