The United States Constitution requires that each new president’s term begin at noon on January 20 (or the next day if it falls on a Sunday) and that the president take the oath of office.
In recent years, presidents have taken the oath of office from a massive temporary platform located on the Capitol’s picturesque West Lawn, overlooking the Nationwide Mall.
The oath is usually administered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and Monday would be the second time John Roberts officiated for Trump.
The new President also delivers an inaugural speech setting out his plans and vision for the next four years. The Republican began his first term in 2017 with a particularly dark speech that evoked the “American carnage.”
Incoming Vice President JD Vance will also be sworn in.
The guests
In one of the most Trumpian turns of the inauguration, the Republican invited several technology titans to attend as VIPs. They will sit alongside other more traditional guests, such as his cabinet candidates.
Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend, as will Shou Chew, director of the Chinese social media giant TikTok, according to US media.
Not only has Trump forged closer ties with tech moguls, but his campaign benefited from misinformation spread on social media platforms like TikTok, Musk’s X, and Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram.
Outgoing President Joe Biden will attend the ceremony, despite Trump’s refusal to attend Biden’s inauguration when he defeated Trump in 2020.
All living former presidents (Invoice Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama) will attend, as will their wives, except Michelle Obama.
That means Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in the 2016 presidential election, will be there, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he defeated in November.
Heads of state are not traditionally invited, but Trump bucked that trend and sent invitations to the far-right prime ministers of Italy and Hungary, Giorgia Meloni and Viktor Orban, as well as the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. However, not everyone will attend.
A move inside
Crowd size is a concern for Trump, but the last-minute switch to holding the event indoors will change that.
More than 220,000 tickets were being distributed to the public through lawmakers’ offices before Trump announced Friday that frigid temperatures meant the inauguration would have to be moved inside the Capitol building.
The former and future president, who has built his political brand by organizing large rallies, said his supporters could watch the event live from Washington’s Capital One sports stadium, and promised to visit later.
“This will be a very beautiful experience for everyone,” he said.
After the ceremony, Trump will travel in a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
“All other events will remain the same,” Trump said in his message.
the orders
Trump has indicated that he is preparing to sign multiple executive orders since his first day in office, aimed at undoing many of the Biden Administration’s policies.
Among the many promises for the first day, Trump pledged to launch a mass deportation program and increase oil extraction. He has also said he could immediately begin to forgive the January 6 rioters, his followers who ransacked the Capitol in 2021.
the music
Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 was marked by a lack of celebrity power, as the controversial reality star turned politician struggled to find A-list musicians willing to partner with him.
Trump’s inauguration 2.0 is in slightly better shape.
The famous nation singer Carrie Underwood will sing America the beautiful during the swearing-in ceremony.
Nation singer Lee Greenwood, whose patriotic anthem God bless the USA It was a well-established Trump rally anthem.
A pre-inauguration rally on Sunday will include a performance by the Village Individuals, whose 1970s group YMCA was another staple of the Trump rally, along with Child Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus.
National musicians such as Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts and Gavin DeGraw, as well as the Village Individuals, will perform at Trump’s three official inaugural balls.
the galas
Trump is expected to attend his three official inaugural galas on Monday night. More than a dozen more are also planned.
In addition to the dances, Trump will host a “Make America Nice Once more” victory rally at Capital One Enviornment the night before the inauguration.
