I'm excited about all that lies ahead.

It's a new day for America.

It's a new day for the world.

I know the State Department that I'm walking into today is not the same one that I left four years ago.

A lot has changed.

The world has changed.

The department has changed and we need only look around to see that I'm speaking, his dance said to a nearly empty lobby.

The people who are here are all wearing masks.

To date, Pandemic has claimed the lives of five State Department American employees and 42 locally employed staff around the world.

Many more have gotten sick and outside our doors, our government buildings are surrounded by new barricades.

We've never been in a moment quite like this before.

The president is committed to getting us through it as quickly as possible, so that very soon we can all gather in person again and have confidence that the foundations of our democracy are strong.

We had state have a role to play in all of this, and I believe it starts with rebuilding morale and trust.

This is a priority for me because we need a strong department for the United States to be strong in the world.

The world is watching us intently.

Right now.

They want to know if we can heal our nation.

They want to see whether we will lead with the power of our example.

It will put a premium on diplomacy with our allies and partners to meet the great challenges of our time, like the pandemic, climate change, the economic crisis, threats to democracies, fights for racial justice and the danger to our security and global stability posed by a rivals and adversaries.

The American people are watching us, too.