Events for Donald Trump's inauguration begin this Saturday when the president-elect arrives in Washington.
Donald Trump returns to Washington this Saturday to begin days of pomp that herald his second inauguration as president, four years after leaving the city under the shadow of the assault on the Capitol by his supporters.
The ceremonial shift of power will begin as Washington's solemn pageantry meets Trump's festive style.
There will be a fireworks show at one of the president-elect's luxury golf properties, featuring guests including tech industry titans, business friends and conservative media stars, as well as thousands of his supporters who will arrive from different parts of the country.
With a blast of arctic air expected to leave the nation's capital facing frigid temperatures on Inauguration Day, organizers were rushing to move most of Monday's outdoor events, including the ceremony, indoors. of investiture.
Opera singer Christopher Macchio, chosen by Trump to sing the national anthem at the ceremony, told the AP on Saturday that an indoor performance would help the sound of the music and his vocal performance.
But he added: “I have to say, I was expecting to see 100,000 people spread out along the National Mall. So unfortunately I won't have that visual while I perform, but it will still be a tremendous honor.”
On Pennsylvania Avenue leading to the White House, crews were dismantling metal bleachers that were going to be used as grandstands for the outdoor inauguration ceremony.
Even before Trump arrived in town, groups of protesters began taking to the streets in the morning as a light sleet fell.
Melody Hamoud, a Washington resident, was wearing a pink hat that she had worn at a 2017 march to protest Trump's first inauguration.
“I didn't want to stay home and worry in front of the TV,” she said. “I wanted to feel like our movement still has energy and be with others who felt the same.”
Trump, a Republican, left office in 2021 as a political pariah after his refusal to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden led a mob to storm the federal Capitol. He then broke tradition by not attending Biden's inauguration.
Biden will embrace one of the most potent symbols of the democratic transition, welcoming Trump to the White House and joining him on the trip to the Capitol before being sworn into office.
When Trump first took office eight years ago, the former reality TV mogul arrived as an outsider disrupting Washington norms, delivering a somber speech as his inauguration sparked large protests and some clashes in the street.
This time, the protests were much smaller, overshadowed by the ceremonies and celebrations surrounding Trump's takeover. As a further marker of Trump's remarkable return, the events surrounding his inauguration will feature many more celebrities than last time, along with a notable attendance from a group of tech billionaires.
Country music stars Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jason Aldean, the disco band Village People, rapper Nelly and musician Kid Rock are scheduled to perform at ceremonies and events related to the inauguration.
Also scheduled to attend are actor Jon Voight and wrestler Hulk Hogan, as well as a group of Trump-supporting business executives: Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
The pageantry begins Saturday, when the president-elect leaves his Florida home to head to Washington. Trump's advisers have not detailed how he will spend the first part of the day, and the only public event on Trump's agenda is an evening reception and fireworks show at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, outside the city. .
While Trump presides at his club, Vice President-elect JD Vance will attend a reception for Cabinet members and host a dinner in Washington.
On Sunday, the eve of his inauguration, Trump plans to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and will later attend a rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington. The rally will be followed by a private dinner.
On Inauguration Day, Trump will begin with the traditional prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church and later head to the White House for a ceremonial tea with the outgoing president and first lady.
Trump will then head to the Capitol, where his ceremony has been moved indoors as temperatures are forecast to drop, making it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years.
It's not entirely clear how the ceremony will fit into the Capitol Rotunda, which only seats 600 people. More than 250,000 guests had tickets to watch the inauguration from around the Capitol.