I know what itās like to not be there when it happens," said Biden, who has long addressed grief more powerfully than perhaps any other American public figure.
AdAfter he spoke, the president along with first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff stood outside the White House for a moment of silence at sundown.
In one of his many symbolic breaks with his predecessor, Biden has not shied away from offering remembrances for the lives lost to the virus.
The COVID-19 death total in the United States had just crossed 400,000 when Biden took the oath of office.
The administration says it expects to have enough vaccine available for every American by the end of July.