the 10 things you need to know
Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States this Monday. A crowd of protesters and supporters is expected, although the organization is considering holding it indoors due to the sub-zero temperatures. Trump will thus complete his astonishing political comeback. Below is all the information about the schedule, attendees and celebrations.
When is Trump's inauguration and where will he be sworn in?
The US Constitution does not say much about the inauguration ceremony of new presidents. It only defines the brief 35-word oath, as well as the date and time of the celebration: January 20 at noon, according to East Coast time.
But many ceremonies have accumulated over the years and the incoming president has wanted to carry out all of them, in contrast to Joe Biden's inauguration four years ago, which took place in the midst of the COVID pandemic and after the attempted of the January 6 uprising.
Trump, who did not attend Biden's inauguration, has not skimped on the ceremonies for his own. He already complained about the White House's decision to fly the Capitol flags at half-staff following the death of former President Jimmy Carter. The flags will be raised again, temporarily, for the duration of Trump's inauguration.
The inauguration will take place on January 20 at 12 noon, East Coast time. [las 6 de la tarde en el horario peninsular español]coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is the third time that the US presidential inauguration coincides with the holiday in honor of the civil rights activist, which is celebrated every third Monday in January (the other two coincidences occurred at the inauguration of Barack Obama, in 2013; and at that of Bill Clinton, in 1997).
Security checkpoints will open around 5 a.m. (local time) and the speeches will begin around 11:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m. in Spanish peninsular time).
The president of the US Supreme Court, John Roberts, will swear in Trump on the west facade of the Capitol. Trump will place his hand on a Bible and recite the 35 words [en el original inglés] of the presidential oath: “I solemnly swear that I will faithfully exercise the office of President of the United States and that, to the best of my ability, I will preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The swearing-in as vice president of his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, will have occurred moments before.
When is Trump's inauguration speech and what will he say?
Trump's inaugural address will come after the oath of office. In 2017, he spoke of an “American massacre” and outlined some lines from his “America First” program. A 16-minute speech in which Trump offered a sinister vision of America and promised to return power to the American people from politicians who only served their own interests.
Trump is expected to discuss several policy initiatives he has promised to launch immediately after taking office. Among them, the closure of the southern border, the beginning of what in his own words will be the largest deportation in the history of the United States, and the pardon for the January 6 insurrectionists, both those imprisoned and those who have open legal cases. .
It is not known whether any of the avalanche of executive orders that Trump has promised for his first day will reach the stage. Those presidential decrees apparently include ending requirements favoring electric vehicles, banning transgender athletes from women's sports and the military, and launching the so-called “department of efficiency” under the co-leadership of Elon Musk.
Trump has also said he will move quickly to negotiate a peace between Russia and Ukraine, although he more recently extended his own one-day deadline and said he would get it done in six months.
What will the weather be like in Washington?
The organization is considering holding the celebration indoors due to the low temperatures. According to the Weather Channel, the sky is partly sunny, the maximum temperature will be -2 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature will be -11.
Who will attend?
Among those attending will be executives from technology companies, former presidents and, possibly, some foreign leaders. In positions of honor on the stand will likely be TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos; and the CEO of X and Tesla, Elon Musk. Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, was also invited, but according to Bloomberg it is not yet known if he will attend.
All living former US presidents are expected to attend: Joe and Jill Biden; Bill and Hillary Clinton; as well as George W. and Laura Bush. Barack Obama will attend without his wife Michelle, who declined the invitation.
Trump's team has invited several foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping; the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele; the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán; and the president of Argentina, Javier Milei. Former House Speaker and California Democrat Nancy Pelosi said she would not attend.
As for the public, the US Capitol Police estimate the influx at 250,000 people with tickets and thousands of protesters. 25,000 members of the military and police will enter service, in addition to the entire Washington DC police force, 7,800 members of the National Guard, and 4,000 agents from around the country.
Jake and Logan Paul, Theo Von, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Megyn Kelly are also said to be attending.
An appointment for the ultras
Trump has sent a clear message about who his allies are by inviting the heads of government of the extreme right, such as Milei, Orbán and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as European representatives while he has ignored, for example, the president of the Commission European, Ursula von der Leyen.
But he has not only done it with the rulers but has invited political leaders from the extreme right who are in the opposition, such as Santiago Abascal (Vox), the leader of the Portuguese Chega, André Ventura, or the former Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, who has just succeeded Meloni at the head of the Reformists and Conservatives (ECR) party.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was also invited, but the justice system has rejected his request to travel. Bolsonaro's passport has been detained since February 8 of last year, when he and several people around him were the subject of a police operation linked to an alleged coup plot to prevent the inauguration of the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
What companies finance the celebration?
The Trump-Vance Inauguration Committee has so far raised more than $170 million and is expected to surpass $200 million, dwarfing the $53 million Obama raised in total in 2009; and the less than 24 million that Clinton raised in 1997 (despite the fact that this committee has organized fewer events than those of previous investitures).
Among the companies that have contributed the most are the five largest technology companies in the world. Each of them donated at least one million dollars. Microsoft doubled its usual contribution to reach $1 million. Google tripled its traditional $285,000 to also reach one million. The auto industry has shown strong support, with Toyota, Ford and General Motors giving $1 million each. Other major contributors have been Pfizer, Hims & Hers, Intuit and Robinhood, with a donation of $2 million. Lockheed Martin also joined the millionaire donor club.
Who is going to act?
The cast of musicians spans country and disco styles, with performances by Carrie Underwood and Lee Greenwood during the inauguration. Classical vocalist Christopher Macchio, who will sing the national anthem, expressed on social network X his “deep humility and gratitude” for the opportunity.
Jason Aldean and the Village People will perform at the Freedom Ball during the evening celebrations; Rascal Flatts will do it at the Commander in Chief's Ball; and Gavin DeGraw, at the Starlight Ball.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Kid Rock are scheduled to perform at Sunday's MAGA rally. The Investiture Committee has also promised a “surprise guest musician” at the Freedom Ball, of which no further details have been given.
How will Trump supporters celebrate?
Breaking with the tradition of concentrating all the inauguration events in Washington DC, there will be several parties at Trump's golf club in Virginia, with a fireworks show on Saturday visible only to those attending the event, more than 20 miles away. of the Capitol.
This Sunday there will be a MAGA rally before the inauguration at the Capital One Arena, where Trump supporters will gather. The Black Conservative Federation is hosting another unofficial ball on the eve of the inauguration, featuring rapper Waka Flocka Flame and former American football player Antonio Brown.
Zuckerberg and billionaires Miriam Adelson, Tilman Fertitta and Todd Ricketts are also hosting a pre-inauguration reception.
On Monday night there will be three official inauguration balls: the Commander in Chief's Ball, for members of the army; the Freedom Ball, with a performance by the Village People, for Trump supporters; and the Starlight Ball, for people who have donated large sums of money. There are significantly fewer dances than those of the last investitures. Obama hosted 10 balls in 2009 and Clinton attended 14 in 1997. Due to the pandemic, Biden did not attend any in 2021.
What is the complete investiture program?
According to the Trump-Vance inauguration team, celebrations begin Saturday with a reception and fireworks at Trump's golf club in Virginia, followed by a Cabinet reception and the vice president's dinner. On Sunday there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a “victory rally” at Capital One Stadium, before concluding with a candlelight dinner.
Inauguration Day will begin early with a church service at St John's, followed by the traditional tea with the Bidens at the White House. After the inauguration at noon, Trump will speak in his first official acts in the Presidential Chamber of the Capitol, attend a congressional luncheon organized by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, review the troops on the front steps east, and along Pennsylvania Avenue he will lead the procession of ceremonial military regiments and marching bands.
The day will conclude with a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, followed by Trump's speech at the three inaugural balls.
The festivities will conclude on Tuesday with a National Prayer Service.
What else is there to know
At 78 years and 220 days old, Trump is the oldest person to assume the presidency of the United States. He is five months older than Biden was when he was sworn into office in 2021.
Trump is the second president in the country's history to return to office with a second non-consecutive term and after a previous defeat. The other was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd president, defeated by Benjamin Harrison in his first re-election campaign. Four years after that defeat, Cleveland achieved revenge and became the 24th president of the United States in 1893.
