WASHINGTON — President-elect Trump will be sworn into office on Monday, kicking off his second term at the White House.
For the first time in 40 years, the president will not be sworn in on the Capitol steps as expected sub-freezing temperatures led to the ceremony being moved indoors. The last time a president’s swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors was 1985, when Ronald Reagan began his second term.
The pageantry and celebration surrounding Trump’s inauguration began over the weekend and will ramp up on Monday as the president-elect takes the oath of office.
When does Trump become president?
On Monday morning, Trump will start with the traditional prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church before heading to the White House for a customary tea with the outgoing president and first lady.
Following the church service and a White House tea with the Bidens, Trump will be sworn into office inside the Capitol Rotunda at noon Eastern.
As part of the 20th amendment, the terms of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will officially end at noon Eastern on Jan. 20, meaning that Trump and Vice President-elect Vance take office at that time – whether or not they’ve done the oaths of office.
Trump’s inaugural committee announced that, like his first inauguration, Trump would take the oath of office on a family Bible given to him by his mother as well as the Bible used by President Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration in 1861. Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in on a family Bible given to him by his maternal great-grandmother.
Country music stars Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jason Aldean, disco band the Village People, rapper Nelly and musician Kid Rock are all scheduled to perform at inauguration-related ceremonies and events. Actor Jon Voight and wrestler Hulk Hogan are also expected to make appearances, as are a crew of Trump-embracing business executives: Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
As the new Republican government takes power, Trump will head to a signing ceremony at the Capitol to approve some of his first official acts, followed by a congressional luncheon and review of U.S. troops.
What about the Presidential Parade — is it still happening?
Trump also said that Capital One Arena would “host the Presidential Parade,” another tweak from tradition. Trump also said that he would “join the crowd” at Capital One after he takes the oath.
The parade is managed by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, and they are hurriedly working to figure out what changes need to be made and how the parade will go on, a task force official said. The official asked not to be named to provide details ahead of an announcement on how the parade will continue.
Normally, thousands of people line the route from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, which the president typically traverses following the swearing-in ceremony. Marching bands and other participants from around the country come to Washington to participate, so presumably they will also be part of the newly arranged indoor festivities.
Why is Inauguration Day on Jan. 20?
Inauguration Day falls on Jan. 20 the year after an election, a date which was set by the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
But it wasn’t always this way.
From George Washington’s second term through Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term, inauguration was typically on March 4. According to the National Archives, the four months between election and inauguration allowed incoming administrations enough time to transition into power.
Advances in communications and cars in the 20th century helped speed up this process, allowing for Congress to shorten the transition period. The 20th Amendment, proposed in 1932 and ratified in 1933, says that a president and vice president’s term will begin at noon on Jan. 20.
Additionally, the 20th Amendment also lays out a backup plan in case a president-elect dies or has not been chosen by the inauguration date. This procedure has never been enacted by Congress.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.