President-elect Donald Trump traveled to Washington on Saturday to kick off his second inauguration as president, four years after leaving the city under the shadow of his supporters' attack on the Capitol.
Trump, Melania and their son Barron boarded the plane at 5:13 p.m. Eastern Time and departed Mar-a-Lago for Palm Beach, Florida. Where his team has spent its transition period Ever since he won the election. The three of them walked around at the top of the stairs and Trump waved before going inside the plane.
The ceremonial transition of power will begin as Washington's lavish pomp is aligned with Trump's brand of party: a fireworks display at one of his luxury golf properties, a gathering of tech industry giants, business friends and conservative media stars and Thousands of guests and his supporters are coming from all over the country.
A gust of Arctic wind is expected to blow through the nation's capitalCool temperatures on Inauguration Day Organizers were struggling to get inside most of Monday's outdoor events, including the swearing-in ceremony.
“The country is experiencing an arctic explosion,” Trump wrote Truth on Social. “I do not want to see people hurt or injured in any way… Therefore, I have ordered the inaugural address, in addition to the prayers and other speeches, to be given in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used in 1985 By Ronald Reagan, also because of the very cold weather.”
country music stars Carrie UnderwoodBilly Ray Cyrus and Jason Aldean, disco band The Village People, rappers Nelly And musician Kid Rock is scheduled to perform at inauguration-related ceremonies and events. Actor Jon Voight and wrestler Hulk Hogan are also expected to attend, along with a contingent of Trump-embracing business executives: Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. and TikTok CEO Shaw Zi Chew.
The only public event on Trump's schedule is an evening reception and fireworks show at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, just outside the city.
While Trump holds court at his club, Vice President-elect JD Vance Will attend a reception for Cabinet members and host a dinner in Washington.
On Sunday, the eve of his inauguration, Trump is scheduled to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery before heading to a rally at Capital One Arena in Washington. A private dinner will be organized after the rally.
On Inauguration Day, Trump will begin with a traditional prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church before heading to the White House for a traditional tea with the outgoing president and first lady.
Trump will then head to the Capitol, where his ceremony has been moved inside because temperatures are expected to drop and make it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. It's not clear exactly how the ceremony will be adapted to the Capitol Rotunda, which holds only 600 people. More than 250,000 guests were given tickets to watch the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which is responsible for planning the event, said in a statement that “the majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremony in person.”
Eight years ago, Trump's critics were struggling over whether to attend his inauguration, weighing whether to end a long-standing practice and introduce a divisive new A signal should be sent to the President. This year, much of the vocal resistance to Trump has faded, although there will be two notable absences: Former First Lady Michelle Obama And Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Neither of them provided any explanation as to why she was not attending the ceremony.
After Trump takes the oath of office and delivers his inaugural address, there will be an event Formal farewell to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. As soon as the new Republican administration takes power, Trump will head to a signing ceremony at the Capitol to approve his first official acts, followed by a congressional luncheon and a review of US troops.
As the traditional parade planned down Pennsylvania Avenue turned into an indoor event because of the cold, Trump again planned to speak to his gathered supporters before heading to the White House for a signing ceremony in the Oval Office. The evening will feature a trio of glitter balls accompanied by musical performances.
Trump's arrival in Washington will once again be accompanied by protests and vigils over issues such as abortion, immigration rights and, this time, the Israel-Hamas war, but the spirit and power of those demonstrations were different from those at the beginning of his first term. ,
Women's March, inspired by women angry over Trump's victory in 2017 The march attracted more than 500,000 people to Washington and millions more to cities across the country, one of the largest single-day demonstrations in American history.
The march returned Saturday, renamed the People's March, with organizers saying their focus would be less on Trump and more on broader goals of women's and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy. It was drawn less than eight years ago.
katherine watson And
Contributed to this report.