Every four years the President of the United States is sworn in on Inauguration Day, whether newly elected or returning to office, in a long-established ceremony based on the personal eminence of the incoming leader. What does this mean for Donald Trump’s inauguration? Call the Village People and social media giants — and leave the gloves and scarves behind after a last-minute decision to move the inauguration indoors.
Here’s a preview of the pomp and circumstance that will unfold on Monday when Trump is sworn in as the 47th president.
Oath
The U.S. Constitution states that each new president shall begin his or her term at noon on January 20 (or the day after if it is a Sunday) and take the oath of office.
In recent years, presidents have been sworn in from a giant temporary dais on the Capitol’s beautiful West Lawn. This year, due to the cold forecast, it will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda.
The oath is often administered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and on Monday John Roberts will serve for Trump for the second time.
The new president also gives an inaugural address stating his plans for the next four years. The Republican delivered a particularly profound speech in his first term in 2017, highlighting “American carnage.”
Incoming Vice President JD Vance will also be sworn in.
Guest
In a particularly Trumpian twist, Republicans have invited a number of tech luminaries to attend the inauguration, including more traditional guests like their Cabinet nominees.
According to US media, billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg and Shaw Chew, head of Chinese social media giant TikTok, will participate.
Trump has forged close ties with tech giants, and his campaign has benefited from misinformation spread on social media platforms like TikTok, Musk’s X, and Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram.
Outgoing President Joe Biden will attend the ceremony – despite refusing to attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony when he defeated Trump in 2020. All living former presidents – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – will attend, as will their wives except Michelle Obama.
This means that in addition to Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in the 2016 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he defeated in November, will be there.
Traditionally heads of state are not invited, but Trump has extended invitations to a handful of foreign leaders, including some who share his right-wing politics.
Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend, her office confirmed on Saturday.
Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Argentina’s President Javier Miley and China’s Xi Jinping have also been invited, but not all will attend.
Xi sent Vice President Han Zheng in his place, who met with JD Vance on Sunday, the transition office said.
a trick inside the house
Crowd size is a concern for Trump, but a last-minute move to an indoor event could hurt his bragging rights.
More than 220,000 tickets were being distributed to the public before Trump announced Friday that cold temperatures meant the inauguration would be moved to the Capitol Rotunda, which can hold only 600 people.
Trump said supporters could watch a live feed from Washington’s Capital One Sports Arena, which seats up to 20,000 — and he promised to tune in later.
Order
Trump has said he is preparing to sign nearly 100 executive orders on his first day in office, many of them aimed at undoing Biden administration policies.
“Within hours of taking office I will be signing dozens of executive orders, closer to 100 to be exact, many of which I will describe in my address tomorrow,” Trump told supporters at an inauguration-eve candlelight dinner on Sunday. “
Among his many promises, he has promised to start a mass deportation program and increase oil drilling. He has also said he might start moving faster to pardon the Jan. 6 rioters — his followers who stormed the Capitol in 2021.
Shortly after the inauguration, a meeting is planned between US officials and the foreign ministers of Japan, India and Australia, the so-called “Quad” seen as a counterweight to China.
music
Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 was marked by a lack of celebrity power, with few A-list musicians willing to join him.
Trump Inauguration 2.0 is in better shape.
Country star Carrie Underwood will sing “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony. Country singer Lee Greenwood, whose patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA” is a standard at Trump rallies, will also perform.
The pre-inauguration rally on Sunday also included performances from Kid Rock as well as the Village People, with whom Trump danced on stage and performed his 1970s hit “YMCA.”
glass
Country musicians including Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts and Gavin DeGraw and The Village People will perform at Trump’s three official inaugural balls on Monday night.
Trump is expected to attend all three invitational cases. Several other informal celebrations are also planned.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
