Donald Trump will be sworn in as president for the second time on Monday, capping one of the most astounding political comebacks in American history.
Inauguration Day, by tradition, is largely dedicated to pomp and circumstance – and Trump’s ‘peaceful’ return to power will be quite the glamorous spectacle with four days of events centered around his swearing-in ceremony on January 20.
Trump will take the oath of office outside the US Capitol building in front of an anticipated crowd of 200,000 people, with Congress members saying the demand for tickets has surpassed the number available for distribution.
Country superstar Carrie Underwood will sing just moments after Trump is sworn into office and Trump favorite the Village People, whose hit YMCA became a MAGA anthem along the campaign trail, are teed up to perform at two inaugural events.
All four living former presidents will attend the festivities, including Joe Biden, despite Trump – who refused to accept his 2020 election loss – not making an appearance at the Democrat‘s swearing-in ceremony four years ago.
Trump invited China‘s President Xi Jinping, but not UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, despite Britain being America’s closest ally. He also extended the invitation to a clutch of the world’s richest men including tech titans Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
While civilians are excited about the celebration, authorities are preparing for the ‘worst’, with thousands of police and soldiers expected to descend on the city.
How will Donald Trump’s inauguration day unfold on January 20?
Donald Trump will be sworn in as president of the United States on Monday at 5pm GMT (12pm EST) in front of the US Capitol.
He will then deliver his inaugural address, which he has said in interviews that he intends to be uplifting and unifying – a departure from his first speech in 2017, which detailed a broken country he described as ‘American Carnage‘.
Beyond that, inaugural festivities are guided by tradition – with a luncheon, a parade and balls generally all part of that special day.
His Inauguration Day will begin with a service at St. John’s Church Service, followed by tea at the White House.
He and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in at the US Capitol at 5pm GMT.
The swearing-in ceremony will be followed by an official farewell for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump will then go to the President’s Room near the Senate chamber in the Capitol, where he will sign nominations.
Following the signing ceremony, he will attend a luncheon hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
Trump will then lead the presidential parade with travels from the Capitol to the White House. Upon arrival, he will participate in an Oval Office signing ceremony.
Afterwards, Trump will attend three inaugural balls – the ‘Commander in Chief Ball,’ the ‘Liberty Inaugural Ball’ and the ‘Starlight Ball’. He is expected to speak at all three events.
How will Donald Trump’s second inauguration be different to 2016?
Trump’s second inauguration is expected to be a much different affair than the last time America got a new president, with the Republican being the first president-elect to invite foreign leaders to his inauguration.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama will also be noticeably absent from the ceremony, despite her husband former President Barack Obama having said he will attend.
Michelle attended Trump’s first inauguration and was present for President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
The President-elect has also upped the antics this year with even bigger stars set to perform during the ceremony.
American Idol winner Carried Underwood will sing America the Beautiful, while opera star Christopher Macchio has been tapped to perform the national anthem.
While he had several big names perform at his welcome celebration in 2017 – including Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down and Lee Greenwood, who will perform at the inauguration again this year – the actual ceremony lacked star power.
The biggest name was Jackie Evancho, then 16, who sang the The Star-Spangled Banner. The singer placed second on America’s Got Talent in 2010.
Trump will also have his new found tech billionaire buddies in the audience, front and centre, seated alongside his cabinet nominees.
Unlike eight years ago, security will be heightened at Trump’s inauguration – but despite the increased police presence, there is expected to be a much larger crowd than when the President-elect took his first oath of office.
Trump, speaking after his 2017 inauguration, said the crowd looked like ‘a million and a half people’, but photographs showed the numbers were nowhere near that.
He was reportedly unhappy with images published by media outlets suggesting his inauguration crowd in Washington’s National Mall was smaller than the one that had gathered for Obama’s swearing-in ceremony in 2009.
Who is attending, who is not and who has snubbed Donald Trump?
Michelle Obama will skip Trump’s inauguration, even though her husband Barack Obama will be in attendance, along with former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join their husbands for the January 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.
No explanation was given for why Michelle is skipping Trump’s inauguration – which marks the second time in two weeks that the former First Lady will not be in attendance at a gathering of former US leaders and their spouses.
She was the only spouse absent from the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter on January 9. Her husband and Trump were seated next to each other and chatted and laughed like old friends despite the history of political animosity between the Democratic former president and the returning Republican.
Michelle was ‘still in Hawaii on an extended holiday vacation’ during the funeral service, CNN reported at the time that, citing her advisers who credited her absence to a ‘scheduling conflict’.
All three former presidents and their wives attended Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, including Hillary Clinton after she lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump. Carter also attended.
Trump has also broken with precedent and invited several world leaders to his inauguration ceremony. Historically, foreign leaders have not attended the inaugural due to security concerns and have sent diplomats in their stead.
But Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, a strong Trump supporter, has said he will attend, according to reports. Another Trump backer, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, has said he is considering coming. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also said she hopes to attend the inauguration.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is not attending, despite having received an invitation, but is sending an envoy.
Trump refused to invite British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a move that MAGA ally Elon Musk has suggested stems from Labour Party ‘interference’ in the US election.
The Trump campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over alleged ‘blatant foreign interference’ after it emerged that upwards of 100 Labour staffers campaigned in America on behalf of Kamala Harris.
Musk, responding to a tweet questioning why Starmer had not been invited when 12 other world leaders had, wrote on his platform X: ‘He sent operatives to America to undermine the US election!’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also among the heads of state who won’t be in attendance, with an senior aide telling the Times of Israel that the PM had not formally received an invitation.
But even if he had received an invitation, it is unlikely that Netanyahu would have made the trek to Washington, especially after Trump shared a video to his Truth Social platform that was highly critical of the PM and insinuated that he was a killer.
Netanyahu’s attendance would have also been complicated by the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in November over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Although the US has said it would not execute the warrant, the PM could still be at risk of arrest while travelling if he had to make an emergency diversion during travel.
Nigel Farage will be Donald Trump’s inauguration guest of honour
Reform UK leader and longtime Trump ally Nigel Farage will be attending the inauguration on Monday, despite his apparent fallout with Musk.
The Brexiteer supported Trump during his presidential campaigns in 2016 and endorsed him again both in the 2020 and 2024 election cycle.
‘I’ve been a friend of Donald Trump’s for a decade, I’ve been very supportive of him, he’s been very supportive of me,’ Farage told LBC. ‘I can’t see that changing for a moment.’
Farage, who attended Trump’s first inauguration eight years ago, will be in the US for four to five days around the ceremony.
He is expected to speak with Musk during the visit, according to reports, which comes amid a public war of words between the two.
The pair met last month at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate amid rumors that Musk was poised to plough as much as $100million into Reform.
But after a week in which Musk used his social media platform X to attack major UK political figures on the left over sex abuse gangs, he astonished right-wing politics by gunning for Farage.
‘The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes,’ Musk wrote. He did not clarify why he had changed his mind, but the volte face came just a day after Farage distanced Reform from Musk’s support for Tommy Robinson, the jailed co-founder of the far-right English Defence League.
Farage’s reply suggested he believed this was the reason, as he said: ‘My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.’
And in a later tweet Musk appeared to throw his support behind Rupert Lowe, the political novice Reform MP for Great Yarmouth and former chairman of Southampton Football Club.
Donald Trump’s billionaire ‘tech bros’ Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos will join party after bankrolling the fun
Trump’s billionaire friends Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are all set to attend his inauguration on Monday.
NBC news reported the trio are expected to have a prominent spot at the ceremony, citing an an unnamed official source involved in planning the event for January 20.
According to the source, the tech moguls’ will be seated together on the platform with other notable guests, including Trump’s cabinet nominees.
Musk became Trump’s most vocal fan and one of his biggest financial backers during the 2024 election, spending at least $119million mobilizing Trump’s supporters. His social media platform X become an unofficial Republican Party campaign tool.
His influence on Trump also became so stark that the President-elect tapped him to lead an outside task force called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which focuses on cutting federal spending and regulations to improve government efficiency.
Bezos and Zuckerberg will also be in attendance – which is unsurprisingly considering their hefty contributions to the festivities.
There will be a series of inaugural galas held in locations throughout Washington on January 20, some of which Trump may attend. The official events are financed by Trump’s inauguration committee, which is chaired by longtime Trump allies Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer, and Kelly Loeffler, a former US senator.
Amazon.com, led by founder Bezos, and Meta Platforms, helmed by Zuckerberg, have said they will donate $1million each to the committee – as have Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi have each donated $1million to the fund.
Trump’s committee will be responsible for covering the costs of everything but the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, which is borne by taxpayers.
Trump raised a record $106.7million for his 2017 inauguration festivities.
It’s the hottest ticket in town but will Trump still complain about the crowd?
Officials have started distributing more than 220,000 free Inauguration ceremony tickets to the public on January 13. The tickets were sent to members of Congress who are then responsible for handing them out to constituents who applied for them.
Ticket demand has reportedly surpassed availability, the Washington Post reported, citing how the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) received 1,264 requests – despite only having 198 tickets to dish out.
Thousands of spectators without tickets are also expected to fill the National Mall – which will be open to the public – and watch the ceremony on large video screens.
Eight years ago, Trump made a big deal about his inaugural crowd size, despite it being visibly smaller than that of President Barack Obama when the Democrat was sworn-in in 2009.
Obama was the country’s first black and biracial president in history.
Trump memorably had his new press secretary, Sean Spicer, chastise the press one day after the swearing-in for pointing out Trump’s smaller crowd.
Spicer claimed ‘this was the largest audience to ever witness the inauguration – period – both in person and around the globe.’
It’s likely Trump’s crowd will be larger this year from eight years ago, simply because he’s grown his support. This time around the Republican won the popular vote – the first GOP nominee to do so in 20 years.
He’s also hosting an indoor rally for the MAGA faithful a day before.
Heightened security as 8,000 extra troops will be deployed on to the streets of DC
The last time a president was inaugurated, there was a global pandemic and a violent siege at the very spot at the US Capitol where the ceremony takes place.
Authorities are preparing for potential demonstrations this time around but is not anticipating any major problems.
That said, federal law enforcement is operating at a heightened threat environment, especially following the two assassination attempts on Trump’s life last year and the New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans.
Officials will install 30 miles of anti-scale fencing around the Capitol – a stark reminder of the January 6, 2021 siege.
Almost 25,000 officers and nearly 8,000 soldiers expected to descend on the capital on Monday, DC police officials have confirmed.
Unlike demonstrations or other major events in the District of Columbia, traditional red tape is cleared for national special security events, allowing federal, city and state law enforcement agencies to work together.
The District of Columbia National Guard will deploy roughly 7,800 soldiers for perimeter security, which includes traffic control and patrolling Metro stations.
Thousands of federal agents, police and other law enforcement will be on hand.
The Secret Service is in charge of running security for national special security events, and planning for the inauguration began as soon as the last one ended.
In preparation for the inauguration, the FBI has set up command posts at the Washington field office and FBI headquarters to act as ‘central hubs for employees to gather intelligence, assess potential threats, coordinate investigations, and surge resources as needed,’ the bureau said in a statement.
Analysts at the Washington field office will be working before and during the inauguration to assess and share intelligence with other law enforcement, and the FBI will have ‘personnel and other assets at the ready to respond immediately to address any safety concerns or threats that arise’.
Authorities have also increased CCTV around the city and are using drones to assist with surveillance.
Which high profile performers are lined up to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration?
Carrie Underwood has been tapped to perform America the Beautiful during Donald Trump’s official swearing-in ceremony.
‘I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,’ Underwood said in a statement Monday.
‘I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.’
Tenor Christopher Macchio will perform the Star-Spangled Banner, America’s national anthem.
Macchio also performed at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July and during Trump’s second Butler, Pennsylvania rally in October – marking his return to the locale where he an attempt was made on his life in July.
American disco group the Village People – the creators of Trump rally staples YMCA and Macho Man – is set to perform at one of Trump’s inaugural balls and a rally he’s holding in Washington the day before he’s sworn in.
‘We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,’ the band said in a post on its Facebook page Monday.
‘Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.
‘Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why VILLAGE PEOPLE will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump.’
Controversial justices swearing in America’s new leaders
Donald Trump will take the oath of office, likely administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Justice Roberts was embroiled in scandal last year after a leaked memo revealed that he strong-armed his fellow Supreme Court judges into allowing him the key role in cases involving Donald Trump.
The conservative judge took the lead in the March 2024 case on whether states could remove the former president from their ballots over his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
He also took charge of the case concerning prosecution of the January 6 rioters himself from Justice Samuel Alito after his fellow conservative was embroiled in a row about his wife flying the Stars and Stripes upside down from their home.
Vice President-elect JD Vance is also being sworn in by a SCOTUS justice battling scandal.
Chief Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was pilloried for an unfounded rape accusation before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, will swear Vance into office.
Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court by Trump in 2018. Both he and Vance are alumnus of Yale Law School.
Bishop, Rabbi, Imam and televangelist will all speak at the ceremony
A Catholic Bishop, a Rabbi, a MAGA televangelist and a controversial Imam will actually all deliver remarks at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
A leaked copy of the ceremony program, obtained by the Daily Beast, revealed that Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, the archbishop of New York, will deliver the invocation alongside Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham.
Cardinal Dolan runs Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, located just blocks from Trump Tower.
Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, and Imam Husham Al-Husainy – the leader of an Islamic center in Michigan that refused to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization – will deliver the benediction at the end of the service.
Reverend Father Frank Mann of Brooklyn and Senior Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of Detroit will also speak during the benediction.
Sewell, according to his church’s website, was ‘heavily involved in drugs and drug dealing, ultimately becoming a gang leader’ before he became a pastor. He also reportedly grew up in an abusive home.
Joe and Jill Biden will hand back keys to the White House to Donald and Melania Trump
Joe and Jill Biden will greet incoming President and First Lady at the White House on Monday morning, ahead of the ceremony.
Eight years ago when Donald Trump was sworn-in, he and first lady Melania Trump started their day at church – at the historic yellow St. John’s Episcopal just outside the White House.
They were then met with a cringeworthy greeting on the White House’s North Portico by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.
The Obamas each greeted Melania, who presented them with a Tiffany blue box wrapped in a white bow, with a kiss, taking her gently in their arms.
‘So nice to see you. How are you?’ Obama asked her. As they did so, Trump saluted two marines guarding the North Portico.
Fumbling with the box Melania had given her, Michelle gave the gift to her husband, who passed the box off the gift to an aide nearby.
The group posed for a portrait before heading inside for a tea and coffee reception that was also attended by Joe Biden and his wife Jill, and Mike Pence and his wife Karen.
Typically the former president and first lady fly off in a Marine One-type helicopter from the east side of the US Capitol after the swearing-in occurs.
A Marine captain from Marine Barracks will escort Melania to the ceremony. The First Lady was also escorted by a Marine in 2017. She and Trump are known to be big fans of the US Marine Corps.
After a lunch with congressional leaders at the US Capitol, Trump will proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue in a motorcade to the White House, accompanied by a procession of military regiments, school marching bands, floats and citizens’ groups.
The new president and his guests will then observe the rest of the parade from a reviewing stand.
From there they headed to the US Capitol ahead of the noon swearing-in.
It’s tradition for the departing president to leave a letter for the incoming president on the Resolute Desk. Despite Trump breaking tradition by being one of four presidents to skip a successor’s inauguration – the others were John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson – he did leave a ‘shockingly gracious’ letter behind for the Democrat, according to Biden biographer Chris Whipple.
Four years ago the Trumps departed from the White House’s South Lawn ahead of Biden’s swearing-in ceremony and the outgoing president made remarks at Joint Base Andrews before heading to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
How to watch Donald Trump’s inauguration
Thousands of people will gather on the National Mall in DC to watch the inauguration ceremony, but there are plenty of alternatives for those who cannot attend in-person.
The White House will livestream the inauguration online.
BBC One, Sky News, ITV News and Channel 4 will also be covering the event.
All major US broadcast networks will carry the inauguration including NBC, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CSPAN, Fox News, and PBS.
Donald Trump’s four-day inauguration celebration
The inauguration celebrations kick off on Saturday with a president’s reception and fireworks display will take place at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.
There will also be a Cabinet reception and vice president’s dinner.
On Sunday – the eve of the inauguration – Donald Trump is set to hold a campaign-style Make America Great Again Victory Rally at an arena in downtown Washington.
Such an event likely will help spur thousands of Trump’s supporters to pack the city for the inaugural festivities. It would be Trump’s first rally in the District of Columbia since Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the US Capitol in a failed bid to delay certification of the 2020 election.
Earlier in the day, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Trump will also attend a candlelight dinner.
Monday’s schedule is jam-packed with official ceremonies, meet-and-greets and glamours balls.
Inaugural activities will conclude on Tuesday morning with a National Prayer Service and Trump’s focus will shift to legislation and fulfilling campaign promises.
What happens after the inauguration?
Donald Trump is expected to pass a ‘blizzard of executive orders on the economy, as well as on the border’ on his first day in office, Republican US Senator John Barrasso, a Trump ally, told CBS.
Two sources familiar with the planning said Trump is preparing a flood of executive orders and directives that could total more than a 100 for day one and beyond in what is known internally as a ‘shock and awe’ effort by Trump.
He is expected to sign orders that give immigration officers more latitude to arrest migrants with no criminal records, send more troops to the US-Mexico border and restart construction of the border wall.
The orders will include a drive to increase energy production and follow through on Trump’s oft-stated campaign vow to ‘drill, baby, drill’.
Trump also is likely to issue the first wave of pardons for defendants convicted by the federal government for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the Capitol.
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