A wave of arctic air will frustrate Donald J. Trump’s desire to receive the mass bath that he did not get at his first inauguration. Faced with a forecast of freezing temperatures, with a wind chill of -12°Chis team has decided to move the ceremony to the same place where Ronald Reagan was sworn in in 1985 due to similar conditions: the Capitol Rotunda. This last-minute change has forced all logistical plans to be restructured, a measure as unexpected as it is unusual.
Trump announced the change on his social network Truth Social, where he justified the decision citing safety concerns and the well-being of his followers, as well as security personnel and emergency teams. “It will be a very beautiful experience for everyone, and especially for the large television audience!” he assured. With this comment, he implied that what he will value, as in his years as a television presenter, will be the audiences, more than the crowds in the streets.
The ceremony will, therefore, be atypical. It is the coldest January 20 in 40 years and one of the coldest since this date was set for the investitures in 1937. Everything will take place in the monumental rotunda, just below the dome of the Capitol, surrounded by statues and large canvases of American history, since the arrival of Christopher Columbus. There he will accompany the president a select group of guests and foreign dignitaries.
Trump has promised that the ceremony will maintain its grandeur and that the Capital One Arena will be enabled so that thousands of people can follow the event live and attend the presidential parade, which will also take place inside the stadium. In addition, he stated that he will go to the stadium after being sworn in at the Capitol.
This change breaks with the usual tradition. Normally, the president has lunch with guests at the Capitol before heading to the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue, covering a stretch on foot. Now, you will go to the stadium, located halfway between the Capitol and the White House, in the Chinatown area.
The security device, already one of the most complex in recent history, has been even more overloaded by this unexpected change. The Secret Service, along with more than 25,000 security agents and military personnel, works against the clock to adjust logistics plans which initially contemplated an open-air parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. As of Friday morning, more than 50 kilometers of security fences had already been installed in downtown Washington DC, marking a historical record for this type of event.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies confirmed Friday that most ticketed guests will not be able to attend in person due to limited capacity of the roundabout. «Viewers are urged to follow the ceremony from indoor locations of their choice. “We have designated some points to broadcast the event live and will provide additional information,” the committee explained. Only a small group of guests with access to the Presidential Platform, along with members of Congress, will be present.
Confirmed attendees include Vice President-elect JD Vance, who will also be sworn in ahead of Trump at the same location. Likewise, the presence of senior officials, family members of the president and some members of the Supreme Court is expected. Sources close to Trump’s team indicated that prominent figures from the Republican Party could attend, although not all have confirmed their presence.
On Sunday, the day before the inauguration, an event will be held at the stadium with performances by artists such as Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus and the Village People. There will also be a parade and fireworks at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
For Monday, the day of the inauguration, temperatures of -6 °C are forecast at noon, with wind gusts of up to 30 km/h, which will generate a thermal sensation close to -12 °C. These conditions have been classified as the most extreme since Reagan’s inauguration in 1985, when temperatures dropped to -14°C and the parade was canceled entirely.
Trump did not miss the opportunity to mention this historical connection, highlighting that his ceremony will take place in the same space that Reagan used almost 40 years ago.
Security deployment includes additional controls in subway stations and roads near the Capitol, since Trump has survived two attacks during the campaign. Several metro stations will remain closed from Sunday night until Tuesday morning, and access to the main avenues will be restricted.
Presidents began taking the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol with the inauguration of Andrew Jackson in 1829. Before this, ceremonies were usually held indoors, such as in the Senate Chamber or the House of Representatives inside the Capitol. Jackson’s decision to take his oath outdoors, specifically on the East Portico, allowed more people to witness the eventreflecting his populist ideology.
The west façade of the Capitol, which was now to be used, became the preferred location for inaugurations beginning with Reagan’s first inauguration in 1981, as it offered more space and a spectacular view of the National Mall, making it more accessible to the public and visually striking for television audiences.
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