President-elect Donald J. Trump said Friday that the inauguration will be held inside the Capitol Rotunda due to weather concerns.
Changes to Monday's event mean far fewer people will be able to watch Trump officially become the 47th president, limited to invited guests indoors and a small group watching on television.
But the switch means attendees, security and spectators won't have to endure dangerous conditions while watching for hours in frigid temperatures. It also avoids the possibility of fewer people attending due to the weather. Trump was furious over reports that his 2017 inauguration had a smaller audience than President Obama's 2017 inauguration, and spent several days mounting a rebuttal.
Conversations around Trump this week have focused on the frigid temperatures expected on Monday, with temperatures expected to drop to a low of 11 degrees Fahrenheit and a high of just 23 degrees.
The last time the swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors was in 1985, during President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration, under similar circumstances.
“Washington, D.C. weather forecast calls for severe and potentially record-low temperatures due in part to wind chill. An arctic blast is sweeping the nation,” Trump wrote on his social media. I wrote on the website “Truth Social.''
“I don't want to see people hurt or harmed in any way. Tens of thousands of law enforcement, first responders, police K9s, even horses, and for hours on the 20th… “It's a dangerous situation for the hundreds of thousands of supporters outside (in any case, if you decide to come, please dress warmly!),” he wrote.
He added that he ordered that his address and various speeches and prayers be held in the rotunda.
He said he plans to use the Capital One Arena, a few blocks away from the National Mall, for people to gather to watch the first event live, and to participate there afterward.
The inaugural parade will also include a viewing party at Washington's Capital One Arena, according to Trump's social media posts.
