Donald Trump will take oath as the President of the United States on Monday with several prominent world leaders and US politicians in attendance. The ceremony was expected to be an extravagant break from tradition — before it got moved indoors due to cold weather. The somewhat curtailed guest list will however include well-known performers, influential billionaires and foreign heads of state as guests.
More than 220,000 tickets were being distributed to the public before Trump announced on Friday the venue would be shifted indoors. Organisers however indicated that the Capitol Rotunda can only hold around 600 people.
As such, there will be precious few spots for Supreme Court justices, military leaders, former presidents and their spouses, Cabinet nominees and visiting dignitaries — along with the 535 members of Congress who traditionally get prime spots. It is also pertinent to note that some Democratic lawmakers are skipping the ceremony.
Trump has said that supporters can watch a live feed from the Capital One sports arena — which holds up to 20,000 — and promised to drop in later.
Top US leaders set to attend ceremony
Outgoing President Joe Biden is slated to attend the ceremony on Monday — despite the 2020 upheaval that saw Trump refusing to attend after facing defeat.
All living former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — will attend alongside their wives. However Michelle Obama will not be in attendance.
This also means that Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris — both of whom Trump has defeated — will attend the event.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not be attendPresident-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, according to her spokesperson.
Foreign leaders head to Washington DC
Donald Trump broke from tradition to extending invitations to several world leaders after his decisive win. No heads of state have previously made an official visit to the US for the inauguration — with the ceremony typically attended by diplomats or foreign ministers.
Argentinian president Javier Milei and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni have accepted the offer. The offices of Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña have also said they were invited and planning to attend.
It was revealed in December that Chinese President Xi Jinping had been invited for the ceremony. The CCP chief will not be attending, but is sending Vice President Han Zheng as his special representative.
Meanwhile Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The two leaders had enjoyed a strong camaraderie during his previous term and the EAM is reportedly carrying a letter from Modi to Trump with him.
(With inputs from agencies)
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