Joe Biden will launch presidency with appeal for unity – but whose unity?

Analysis: The convergent crises call for a united response, the president-elect argues, but Republicans say that means forgetting Trump's alleged role in insurrection

When Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Wednesday, the new president will appeal for national unity from the steps of the US Capitol, where two weeks ago a mob, incited by Donald Trump, stormed the building in a violent attempt to prevent this very moment.

Though their efforts failed, the bloody insurrection exposed the fragility of America's commitment to a peaceful transfer of power, underscored by Trump's absence at his successor's inauguration ceremony.