What to know about Trump's inauguration
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President-elect Trump, Melania Trump and their son, Barron, board a U.S. Air Force aircraft en route to Dulles, Virginia, on Jan. 18 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
President-elect Trump will be inaugurated on Monday as the 47th president of the United States in Washington, D.C.
The big picture: Inauguration Day — with Vice President-elect JD Vance also slated to be inaugurated as the third-youngest vice president and first millennial VP — will coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- It is only the third time MLK Day has fallen on Inauguration Day, with earlier instances being the 1997 inauguration of former President Clinton and the 2013 inauguration of former President Obama.
- Trump's inauguration officially kickstarts a second term he promises will bring mass deportations, aggressive tariffs on U.S. imports and the dismantling of the Department of Education.
What his second term likely won't mean is jail time for Trump — the first former and incoming president with a felony conviction — who on Jan. 10 received a no-penalty sentence in a New York hush money case. He was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records for his criminal trial last May.
- He claimed after the decision that he is "totally innocent" and "did nothing wrong."
What is Trump saying about his inauguration?
The president-elect told NBC News last month the central theme of his inaugural address will be "unity."
- "As I said, we're going to be talking about unity, and we're going to be talking about success, making our country safe, keeping people (out) that shouldn't be in our country — we have to do that," he said. "I know it doesn't sound nice, but we have to do that."
When is the inauguration?
Gates will open for security screening at 5am ET, with musical performances starting at about 9:30am, per a news release from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC).
- Inaugural ceremonies will begin at 11:30am, and the swearing-in ceremony will begin at noon, with Vance going first and Trump to follow.
Where is the inauguration?
The swearing-in ceremony, originally set to take place on the front steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., will be moved inside the Capitol rotunda due to freezing weather forecasts.
- The parade down Pennsylvania Avenue will move to Washington's Capital One Arena.
Who's attending the inauguration?
More than 220,000 tickets were printed for the event, with former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — and tech moguls alike set to attend.
- Attendees include billionaire Elon Musk, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is co-hosting a black-tie reception Monday night, per the AP.
- Country music star Carrie Underwood is set to perform at the inauguration, while the disco group the Village People and musicians Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus were booked for the inaugural rally on Sunday.
- Country singer Jason Aldean and the band Rascal Flatts will play at the inaugural ball on Monday.
Yes, but: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former first lady Michelle Obama have joined a growing list of officials and legislators who do not plan to attend the inauguration.
What is planned for the day?
Inauguration Day traditionally starts with a procession, in which the outgoing president joins the president-elect in a walk to the Capitol for swearing-in ceremonies.
- The vice president, vice president-elect and their spouses are also present for the procession and escorted by JCCIC members.
- The swearing-in ceremonies, including oaths of office, follow and the incoming president gives his inaugural address.
- The outgoing president and first lady leave in an honorary departure, and signing ceremonies start followed by an inaugural luncheon and Pass in Review to allow the incoming commander in chief to inspect the troops.
How can you watch?
The inauguration will air live on several major broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC and PBS.
- The White House is also planning a livestream of the day's events.
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