Punters Are Betting On Joe Biden’s Inauguration Speech

Joe Biden’s inauguration speech will likely be poured over for decades to come as the United States moves away from Trumpism on January 20.

Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th American president when he officially takes office this week – and there is plenty of discussion as to what will go into his speech.

Incoming presidents have often used their inauguration speech as an attempt to unify the country, rally further support and set out their agenda for the coming four years.

And while Biden’s team is no-doubt writing up a killer script for the 78-year-old, exactly what he will say remains a secret.

However, the latest US politics betting markets released by Ladbrokes offer punters an indication of what the incoming president will touch upon.

The bookmaker has priced a number of controversial phrases highly on the list, with bettors in position to snap up the odds on offer.

Here, Gambling.com looks at the most likely – and unlikely – words Biden may use during his inauguration.

Pandemic - 1/3

It’s almost a certainty that Biden will mention coronavirus during his speech. The USA – like the rest of the world – has been rocked by the virus over the past 12 months. But while Trump refused to concede that the situation was out of control, Biden could well use the term ‘pandemic’ much more freely than the outgoing president. Biden has already called for greater efforts to tackle the spread of Covid-19 and will likely refer to the pandemic early in his address.

China - 4/7

Trump had plenty to say about China in the final months of his premiership – largely because he branded Covid-19 the “China virus” after its origins in Wuhan. It leaves Biden with a lot of international relationship healing to do and bettors can expect him to speak about a globalised world, where America must break out of its isolationist lull and improve ties with China.

Russia - 10/11

However, while China offers Biden a chance to express his desire to boost global trade relations, he is unlikely to do the same with Russia. Trump was famed for easing the pressure off Russia but Biden, like previous Democratic president Barack Obama before him, is expected to come down hard on Moscow. Don’t be surprised if Russia gets a mention.

Founding Fathers - 1/1 (Evens)

No presidential speech is complete without a reference to the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln himself is 6/4 to get a mention. Obama spoke of the Founding Fathers in reference to the spread of prosperity across the country. Biden, who is Obama’s former vice president, is expected to delve into the history books and eke out analogies for today’s America.

Impeached - 3/1

It would be a brave move from Biden to fan the flames of division in America by highlighting the Trump impeachment process currently being undertaken. Biden is expected to call for national unity, which is why phrases such as ‘nightmare’ (5/1), ‘treason’ (5/1) and ‘lock him up’ (50/1) are widely priced in the politics betting odds.

Black Lives Matter - 3/1

Equally, it will be interesting to see if Biden champions the Black Lives Matter movement or other causes for social equality not based on ‘hard working families’ (4/1), as is the traditional rhetoric for incoming presidents pandering to the American middle class. Trump jumped upon the BLM protests in the summer and Biden may opt to stick to the middle ground on an issue that has split America. Instead, ‘brave troops’ (4/1), hard choices (6/1) and ‘tough decision’ (8/1) are more likely to be heard.