Donald Trump Back in the White House: here’s the schedule for the inauguration ceremony

Today, Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump begins his term as the 47th president of the United States with an inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C

Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony will be held today at 12:00 p.m. local time (6:00 p.m. in Italy) at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Among those in attendance will be Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who arrived during the night. The Italian premier returns to meet Trump just days after the Mar-a-Lago raid that was crucial to the release of journalist Cecilia Sala.

Ceremony at Cold Weather Shutdown.
Due to extremely cold weather conditions, the inauguration ceremony will be held indoors, including the swearing-in and parade, instead of on the West Front steps of Congress. This decision was made by Trump himself. A similar precedent dates back to 1985, when Ronald Reagan took office in a very cold Washington.

Schedule of the Day
The day begins with a mass at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Trump and wife Melania will then be at the White House for tea with Joe Biden and first lady Jill. The outgoing president will accompany Trump to the Capitol. At 9:30 a.m., country artist Carrie Underwood will sing ‘America the Beautiful.’ At 11:30 a.m., the dead line to enter the ceremony will be triggered. At 12:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. in Italy) Trump will be sworn into the hands of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The Oath of Office and First Speech
Trump will deliver the ritual formula: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The national anthem and cannon salutes will follow. After the oath of office, Trump will deliver his first speech as president and sign acts of appointment, memoranda and various executive orders.

Official Luncheon and Parade
Following the swearing-in, there will be the first official luncheon with guests and leaders of U.S. institutions and Congress in the Statuary Room of the Capitol. At 3 p.m., after reviewing the military, the presidential parade will be held, moved from Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capital One Arena due to cold weather.

Official Dances at the White House
Once at the White House, Trump will attend three official dances: the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball and the Starlight Ball. The latter is the most glamorous and will feature VIPs and Trump supporters, with performances by artists such as the Village People, Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts.

Prominent Attendances
All former U.S. presidents are expected to attend the ceremony, although Obama will not be accompanied by Michelle. Among those in attendance will be Silicon Valley bigwigs such as Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Chew Shou Zi (TikTok), Tim Cook (Apple), Sam Altman (OpenAI), Sundar Pichai (Google), and Elon Musk. Politicians, in addition to Meloni, will include Argentine President Javier Milei, Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban, and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. Chinese President Xi Jinping will send a delegate.

Security Measures
Security measures were implemented throughout the area from the White House to the Capitol, with metal barriers, concrete bollards and Friesian horses closing off the streets. U.S. national security agencies had issued an alert, saying Trump’s swearing-in could be a potential target for violent extremist groups. 25,000 mobilized security force and military officers will be in action, including 4,000 city police officers and 1,000 Capitol Police officers.

THE LATEST NEWS

[recent_post_slider design=”design-07″ show_author=”false” slider_height=”390″ lazyload=”progressive” limit=”6″ category=”11728″]

(Photo: © AndKronos)