James Oliphant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States on Monday, ushering in a second term and completing one of the most incredible political comebacks in American history.
Inauguration Day is, by tradition, largely devoted to pomp and circumstance. One president leaves the White House and another moves in. But Trump, a Republican, also promised to sign a series of executive orders on topics ranging from border security to oil and gas production on his first day in office.
Here’s what we know so far about Inauguration Day:
WHEN IS THE INAUGURATION?
Trump will be sworn in, presided over by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, at 12 noon EST (5:00 PM GMT). It was originally supposed to be held in front of the US Capitol, but will now be held inside the convention complex due to the bitter cold.
Trump will then deliver his inaugural address. He has said in interviews that he intends to be uplifting and unifying. It would mark a departure from his first speech on Inauguration Day 2017, in which he detailed a broken country that he described as “American carnage.”
The outgoing president, Democrat Joe Biden, said he plans to attend the ceremony and witness the transfer of power, something Trump denied him four years earlier.
Country music star Carrie Underwood is scheduled to perform at the swearing-in ceremony, according to a copy of the official program seen by Reuters.
WHO IS INVITED?
Trump broke with precedent and invited several foreign leaders to the ceremony. Historically, they have not attended inaugurations due to security concerns and have sent diplomats in their stead.
Argentine President Javier Milei, a big Trump supporter, said he would attend, according to reports.
Another Trump supporter, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, will not attend, his spokesman said this week. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she hopes to participate. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not coming, despite an invitation, but is sending a senior envoy.
Trump adviser Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (NASDAQ: ) and SpaceX, Jeff Bezos, executive chairman of Amazon (NASDAQ: ) and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: ), are also in attendance.
PARADE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
The temperatures also forced organizers to abandon a planned parade down Pennsylvania Avenue of military regiments, school bands, floats and civic groups. The parade will now hold 20,000 seats Capital one (NYSE:) Arena in downtown Washington.
APPROACHING WORK
Two sources familiar with the planning said Trump is preparing a flood of executive orders and directives that could total more than 100 starting on day one.
He is expected to sign orders that give immigration officials more freedom to arrest migrants without criminal records, send more troops to the US-Mexico border and restart construction of a border wall.
The orders will include an effort to increase energy production and follow Trump’s oft-repeated campaign vow to “drill, baby, drill.”
Trump is also likely to issue the first wave of pardons for defendants convicted of participating in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
PARTIES AND MEETINGS
At least 18 inauguration ceremonies will be held across Washington over the weekend and Monday, three of which are considered official and Trump is expected to attend.
On Sunday, ahead of his inauguration, Trump is scheduled to hold a “Make America Great Again” campaign-style rally at Capital One Arena.
Such an event is likely to help spur thousands of Trump supporters to pack the city for the inauguration festivities. It would be Trump’s first rally in the District of Columbia since the incident on January 6, 2021.
On Monday, Metin Zuckerberg will host a reception for billionaire Republican donors along with casino magnate Miriam Adelson and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, Trump’s pick for ambassador to Italy.
Oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm, a major Trump donor, will host an inauguration party Monday on the rooftop of the historic Hay-Adams Hotel near the White House.
WHO COVERS THE COSTS?
The official events are funded by Trump’s inaugural committee, which is chaired by longtime Trump allies Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer who is Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, and Kelly Loeffler, a former US senator and Trump’s pick to head the Small Business Administration.
The board will be responsible for covering the cost of everything except the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, which is covered by taxpayers.
Bezos and Zuckerberg each pledged to donate $1 million to the committee, as did Apple (NASDAQ: ) CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Uber (NYSE: ) and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, each donated $1 million to the fund.
Trump raised a record $106.7 million for his inauguration festivities in 2017. His committee raised more than $170 million this time, according to media reports.
