Trump's Inauguration: What Happens on the Day of the US President's Inauguration?

Today, Monday, the United States will witness the inauguration ceremony of Trump as the forty-seventh president inside the Congress building, in a ceremony that will be attended by outgoing President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris.

The US President-elect arrived in Washington on Saturday evening to attend his inauguration ceremony, amid an unprecedented drop in temperatures.

Trump arrived on Air Force One, sent by Biden, to the Republican president-elect's residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump arrived with his wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner.

After arriving at Dulles Airport in suburban Virginia, Trump headed to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington, according to Reuters.

Elvis Presley impersonator Leo Days sang for the president-elect and first lady before a reception for about 500 guests and a fireworks display. An aide posted a video on social media of Days singing as the Trump family watched.

According to Reuters, Trump (78 years old) will attend a mass rally for his supporters inside the Capital One Arena in central Washington on Sunday. The expected severe cold wave on Monday prompted Trump to move the inauguration ceremony from the Capitol building garden to inside the headquarters.

Who will be attending the celebration?

Most of the more than 220,000 guests will not be able to attend the inauguration ceremony in Congress. Some of them, about 20,000 people, will head to Capital One Arena to watch the live broadcast of the inauguration and the performances that follow inside the hall.

This is the first time the major event has been moved indoors since Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president for the second time in January 1985.
A number of former presidents are expected to attend the event, including Barack Obama, George Bush and Bill Clinton, in addition to a notable presence of technology giants.

Attendees include billionaire Elon Musk, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is co-hosting a formal reception Monday evening, according to the Associated Press.

At the end of his first term in 2021, Trump refused to attend Biden's inauguration ceremony, thus becoming the first US president in 150 years to miss the ceremony and the fourth in US history.

Inauguration Day and Handover Protocol:

Trump will begin early Monday morning by attending Mass at St. John's Episcopal Church, a few steps from the White House, a tradition for presidents-elect.

Trump and incoming first lady Melania Trump will then meet with outgoing President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House for tea, the traditional welcome to the new president.

• concert swearing-in ceremony

At 9:30 a.m. the same day, the ceremony begins with an introduction by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Combined Choirs, followed by the song "The President's Own" by the U.S. Marine Corps Band.

This was followed by a prayer by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, the Rev. Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, followed by the song “Oh America” by opera singer Christopher Macchio.

The swearing-in ceremony officially begins at 11:30 a.m. The inauguration begins with a procession, with outgoing President Joe Biden joining President-elect Donald Trump in a march to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.

The new Vice President, DJ Vance, will be sworn in first, followed by a performance of "America the Beautiful" by Carrie Underwood, the Armed Forces Choir, and the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club. At 12 noon, the President-elect will be sworn in.

• What are the oath words?

What all 45 men who have served as President of the United States, beginning with George Washington in 1789, have in common is that each of them took the oath of office, as required by the U.S. Constitution, before beginning his term.

The oath reads: "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."

During the swearing-in ceremony, the president-elect typically places his left hand on the Bible, then raises his right hand and recites the oath of office as directed by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Trump's Inaugural Speech

Trump receives blessings from Yeshiva University President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Imam Hisham Al-Husseini of the Karbala Islamic Center, Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sowell of 180 Detroit Church and Rev. Father Frank Mann of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.

After that, the audience will listen to the American national anthem and Trump will deliver his speech. The president-elect said in an interview with Chris Walker on NBC that the theme of his inauguration speech will be "unity, strength and justice."

• Farewell to the former president

A formal farewell will be held for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they leave the Capitol.

• President's signing ceremony

Trump will head to the President's Room next to the Senate chamber in the U.S. Capitol for a signing ceremony, where members of Congress watch the new president sign nominations, memoranda or executive orders.

• Inauguration Lunch

The new president and vice president attend a luncheon in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol, hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

After lunch, the president and vice president will head to the East Front steps of the Capitol, where they are scheduled to review the troops. Trump will then head to the White House for the Oval Office ceremony, and he is also scheduled to meet with supporters and supporters that evening at Capital One Arena.

Source: American Press