On Monday, Donald Trump will take the oath of office, becoming the second president to serve two nonconsecutive terms and the first convicted felon to hold the post.
It is anticipated that President Joe Biden would attend the inauguration to witness his predecessor take over as his successor.
When is the inauguration?
The event is held in the Capitol rotunda at noon. Around noon ET, Trump and JD Vance, the vice president-elect, will take the oath of office. Traditionally, the ceremony signifies the orderly handover of power from one government to the next.
According to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ terms expire at noon.
However, the celebrations for the inauguration will go on all day.
Watch live coverage
Due to the chilly weather prediction, the ceremony that was originally scheduled to take place outside the Capitol was moved inside.
Where can I watch?
Watch live coverage on MSNBC, NBC News Now, and NBC News. At 10 a.m., NBC and NBC News Now will launch an NBC News Special Report.
The most recent coverage is available on the live blog of NBCNews.com.
Who is attending?
High-level IT CEOs, Trump family members, and former presidents will all be present at the inauguration.
So will Biden, as is normal, despite Trump’s defiance of precedent by skipping his 2021 inauguration.
According to their teams, former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama will be present.Former First Lady Laura Bush, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, and First Lady Jill Biden will also be there. Michelle Obama’s office said the former first lady will not be attending.
According to an individual involved in inaugural planning, a number of well-known tech titans, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk (a close Trump adviser), were scheduled to attend the inauguration until it was moved indoors. It’s unclear how the high-profile attendees—including tech CEOs and foreign dignitaries—will be affected by the move indoors.
Trump’s five children are also anticipated to attend.
Carrie Underwood, the Village People, Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood, and Nelly are among the musical guests that will perform.
What happens?
Trump will join the Bidens for their traditional tea at the White House on Monday morning.
According to the committee’s website, members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies typically gather at the White House to accompany the president-elect and vice president-elect, as well as their wives, to the Capitol, the venue of the ceremony.
Although Trump defied convention by skipping Biden’s inauguration in 2021, the outgoing president typically goes as well.
Inside the Capitol, Trump and Vance will take their oaths of office.Trump stated that he would join the crowd once he is sworn in and that Washington’s Capitol One Arena would be opened for remote viewing.
During the ceremony, the newly appointed president then gives his or her inaugural speech. Recalling instances of “American carnage,” Trump stated in his 2017 speech that the “American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”
In an interview on Saturday, Trump told Kristen Welkerin of NBCNews that the topic of his inaugural address would be “unity and strength, and also the word ‘fairness.'”
“Because you must treat everyone equally. Saying “Oh, everything is going to be wonderful” is not enough. We spent four years in hell with these folks, you know. Therefore, something ought to be done about it,” he stated.
According to the joint committee’s website, the leaving president usually departs the region by helicopter following the inaugural ceremony, a custom that dates back to Gerald Ford’s departure in 1977.
Additionally, the newly sworn president and vice president usually attend the committee’s inaugural luncheon. According to their offices, Bush, Clinton, and Obama will not be there this year.
During inaugurations, a parade usually marches from the Capitol to the White House; however, due to the cold, the march will take place indoors at Capitol One Arena in downtown Washington.
Trump may take administrative action during his signing ceremony in the Oval Office.After taking the oath, Trump plans to sign over 50 executive orders, some of which he may sign in public, according to a person involved in his transition operation.
Trump made a number of pledges throughout the campaign trail regarding his first actions, ranging from pardoning Jan. 6 defendants to initiating a huge deportation program.
Trump completed the day in 2017 by going to several balls. He is scheduled to speak at three balls this year.
Who plans the inauguration?
According to the committee’s website, since 1901, when William McKinley took the oath of office to begin his second term, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has been in charge of organizing inaugurations.
The committee, which has three members from each chamber of Congress, evenly divided between the two parties, is chaired by Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Outside of the Capitol, Trump’s inaugural celebrations are managed by a separate presidential inaugural committee.