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Due to cold weather, Trump's swearing-in ceremony was moved to a closed location
Agencies
18/01/2025
The flag is hung on the west side of the United States Capitol Building ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump. He will be sworn in for the second time as President of the United States on January 20. - AP Image
WASHINGTON: The swearing-in ceremony of the incoming US President, Donald Trump, will be moved to a closed location, as announced on Friday, due to extremely cold temperatures expected in the capital.
"I have ordered the inauguration speech, prayer and other speeches to be held in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol as Ronald Reagan did in 1985 due to the extremely cold weather," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"We will also open the Capital One Arena on Monday to broadcast this historic event live and to organise the Presidential Parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One after my swearing-in ceremony," Trump added. CNN reported earlier on Friday that plans are underway for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance to be sworn in at the Rotunda and that Trump's team is in talks to hold several events at the arena, where Trump will hold a rally on Sunday.
"The Joint Congressional Committee on Presidential Inauguration will honor the request of the President-elect and his Presidential Appointment Committee to move the 60th Oath of the Nation into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda," the committee said in a statement.
The Secret Service and other agencies, including the D.C. Police and the U.S. Capitol Police, are working to determine how the move of the swearing-in ceremony and procession to a closed location will alter the security plan for Monday, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the plans.
These agencies now have only two days to draw up new security plans that previously took months to plan.
These agencies have been working since the beginning of 2024 to plan this inauguration ceremony, which has been designated by the Department of Homeland Security as a Special National Security Event, which requires a federally multi-tiered approach.
Trump's swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands of guests with tickets and involves about 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel.
As of Friday morning, more than 30 fence miles — the largest ever erected for an event like this — were still in the process of being installed and were supposed to keep people through security checkpoints ahead of Trump's now-canceled swearing-in and procession from the Capitol to the White House.
Officials are worried that the low temperatures will endanger the health of attendees and guests - a concern Trump voiced on Friday.
"I don't want to see anyone injured or affected in any way. It is a dangerous situation for tens of thousands of law enforcement personnel, first responders, police K9 dogs, even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters who will be outside for hours on the 20th day. (If you decide to attend, make sure you wear hot clothes!)," Trump wrote.
The last president to be sworn in in a closed location was Reagan in 1985, when daytime temperatures dropped to 7 degrees with winds as low as -25 degrees.
He was sworn in at the Rotunda Capitol. The show was also canceled.
President William Henry Harrison is believed to have fallen ill with the flu during his swearing-in ceremony in 1841, during which he gave a two-hour speech without wearing a coat or hat, according to the Miller Center of the University of Virginia.
He later developed pneumonia and died a month after his appointment.
This year, temperatures at noon on inauguration day — when the president-elect is sworn in — are expected to be as low as -6°C, which is about 20 degrees below normal — possibly the coldest since Reagan's second inauguration.
Winds between 10 to 20 mph with gusts of up to 30 mph are expected on Monday.
This will cause the temperature to feel very cold. Cold winds are expected to be around 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12°C) during the day and can drop to single figures after sunset.
Mixed rain and snow may occur on Sunday before the main event, but Monday is so far expected to be cold and windy, yet dry. - Agency
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