Joe Biden to take reins of power after Donald Trump leaves Washington

Final preparations are made ahead of the 59th Presidential Inauguration (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Joe Biden will swear the oath of office at noon local time to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.

The very ceremony in which presidential power is transferred, a hallowed US democratic tradition, will serve as a jarring reminder of the challenges Mr Biden faces.