Washington: Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony (20 January) will not follow the American tradition due to bitter cold weather sweeping much of the United States. This time, Trump will take the oath indoors—in the Capitol Rotunda—a first in 40 years, as the swearing-in of a president was removed from the outdoors.
This is in response to weather forecasts that show the temperatures will be dangerously low in Washington, D.C., with the mercury to dip to near -6°C (22°F) at noon on Inauguration Day. But this cold weather raises the question of whether attendees, law enforcement, first responders, and the hundreds of thousands of supporters expected to show will be standing outside in below-freezing conditions.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, writing, “I don’t want to see people hurt or injured in any way. These are dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of law enforcement, first responders, police K9s, and even horses, as well as hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th”.
In fact, the last time an inauguration was held indoors was in 1985—when Ronald Reagan received his second oath of office under similarly inclement weather conditions. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will this year be sworn in inside the historic confines of the Capitol Rotunda, and underneath its sandstone walls and American artwork.
Although the venue change will greatly decrease the amount of people that will be there in person, Trump has promised supporters that the show will go on: “It will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large television audience”11. In order to accommodate the public, Capital One Arena will broadcast the ceremony and Presidential Parade live, with Trump joining the crowd there after his swearing-in.
The inauguration committee is also coordinating logistics at the National Mall, where large crowds are expected. But outdoor ticketed areas at the Capitol will be closed because of the extreme cold.
This late switch is also affecting security arrangements and transportation plans, with officials still ironing out the details.
As Washington braced itself for this most unusual of inaugurations, the nation and the world trained their eyes on the Capitol Rotunda, where Donald Trump would mournfully raise his right hand as the 47th President of the United States in what experts have predicted will be, in tone if not in actuality, an unprecedentedly historic ceremony.