Eight years after his first inauguration, Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States, Monday January 20, in Washington. The culmination of four days of festivities, in a cold predicted to be polar, which forced part of the ceremony to be reorganized indoors. In 2017, the event led to protests and violence in the streets of the capital. On Monday, hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected for this ceremony broadcast live on France 2 and on franceinfo, from 4 p.m. Here is the program.
A program disrupted by the cold
This 2025 inauguration ceremony promises to be the coldest in forty years and that of Ronald Reagan in 1985, where temperatures dropped to -14°C, relays CNN. Temperatures are forecast to drop to -6°C on Monday. On Friday, Donald Trump therefore announced that part of the ceremony would be held indoors, in the rotunda of the Capitol for the swearing-in and other speeches, and in a stadium, the Capital One Arena, for the parade which must follow . The president-elect justified his choice on his Truth Social platform, citing weather conditions “dangerous” for the public and security personnel.
A swearing-in at the Capitol
Before the president, it is his vice-president, JD Vance, who will be inaugurated. Donald Trump will be sworn in around noon Washington time (6 p.m. Paris). With his hand on a Bible, he will swear to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” in the rotunda of the Capitol, seat of Congress. A building that some of his supporters stormed on January 6, 2021, to try to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, heated by a speech by the Republican candidate on an election “volley“, according to him.
Donald Trump will then deliver his inauguration speech, before the official farewells of outgoing President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, vice-president and unsuccessful candidate for president in November.
It will then be time for the new president to sign the documents formalizing appointments to important positions in his administration, but also “executive orders”, decrees which have the same power as a law. Donald Trump could sign around a hundred on the first day of his mandate, according to the AP agency.
The traditional parade will follow, relocated from the immense Mall esplanade to the Capital One Arena, with 7,500 participants announced, including military, university and even equestrian groups, before the arrival of the new president at the White House.
Three other speeches by Donald Trump are planned during the evening, during which a series of balls is traditionally organized. A ceremony at the national cathedral will close the investiture chapter on Tuesday.
A ceremony under high security
After an electoral campaign marked by violence and two assassination attempts targeting Donald Trump, the first in the middle of a meeting, Washington will experience an unprecedented security deployment. And this, even though the city expects to welcome fewer visitors than for Donald Trump’s first inauguration eight years ago, when authorities had anticipated up to a million people.
Some 25,000 police and military personnel will be mobilized and 48 km of anti-climbing fences, a record, have been erected around the security perimeter, designed before part of the event was relocated indoors. “We have a little more robust security plan” than in previous years, said Matt McCool, a Secret Service agent responsible for protecting political figures. “A set of visible and invisible security measures” have been put in place and guests at the ceremony will be subject to extensive screening.
Tech multi-billionaires at the forefront
In addition to the essential Elon Musk, the richest man in the world who has become one of Donald Trump’s close friends (and one of his main financial supporters), other tech billionaires are expected. Among them, Jeff Bezos, the boss of Amazon, and Mark Zuckerberg, that of Meta, who, after years of progressive speech, is getting closer to the ideological line of the new president.
-The three entrepreneurs “will occupy a pride of place during the ceremony”writes the NBC channel website, citing a source involved in the organization of the event. The bosses of Apple, Tim Cook and OpenAI, Sam Altman, will also be present according to Bloomberg, as will that of the social network TikTok, Shou Chew, according to information from New York Times.
Heads of state and leaders of far-right parties expected
Barack Obama, whom Donald Trump succeeded during his first term in 2017, will be present. Like the two other former presidents and their wives, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and George and Laura Bush, according to the American press. Two absences will be noted: those of former First Lady Michelle Obama and former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
Traditionally, no foreign head of state or government is invited to this ceremony, but Donald Trump has decided otherwise. The ultraliberal Argentine President Javier Milei, who gets along very well with the billionaire, confirmed having received his invitation, as well as that of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, who describes himself as “cool dictator”.
In Europe, far-right figures have announced their presence. Italian far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Viktor Orban are expected to make the trip. Just like the British elected official Nigel Farage, president of the pro-Brexit Reform UK party, or even, in Germany, one of the leaders of the AfD, Tino Chrupalla.
A delegation of elected representatives from Patriots for Europe, the third force in the European Parliament located on the far right of the political spectrum, has indicated that it will be present. On the French side, the National Rally will be represented by Louis Aliot, Julien Sanchez and Alexandre Sabatout. Marion Maréchal is also invited, as is the leader of Reconquête Eric Zemmour as well as the European deputy Sarah Knafo.
On stage, the Village People and a country star
After Hollywood stars Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez in 2021, country singer Carrie Underwood and tenor Christopher Macchio will participate in the ceremony. The former, who launched her career by winning the show “American Idol” in 2005, is to perform the patriotic song America the Beautiful. The second, whom Donald Trump compared to Luciano Pavarotti, will sing the American anthem.
Accused of threatening individual freedoms and the rights of minorities, Donald Trump has often been shunned by major stars of music and entertainment. But the Village People group agreed to host the festivities. His disco hit Y.M.C.A.considered an anthem of the gay community in the 1970s and 1980s, has become an essential part of Donald Trump’s rallies. As usual, the billionaire should perform a few dance steps to this legendary song.
“We believe music should be shared across the political spectrum and not restricted to one party. But the sad truth is that if our favorite candidate (Kamala Harris) had won, Village People would never have been invited to to perform at her inauguration She would have chosen people like John Legend and Beyoncé, etc.”, justified the group’s founder, Victor Willis, on his Facebook page.
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