Donald Trump’s teams had to revise their copy at the last minute, or almost. Initially planned outdoors on the Capitol esplanade, the inauguration ceremony of the 47th President of the United States will ultimately take place inside the Rotunda due to an intense cold snap (-6°C) predicted this Monday, January 20. It was Donald Trump himself who announced it on Sunday. “I ordered that the inauguration address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, be delivered in the rotunda of the United States Capitol, as for Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of the very cold weather,” he said. he posted on Truth Social.
The billionaire will therefore be sworn in at noon, Washington time (6 p.m. in Paris), for a second term in front of an audience of political and economic figures from the four corners of the world. The US Capitol rotunda can accommodate about 700 people (instead of hundreds of thousands originally planned for the plaza) and should only be open to members of Congress and a few distinguished guests, said a Congressional source at CNN. These privileged people will watch him take the oath during a slightly revisited ceremony: the conservative will swear on the Bible of Abraham Lincoln, but also on the one offered by his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.
Maximum security
The security put in place around the future president, victim of an assassination attempt by firearm in July 2024, during his campaign, will be pushed to the maximum with 25,000 agents, including police forces, and 7,800 members of the National Guard.
No less than 30 miles of fencing were erected – more than ever before for such an event – to filter crowds through checkpoints, and guide the parade which will take place on Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the White House. “The Secret Service and other agencies, including DC and the U.S. Capitol Police, are working to determine how moving the inauguration and parade indoors changes security plans,” CNN sources further reported. Sunday.
From 220,000 to 20,000 people
This change of location, while it allows for increased security, will nevertheless cause a major inconvenience: around 220,000 tickets had been issued for this year’s inauguration. The Capital One Arena will therefore be open to the public “to watch this historic event live and to host the presidential parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my oath,” Donald Trump promised his faithful, on Truth Social.
Except that “the vast majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremonies in person,” the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said in a notice sent to ticket holders Friday. He urged potential viewers to watch in “indoor locations of their choice.” According to the official body, only those who have tickets to the presidential platform and members of Congress will be able to attend in person, CNN continues.
Conservative leaders from around the world invited
Among the VIP guests: former President Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. But above all many conservative or far-right foreign leaders, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British MP Nigel Farage, Argentine President Javier Milei, or even the columnist and former French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also tried to attend, but his country’s Supreme Court saw it as a flight risk, given the legal proceedings he faces. China will be represented by a delegation despite the very tense diplomatic relations of the two countries.
According to information from Parisianseveral members of the National Rally will also be present, such as MP Louis Aliot, accompanied by Julien Sanchez and Alexandre Sabatou. Former party member Marion Maréchal Le Pen will also be there. If the French ambassador will go there, Emmanuel Macron will not be present at the ceremony. A number of high-profile businessmen will also help herald Trump’s return to power, including billionaire and Trump close associate Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg detail daily life USA Today.
Several concerts planned
The planned show will be kept at the size of the original event: pop star Carrie Underwood will perform the song America the Beautifulwhile country singer Lee Greenwood will reprise his hit God Bless the USAand that opera singer Christopher Macchio will offer his rendition of the national anthem. The Village People will also make an appearance to perform a Trump favorite, the disco song YMCA.
One detail, however, bothered the Republican: according to tradition, due to the recent death of former President Jimmy Carter, flags had to remain at half-mast on federal buildings for 30 days. However, this period of mourning overlapped with the inauguration ceremony. Donald Trump thus opposed it. “No one wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it,” the president-elect said on his networks this week. A request finally conceded by the Republican President of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson: the flags will fly well.
Record funding
The event was financed to the tune of $170 million through Trump’s inauguration fund. And the future president has received contributions from many tech giants. Despite previously calling the January 6 insurrection a ‘shameful day,’ Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Al-Jazeera media. Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta said they would donate $1 million. Just like Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI.
“Other big donors include pharmaceutical company Pfizer, financial services company Intuit, stock trading app Robinhood and automakers like Ford and General Motors,” the outlet continues. Joe Biden only received around $60 million in donations for his ceremony in 2021. True to form, the billionaire also took the opportunity to promote sales of a special edition “Inauguration Day” bible, currently priced at $69.99.