Germans hope for better relationship with US

Germans on Thursday welcomed the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, saying a lot would change in the culture of dialogue between the US and the rest of the world, following four strained years under Donald Trump.

"The tone alone will change," explained history professor Jessica Gienow-Hecht. "That will help us a lot."

Biden was eager to go big early, with an ambitious first 100 days including a push to speed up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to anxious Americans and pass a 1.9 trillion US dollar economic relief package.

It included a blitz of executive orders on matters that don't require congressional approval — a mix of substantive and symbolic steps to unwind the Trump years.

His actions included re-entry into the Paris Climate Accords and a mandate for wearing masks on federal property.

But on the main issues like trade, relations with China and NATO, "in terms of content, I'm afraid there won't be that much change," Gienow-Hecht argued.

Leaders across the globe welcomed the arrival of US President Joe Biden and the end of the often confrontational presidency of Donald Trump, noting the world's most pressing problems, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, require multilateral cooperation, an approach Trump ridiculed.

Berlin residents also welcomed the new administration under Biden saying they hoped that it would place the United States back on a common transaltlantic path into the future.