Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday will take place indoors at the Capitol Rotunda due to dangerously cold weather, altering the traditional outdoor ceremony on the Capitol steps. This change, prompted by an Arctic blast sweeping the United States, means the event will be limited to a few hundred attendees inside the ornate Rotunda. Most visitors to Washington, DC, will need to watch the proceedings on television.
Forecasts predict temperatures around -6°C at noon Eastern Time, with strong winds making conditions even colder. This marks the coldest inauguration since Ronald Reagan’s second-term swearing-in in 1985.
The National Mall, originally prepared with thousands of chairs, will now remain largely empty, while Capital One Arena in Washington will host live viewing for supporters. Trump plans to visit the arena after the ceremony, which will also feature prayers, the inaugural address, and the national anthem.
At 78 years old, Trump will become the oldest president to assume office. Despite the smaller in-person audience, he highlighted the event’s significance for television viewers, calling it a “beautiful experience.”
More than 220,000 tickets were distributed for the event before the weather adjustment. Visitors lining Pennsylvania Avenue may still catch glimpses of the presidential parade to the White House. Security has been heightened with metal barriers and over 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel deployed in the capital.
Historically, William Henry Harrison’s 1841 inauguration, held during bitter cold, led to his untimely death from pneumonia just a month later.
