Due to the cold weather forecast for Washington DC on Monday, Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony will be held indoors.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president-elect revealed that he will swear in inside the Capitol Rotunda, where dignitaries and guests will gather, and prayers and other speeches will be held.
“There is an Arctic blast moving across the country. I don’t want anyone to get hurt or injured,” Trump stated on his Truth Social platform on Friday. “As a result, I have directed that the Inaugural Address, along with prayers and other speeches, be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda,” he continued.
On Monday, the temperature in Washington at the time of Trump’s swearing-in is expected to be around 19°F (minus 7°C), with wind chill making it feel even colder.
Trump stated that supporters can watch the ceremony on screens at the Capital One Arena, a 20,000-capacity venue for basketball and hockey in downtown Washington.
He explained that his presidential parade, which was initially planned to include marching bands and various groups marching down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, will now be relocated to Capital One Arena. Details on how the parade will be organized within the sports venue were not immediately clear, leaving uncertainty about how the procession will be adapted for the indoor space.
The shift in plans will substantially reduce the number of individuals who can attend the ceremony in person. Many of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests, who were initially scheduled to watch the event from the U.S. Capitol grounds, will no longer be able to witness the swearing-in inside the building. This change means that a significant portion of those who had hoped to be part of the event will be unable to experience it up close, potentially impacting the overall attendance and atmosphere of the inauguration.
Trump is set to host a rally with supporters at the Capital One Arena on Sunday, the day before his inauguration.
The most recent inauguration held indoors due to extreme cold was in 1985, for former Republican President Ronald Reagan’s second term.
William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, delivered the longest inaugural address on March 4, 1841, despite the wet and cold conditions, and without a hat or overcoat. It is believed that the exposure to the harsh weather and the lengthy speech played a role in him developing pneumonia, which ultimately led to his death just one month after assuming office, making his presidency the shortest in U.S. history.
