KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have now officially taken office, there is a lot of work waiting for them.

Any new president faces big changes; this time, University of Tennessee political science professor Michael Fitzgerald points to the feeling of a divided country. He says changing that takes time and needs to start immediately.

Fitzgerald says the new administration needs to stick with its campaign promises and focus on moving forward.

“The less, I think, is said by the president and the vice president in the White House as an institution about the past (administration) the better focus on the future; and let Congress, if Congress is so inclined, deal with Donald Trump.”

Michael Fitzgerald, UT political science professor