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Today is Inauguration Day, when President-elect Donald Trump officially succeeds President Joe Biden. As befits a quarter-millennium-old culture, there will be plenty of pomp and ceremony. Here’s what you want to know.
Inauguration Day takes place every four years on Jan. 20, or Jan. 21 if the 20th is a Sunday. This time, it’s Monday, Jan. 20.
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It’s a busy holiday, starting with a service at St. John’s Episcopal Church. John’s, which was built in 1815 and has long been the site of such inaugural occasions around 8 a. m. ET, according to USA Today.
Next, a tea at the White House. This will be followed by live music and opening remarks around 9:30 a.m. ET., according to USA Today.
The swearing-in ceremony will follow, taking place at the United States Capitol at noon. “The terms of the president and vice president will end at noon on January 20,” according to the National Constitution Center. Carrie Underwood will also sing her final version of America the Beautiful.
Because of the cold, Trump said in an article on Truth Social that he would be moved indoors.
“Therefore, I have ordered that the inauguration address, in addition to prayers and speeches, be delivered in the rotunda of the United States Capitol, like the one used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of the very cold weather,” he said. .
Next came the official farewells of former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Trump will then head to the President’s Chambers, near the Senate Chamber, where nominations are typically announced.
Following the ceremony in the signing room, there will be a luncheon organized through the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). Trump will then begin the presidential parade, which stretches from the Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, with a review of the troops.
The parade will now take place indoors at 3 p. m. ET, according to USA Today. “We will open Capital One Arena on Monday to view this historic occasion LIVE and host the presidential parade. “I will sign up for the crowd at Capital One after my inauguration,” Trump said in his Truth Social message.
After the parade and a signing rite in the Oval Office, Trump will attend 3 inaugural balls: the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball. He is expected to deliver a speech at all three conferences, according to a news release.
The White House YouTube channel will stream the event, which you can watch that day on nationalpost. com.
No. This year, the two dates coincide, since MLK Jr. Day is commemorated on the third Monday in January. The last time this happened was in 2013, at Barack Obama’s second inauguration. The only other time was in 1997, Bill Clinton’s second term as president of the United States. MLK Jr. Day became a national holiday in 1986.
Coincidentally, Inauguration Day this year also falls on “Blue Monday,” a term coined in 2005 by U.K. travel company Sky Travel as being the most depressing day of the year.
It’s short, simple, administered by the chief justice of the Supreme Court (John Roberts since 2005) and repeated by the president-elect. In accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, it reads: “I (name) do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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. So help me God.”
The Presidential Inaugural Platform will hold nearly 1,400 inaugural guests, including members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, Supreme Court justices, former presidents, and Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, and their families.
Elon Musk, Trump’s best friend and Tesla CEO, will be in attendance, MSNBC reported, along with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
Foreign guests and dignitaries are not generally part of the proceedings, but according to The Times of India, Trump’s second inauguration may feature a number of right-wing world leaders, including Italy’s Georgia Meloni. On Thursday, Meloni said, at a press conference in Rome, that she would “gladly participate” if her schedule would permit, The Guardian reported.
A spokesperson for the Argentine president, Javier Milei, told CBS News that the president plans to attend.
Trump has also invited Xi Jinping to the event, reports The Associated Press. But the Chinese leader is unlikely to attend. However, Vice-President Han Zheng will be in attendance, which will be a first for a senior member of the Chinese government, BBC reported.
Who will carry out at Trump’s inauguration?
According to the Associated Press, country music star Carrie Underwood will perform America the Beautiful at the inauguration, and other characters will accompany two of the president-elect’s musical favorites, country singer Lee Greenwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio.
Trump’s last inauguration featured the lesser-known Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down and The Piano Guys, while several very prominent personalities (Elton John, The Beach Boys, Charlotte Church, Celine Dion, etc. ) said they were requested and rejected.
According to the JCCIC’s website, the theme of the 60th Inaugural Rite is “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise,” highlighting “the Founders’ commitment to future generations of Americans to preserve the continuity and stability of our democratic governance formula. “
Yes. There will be a People’s March on Jan. 18, organized by a coalition of feminist organizations that include Abortion Action Now, SisterSong, Planned Parenthood, National Women’s Law Center and Women’s March. The National Action Network, under its president and founder, the Rev. Al Sharpton, will host a rally on MLK Jr. Day / Inauguration Day. And some D.C. residents are reportedly taking down their Airbnb listings for the weekend in protest of Trump.
He did so, marking the first time an incumbent skipped the nomination of his successor since Andrew Johnson refused to attend Ulysses S. Grant’s first inauguration in 1869. Or as the JCCIC puts it somewhat delicately: ” This culture has endured, with few exceptions, since 1837, when Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson rode together in a chariot made of wood from the United States Constitution.
Immediately. Trump has said he plans to sign a barrage of executive orders on “day one” of the new administration, and that’s Monday. While there’s no sign of him going through with the idea of having a “tiny desk” installed at the Capitol on Inauguration Day, as he mused during his presidential campaign, he will on his return to the White House immediately put his name to more than 100 items of paperwork, on topics that include border security, immigration (and deportation) and the economy. And, yes, that could include his threatened 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports.
Yes. On Saturday, January 18, there will be a presidential reception and fireworks at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia. There will also be a cabinet reception and a vice presidential dinner.
Sunday’s occasions will include a wreath-laying rite at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and, in another setting, Trump’s “MAGA Victory Rally” at Washington’s Capital One Arena. There will also be a candlelit dinner.
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