Alexea Norman
With just a few hours until Donald Trump’s inauguration, here is everything you should know.
January 20th will see President-Elect Trump sworn into office as the 47th president of the United States.
The inauguration will begin around noon (5pm GMT) at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.
THE CEREMONY
Keeping with tradition, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, is expected to administer the oaths of office. Soon-to-be Vice President JD Vance will take his oath, followed by the incoming President.
Trump will place his left hand on a Bible held by his spouse, Melania. While holding up his right hand, he will take the oath: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The oath will be followed by the first presidential address of Trump’s second term, making him one of just two US Presidents to serve two non-consecutive terms.
Speech lengths vary but usually fall between 15 and 25 minutes, with Trump’s 2017 address lasting approximately 17 minutes and Biden’s 2021 address coming to just over 20 minutes.
The inaugural luncheon will follow, featuring cuisine from the home states of the president and VP.
THE INAUGURAL PROCESSION
At approximately 3pm (8pm GMT), President Trump will lead the inaugural procession down Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol to the White House.
The tradition of the procession can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson, the first president to be inaugurated at the U.S. Capitol.
After the procession, a series of inaugural balls will take place across Washington, DC.
HOW TO GET TICKETS & WHERE TO WATCH
Limited tickets are made available to the public through members of Congress via the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. These tickets are free and allow people to watch the ceremony on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.
For those unable to get tickets, the following news channels will offer live coverage of the event: Sky News, NBC, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, CSPAN, PBS, and CBS.
The White House will also run a live stream.
WHO WILL PERFORM?
Trump’s 2017 inauguration was short of the star power the event normally attracts, with Elton John, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli all publicly declining his invitation.
Country singer Toby Keith wound up being the biggest name, and former America’s Got Talent singer Jackie Evancho sang the national anthem.
Rumours initially circled that Kid Rock and Mary Millben, both avid Trump supporters, would perform. However, Carrie Underwood, Lee Greenwood and Christopher Macchio have been confirmed as the official performers for the inauguration.
WHO WILL ATTEND?
President Joe Biden has confirmed his attendance, alongside Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Biden has pledged to do all he can to support the peaceful transfer of power, including inviting Trump to the White House on the morning of the inauguration. Vice President Kamala Harris is also expected to attend.
According to State Department records dating back to 1874, no foreign leaders have ever attended a US inauguration. However, this inauguration promises many world leaders. Argentinian President Javier Milei has confirmed his attendance, along with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Additionally, Trump is the first ever president to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping, although he will not be attending. Instead, Vice President Han Zheng will be representing China.
A slew of tech titans, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, will also be present.
HIGH-SECURITY EVENT
No major disruptions are anticipated for inauguration day, but US Officials have said they will be operating in a “heightened threat environment” due to the New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans.
The District of Columbia National Guard will deploy an estimated 7,800 soldiers for security; this includes traffic control and patrolling underground stations. Thousands of police officers, federal agents, and law enforcement officials will also be on hand.
Officials in the nation’s capital have had to cope with a string of high-security events in the build-up to the inauguration, including former president Carter’s funeral on January 9th and President-Elect Trump’s victory rally on January 19th.
Much to Trump’s chagrin, Biden has ordered the flags to be flown at half mast for the inauguration ceremony, to commemorate the recently departed former president Jimmy Carter.
THE NEXT FOUR YEARS: WHAT TO EXPECT
The Republican Party is currently in control of the Senate, meaning there will likely be support for Trump’s political agenda.
In his victory speech, Trump vowed to “govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept. We’re going to keep our promises.”
Some of the key issues he is expected to tackle include immigration, Ukraine and the US economy.
The following list offers a few of his proposed actions:
- Mass deportation of illegal immigrants
- Tax cuts and tariffs on foreign goods
- Cutting climate regulations
- Ending the Ukraine war
- Pardoning the January 6th rioters
- Firing Special Counsel Jack Smith
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Featured image courtesy of Gage Skidmore on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
