1 of 5 | President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol next week will be moved indoors because of cold weather, according to multiple reports Friday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
License Photo
Jan. 17 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced that his inauguration next week is will to be moved indoors because of cold weather.
“I have ordered the inaguration address, in addition to prayers and other speeches to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
He added that the decision was made because there was an “arctic blast sweeping the country” with a windchill forecast that could bring temperatures into “severe record lows.”
“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured in any way,” Trump wrote. “It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police k9s and even horses and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!)”
Altered plans would have Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance sworn into office inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday, The New York Times, CNN and ABC News reported ahead of Trump’s announcement.
The temperature in Washington on inauguration day is expected to have a high of just 23 degrees with a low of 11 degrees. The wind chill could make it feel between 5 and 10 degrees colder, while there is also the possibility of snow.
During Reagan’s inaguration in 1985, temperatures fell to 4 degrees below zero in Washington.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is in discussions with members of Trump’s transition team about how to handle the thousands of people scheduled to attend the event.
Typically, onlookers gather at the National Mall to take in the event. The new president typically takes the oath of office around noon EST, followed by the vice president.
Both officials are normally sworn in by the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
After the oath, the president then delivers his first address.
In 2020, President Joe Biden recorded one of the longest inauguration addresses on record at 2,371 words, which more than 21 minutes.
Country music star Carrie Underwood is scheduled to perform “America the Beautiful” between the oaths taken by Trump and Vance. It’s not known how an indoor inauguration would affect or alter the performance.
The cost of a presidential inauguration can be hard to pin down, but they typically require around $100 million.