United States President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration will take place inside the Capitol on Monday rather than outdoors because of severe cold, the first time in 40 years that US presidential inaugural ceremonies will be moved indoors.
“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
“Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda,” Trump added.
The last time an inauguration was moved indoors because of the bitter cold was in 1985 for former Republican President Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in when the afternoon wind chill fell into the range of -23 to -29 degrees Celsius.
The forecast for Washington on Monday is for a temperature at the time of Trump’s swearing-in around -7°C but it is expected to feel even colder with wind chill.
Trump said supporters can view the ceremony on screens inside the Capital One Arena, a professional basketball and hockey venue in downtown Washington that holds 20,000 people.
He said his presidential parade, which was set to involve marching bands and other groups proceeding down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, will be switched to Capital One Arena. It was not immediately clear how a parade would be organised inside the sports venue.
Trump said he would join the crowd at the arena after being sworn in.
The switch means there will be no comparisons of Trump’s crowd size to previous inauguration ceremonies. After his first swearing-in, in 2017, the Republican Trump was infuriated by media reports suggesting the crowd on the National Mall was far smaller than the one that saw former Democratic President Barack Obama first take the oath of office in 2009.
The change in plans will greatly reduce the number of people able to watch the ceremony in person. Many of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests who had been due to watch from the US Capitol grounds will be unable to view the swearing-in inside the building.
In addition, 250,000 unticketed members of the public were predicted to stand on the National Mall for the outdoor ceremony, according to a permit issued to Trump’s inaugural committee by the National Park Service. Just a fraction of that number will fit into the Capital One Arena.
School secretary Tammy Matte, her pastor husband Paul and their high school son Michael had tickets provided by their local congressman but cancelled the trip from Laurel, Mississippi after learning they would not see Trump in person.
