As President Joe Biden has stamped his own mark on the Oval Office with furnishings reflecting his own tastes and politics Kamala Harris smashed through one of America's highest glass ceilings as she became the first woman, first Black and person of South Asian heritage to be appointed vice president, as she blazes a trail in the most diverse White House ever.
As running mate to the President’s Joe Biden, Harris, 56, enters the post having already forged a unique path, as California's first Black attorney general and the first woman of South Asian heritage elected to the US Senate. Following the inauguration, the new Vice President tweeted; "A new chapter begins today.
“Let's get to work" as she now becomes a heartbeat away from leading the United States.
The 46th President of the USA, Mr Biden entered his new office to sign a series of executive orders hours in to his new lauded position; including signing 10 executive orders to tackle Covid-19 which has ravaged the US - Vaccination will be accelerated and testing increased. Emergency legislation will be used to increase production of essentials like masks.
The president said it would take months to defeat the pandemic but America would "get through this" if people stood together. The moves come only a day after he was sworn in.
With the president, aged 78, expected to serve only one term in office, VP Harris would be favoured to win the Democratic nomination in 2024, giving her a shot at more history-making -- as America's first female president.
"While I may be the first woman in this office, I won't be the last," she said in a November speech, her first after US networks projected Biden and Harris as the winners over Trump and former vice president Mike Pence.
On his way out of the White House, Trump left a note for his successor — continuing a tradition started by President Ronald Reagan in 1989. There was no word on the message said.