Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, marking the start of his second term and completing one of the most remarkable political comebacks in American history. Inauguration Day, traditionally a day of ceremony, will see Trump not only take the oath but also sign numerous executive orders on issues such as border security and oil and gas production.
Here's what we know about Inauguration Day so far:
Donald Trump will take the oath of office at 12 pm. EST (1700 GMT) on January 20, likely administered by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in front of the US Capitol. He will then deliver his inaugural address, which he has described as uplifting and unifying, marking a departure from his 2017 speech that depicted the country as “American Carnage.”
The outgoing president, Democrat Joe Biden, has said he plans to attend the ceremony and witness the transfer of power, a courtesy Trump did not afford him four years earlier. The joint congressional committee that administers the swearing-in ceremony on the Capitol grounds says it will be releasing more than 220,000 tickets for the event, Reuters reported.
The National Park Service has issued a permit to Trump’s inauguration committee for an estimated crowd of 250,000 people at the National Mall, where unticketed members of the public will gather to watch the ceremony. Country music star Carrie Underwood is expected to perform at Trump's swearing-in ceremony.
Inaugural events will kick off on Saturday, January 18, with the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for 12 p.m. EST on Monday, January 20. The ceremony will be broadcast live across all major networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, and PBS) as well as CSPAN. For online streaming, viewers can tune into official YouTube livestreams from ABC, CBS, PBS News Hour, and Fox News, while NBC News Now will provide coverage for NBC viewers.
Trump has broken with tradition by inviting several foreign leaders to his inauguration, as they typically do not attend due to security concerns and instead send diplomats. Argentina's president, Javier Milei, a strong Trump supporter, has confirmed he will attend. Other backers, including Hungary's Viktor Orban and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, are also considering attending. Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite receiving an invitation, will not attend but will send an envoy.
Also Read: Will Donald Trump unleash Wall Street?
Prominent figures expected at the ceremony include Trump adviser Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO; Jeff Bezos, executive chairman of Amazon; and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, who are all expected to have prominent seats.
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, Reuters reported.
Two sources familiar with the planning told Reuters that Trump is preparing a flood of executive orders and directives that could total more than a 100 for Day One and beyond.
He is expected to sign orders that give immigration officers more latitude to arrest migrants with no criminal records, send more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and restart construction of the border wall, the report noted.
As reported by Reuters, the official events are financed by Trump’s inauguration committee, which is chaired by longtime Trump allies Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer who is Trump's pick to be his Middle East envoy, and Kelly Loeffler, a former U.S. senator and Trump's pick to head the Small Business Administration.
Also Read: US to take over Greenland? Donald Trump dials Danish PM to reiterate interest in acquisition
The committee will be responsible for covering the costs of everything but the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, which is borne by taxpayers.
Bezos and Zuckerberg have pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inauguration committee, along with Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Uber and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, have also contributed $1 million each to the fund.
Trump's 2017 inauguration raised a record $106.7 million, and according to media reports, his committee has raised over $170 million for this year’s festivities.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.