What to know about Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration

On Monday, Donald Trump volition implicit a stunning comeback arsenic helium is sworn successful for a 2nd word arsenic president of the United States.

Following his nonaccomplishment successful the 2020 election, galore believed Trump’s governmental aboriginal was over. Critics besides questioned whether ungraded would overshadow his legacy.

After all, his mendacious allegations of predetermination fraud prompted a mob to violently tempest the US Capitol connected January 6, 2021. Then, helium faced 4 transgression indictments: 1 for allegedly withholding classified documents, 1 for falsifying concern records, and 2 for accusations of predetermination interference.

But successful November, Trump scored his biggest predetermination triumph yet, carrying some the Electoral College ballot and the symbolic fashionable vote.

His latest inauguration is acceptable to bring unneurotic respective erstwhile critics-turned-allies, among them almighty members of the country’s tech elite.

What happens during a US statesmanlike inauguration, who volition beryllium attending, and what tin it archer america astir Trump’s instrumentality to power? We reply those questions and much successful this little explainer.

What is an inauguration?

In the United States, a statesmanlike inauguration is erstwhile a president-elect takes the oath of bureau and formally begins their four-year term.

To curse in, the president-elect usually places their manus connected a bible, though immoderate person opted for different publication of spiritual oregon governmental significance.

After reciting the oath of office, the caller president offers inaugural remarks to a gathered assemblage of supporters, authorities officials and overseas dignitaries.

What does the oath of bureau say?

The oath comes from Article II successful Section I of the US Constitution.

It reads: “I bash solemnly curse that I volition faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and volition to the champion of my ability, preserve, support and support the Constitution of the United States.”

Which publication volition Trump beryllium sworn successful on?

During his archetypal inauguration successful 2017, Trump was sworn successful connected the aforesaid book utilized by Abraham Lincoln successful 1861. He besides utilized a 2nd bible, talented by his precocious parent Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.

Media reports bespeak Trump is apt to usage a akin operation of books this year: the Lincoln bible, positive 1 from his mother.

Trump has besides utilized the juncture to beforehand income of a peculiar variation “Inauguration Day” bible, presently priced astatine $69.99.

“The biggest happening we person to bring backmost to America to marque it large again is God,” Trump says successful a promotional video connected the website.

Donald Trump was sworn successful for his archetypal word successful bureau connected January 20, 2017, successful Washington, DC [File: Jim Bourg/Pool via AP Photo]

When and wherever volition the inauguration instrumentality place?

The inauguration volition beryllium held astatine 12pm Eastern Time (17:00 GMT) connected January 20, 2025.

The ceremonial was primitively expected to instrumentality spot outdoors, connected the westbound beforehand of the US Capitol, facing a parkland called the National Mall, successful Washington, DC.

But icy temperatures forced Trump to reconsider. On Friday, citing information concerns, helium announced that the ceremonial would beryllium moved indoors to the Capitol’s rotunda, nether its 88-metre-high (288-foot) dome.

That enclosed space, however, volition bounds the fig of attendees. Nearly 250,000 guests person tickets to the archetypal outdoor event, but Trump has encouraged his supporters to alternatively ticker a unrecorded broadcast astatine the Capitol One Arena, wherever helium volition look aboriginal successful the day.

How acold volition it be?

Early estimates indicated Trump’s 2nd inauguration could beryllium 1 of the coldest successful caller decades, arsenic a polar vortex sweeps crossed the US.

As of Friday, the National Weather Service projected temperatures connected Monday astatine noon to hover astir -6 degrees Celsius, oregon 22 degrees Fahrenheit.

Has immoderate different president held their inauguration successful the Capitol Rotunda?

Just one. In 1985, Ronald Reagan was besides taking bureau for a 2nd clip — and helium excessively faced icy weather. The somesthesia deed -14 degrees Celsius, oregon conscionable 7 degrees Fahrenheit, adjacent little than what’s forecast for Monday.

So, similar Trump, Reagan made the determination to determination his inauguration indoors, to the Capitol Rotunda.

Other presidents, however, person held their ceremonies successful different parts of the Capitol, similar wrong the Senate chamber, though outdoor ceremonies person go progressively standard.

Who volition beryllium attending?

While statesmanlike inaugurations person ever drawn influential people, this year’s database of attendees has sparked other attention.

Three erstwhile presidents — Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton — volition each beryllium successful attendance. So volition the leaders of the outgoing administration, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Both Biden and Harris faced Trump connected the run trail. While Biden won his 2020 match-up with Trump, helium dropped retired of the 2024 race, and Harris, who took his place, yet lost.

Trump’s impermanent database besides includes a who’s who of far-right leaders from astir the world. Argentinian President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French person Eric Zemmour and British Member of Parliament Nigel Farage are each expected to participate.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro besides tried to attend, but his country’s Supreme Court deemed him a flight risk, fixed the ineligible proceedings helium faces astatine home.

A fig of salient businessmen volition besides assistance ringing successful Trump’s instrumentality to power, among them billionaire Elon Musk, Amazon laminitis Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Critics person taken the beingness of the tech billionaires arsenic a motion that the manufacture has embraced Trump, contempt wariness and outright disapproval successful the past.

Though helium antecedently called the January 6 insurrection a “shameful day”, Apple’s Tim Cook reportedly donated $1m to Trump’s inauguration ceremony.

Cook is not alone. In a motion of the concern world’s efforts to triumph favour with the incoming administration, Trump’s inauguration money had raised a grounds $170m arsenic of January 8.

By the clip the ceremonial unfolds, immoderate insiders expect the full to apical $200m.

Those funds assistance screen the expenses of the inauguration itself, arsenic good arsenic related events similar backstage balls and a parade.

Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta person said they would donate $1m, on with Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, who donated $1m.

Other large donors see the pharmaceutical institution Pfizer, the fiscal services institution Intuit, the stock-trading app Robinhood, and automakers similar Ford and General Motors.

Trump’s erstwhile inauguration besides racked up a grounds haul of donations, topping $106.7m. By contrast, Biden lone received $61.8m successful donations for his 2021 ceremony.

Who volition execute astatine the inauguration?

Trump famously struggled to find performers for his 2017 inauguration — but this year, that’s not the case.

Pop prima Carrie Underwood is acceptable to execute the opus America the Beautiful, portion state vocalist Lee Greenwood volition reprise his deed God Bless the USA, a fashionable introduction successful Trump’s soundtrack connected the run trail.

Meanwhile, opera vocalist Christopher Macchio volition connection his rendition of the nationalist anthem.

The radical Village People volition besides marque an quality to execute a Trump favourite, the disco opus YMCA.

What was the contention with the US flag?

On December 29, erstwhile President Jimmy Carter passed distant astatine property 100, and arsenic per tradition, US flags were lowered connected national buildings for a 30-day mourning period.

But that 30-day play overlapped with the inauguration, and Trump objected to having half-mast flags waving implicit his ceremony.

“The Democrats are each ‘giddy’ astir our magnificent American Flag perchance being astatine ‘half mast’ during my Inauguration,” Trump wrote connected societal media this month. “Nobody wants to spot this, and nary American tin beryllium blessed astir it.”

Mike Johnson, the Republican talker of the House of Representatives, yet sided with Trump, requesting the flags beryllium pulled up to afloat tallness connected Monday. He did, however, specify that they would beryllium lowered again the pursuing day.

This marks a interruption successful statesmanlike tradition. In the past, flags person remained lowered for the afloat mourning period, arsenic was the lawsuit successful 1973, erstwhile President Richard Nixon took his 2nd oath of bureau portion the state honoured 1 of his predecessors, Harry Truman.

Will determination beryllium protests?

When Trump took bureau successful 2017, helium was met with wide protests crossed the country, arsenic demonstrators took to the streets successful absorption to his far-right politics.

More than 200 protesters were arrested connected the time of Trump’s archetypal inauguration — though astir each saw the charges against them dropped.

Then, connected the time after, astir 500,000 radical joined the Women’s March connected Washington, marking 1 of the largest single-day protests the metropolis has ever seen. Nationwide, astir 4 cardinal radical participated successful the section versions of the Women’s March.

This clip around, however, the absorption appears much muted. While protests are expected to instrumentality place, fewer expect demonstrations connected the aforesaid standard arsenic 2017.

What astir security?

Security is expected to beryllium high, particularly aft the effort connected Trump’s beingness past July, erstwhile helium was changeable successful the receptor portion campaigning successful Butler, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 48 kilometres, oregon 30 miles, of fencing person been acceptable up astir the Capitol, the astir ever installed. At 2 metres (7ft) high, the obstruction is designed to deter those who mightiness different standard the barrier.

An estimated 25,000 instrumentality enforcement agents are besides expected to beryllium patrolling the capital, including 7,800 National Guard members.

City authorities successful Washington, DC, have said that determination volition beryllium roadworthy closures adjacent the inauguration, and ticket-holders volition person to walk done a information screening earlier entering immoderate related event.

How ample is the assemblage size expected to be?

Crowd size is thing of an obsession for Donald Trump, and his inauguration time assemblage is nary exception.

In 2017, Trump spent weeks insisting that helium had drawn the largest inauguration assemblage ever, though this was not true.

About 220,000 tickets person been released for this year’s inauguration, with abstraction disposable for astir 250,000.

But the venue alteration mightiness beryllium to beryllium an obstacle. The archetypal venue, the grassy National Mall, has abstraction for hundreds of thousands of visitors. Capitol One Arena, wherever a unrecorded broadcast volition present beryllium held, has abstraction for conscionable implicit 20,000.