What you need to know about Donald Trump’s swearing-in day

Tomorrow, Donald Trump will officially take his seat in the Oval Office of the White House. How will this day go? Could certain announced decisions, notably customs tariffs, be implemented now? Here’s what you need to know.

How will the swearing-in day of the 47th take place^e President of the United States?

The swearing-in ceremony will kick off around noon Monday at the Capitol. Due to the cold weather forecast, it will instead take place inside the Capitol, a first in 40 years. In 1985, Ronald Reagan also took the oath of office sheltered from the polar cold.

Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in before President-elect Donald Trump. It is Judge Brett Kavanaugh, appointed to the Supreme Court by Trump during his first visit to the White House, who will swear in the vice-president.

Then, with his left hand on a Bible – usually held by the wife of the president-elect, in this case Melania Trump – and his right hand raised palm in front, Donald Trump will in turn be sworn in by repeating the words of the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts.

This oath should look like this: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully serve as President of the United States and will do my best to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, with God’s help.

A speech by the newly sworn president will then follow. At the start of his first term, in 2017, he spoke for just under 17 minutes. The speech by his successor, Joe Biden, lasted around 20 minutes.

In January 2017, he depicted a country in a catastrophic situation, in ruins, where everything was going very, very badly, so I am curious to see if he will take up this same themeindicates Julien Tourreille, researcher in residence at the Observatory on the United States of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair.

It will be interesting to see if he continues to make remarks with an imperialist content, for example by suggesting annexing Canada or Greenlandadds Mr. Tourreille. There, the message would be much more worrying.

The predicted polar cold forced the organizers to move the celebrations to Capital One Arenawhere supporters of the president-elect will be able to watch the ceremony live. It is also in this 20,000-seat amphitheater that the traditional parade will take place.

Donald Trump promised to take a look there after taking the oath.

Another signing ceremony, this time of executive orders that will set the tone for his presidency (more on that below), will take place in the Oval Office before Donald Trump attends three celebratory evening balls.

Donald Trump’s inauguration committee raised more than US$170 million for the ceremony, a record attributable in particular to technology giants – Amazon, Meta and Open AIamong others – who hope to curry favor with the president. Members of this committee confided to theAssociated Press that they expected to reach US$200 million ten days before the event.

Who will be present?

It is customary for living former presidents to be present during the ceremony. Unlike Donald Trump in 2021, the outgoing president has already announced that he will be present this year.

Presidents Bill Clinton (1993-2001), George W. Bush (2001-2009) and Barack Obama (2009-2017) are the only ones still alive. Jimmy Carter, at the helm of the world’s leading power for a single term from 1977 to 1981, died on December 29, 2024.

The American flags which were to be at half-mast at the Capitol on Inauguration Day to honor the memory of Jimmy Carter, according to a decree from President Biden, will ultimately no longer be. They will therefore be hoisted for swearing-in before being lowered to half-mast on Tuesday.

Due to the death of President Jimmy Carter, the flag will, for the first time in history during the inauguration of a new president, be at half-mast. Nobody wants to see this and no American can be happy about itDonald Trump complained on his network Truth Social.

For the first time in history, Donald Trump invited heads of state from the rest of the world – but not Justin Trudeau – to attend his swearing-in. No foreign leaders have been invited to the event in the past, according to CBS News, who combed through the archives of the US State Department, which go back to 1874.

It’s quite unprecedentednotes Julien Tourreille. In general, we send ambassadors instead.

Argentine President Javier Milei announced in December his intention to take part. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will ultimately not be there, while the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, will make the trip to Washington. Donald Trump also extended the invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping, but he will be represented by an envoy.

Other figures from the far right of the Old Continent have confirmed their presence, notably Marion Maréchal and Éric Zemmour (France), Nigel Farage (United Kingdom) and one of the leaders of the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Tino Chrupalla.

What security system will be put in place in Washington?

Unlike the previous ceremony, which took place behind closed doors since it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and because it was preceded, a few days earlier, by the assault of Trumpist supporters against the Capitol, that of Monday will take place in front of the public.

An imposing security system will be deployed for the occasion. Authorities in the District of Columbia (DC) say additional security measures have been implemented in recent weeks, including the closure of certain arterial roads, high-visibility patrols and the installation of 30 miles of fences and barriers.

More than 25,000 soldiers and police were mobilized.

The American authorities have been on the lookout since the terrorist attack that occurred in New Orleans on 1^is January, during the New Year celebrations.

Note that the size of the crowd that attended Donald Trump’s first swearing-in ceremony was debated… and this day was marked by counter-demonstrations. It’s very unlikely that we observe such demonstrations on Monday, believes Mr. Tourreille.

Which artists will perform at the event?

Country singer Carrie Underwood is set to perform the song America The Beautifulaccording to several American media.

The legendary group Village People will take part in two events to mark Donald Trump’s inauguration. This disco-pop collective is scheduled to perform at one of the inauguration balls and at a gathering organized the day before his swearing-in.

Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that we hope will help bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our favorite candidate lost. That’s why we think it’s time to bring the country together through musicthe group said on its Facebook page.

Country singers Lee Greenwood and Billy Ray Cyrus as well as opera singer Christopher Macchio are also on the program.

Could Donald Trump make good on his threat of tariffs as soon as he takes office?

According to certain American media, around a hundred decrees and directives are already waiting to be signed by Donald Trump as soon as he obtains the keys to the Oval Office, particularly on border and economic issues.

This presidential prerogative, recalls Julien Tourreille, has quasi-force of law as long as Congress does not adopt a law on the same subject which would go against the presidential decree.

During previous presidencies, there are [eu] a desire to [les] stage to show that we want to push for very clear political orientations, which perhaps mark a break with the predecessor and which show a desire to apply important elements of the programexplains Mr. Tourreille.

The imposition of 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products is expected to be included, with Mr. Trump having already hinted that he could sign an executive order to this effect on the first day of his presidency.

He can also be expected to issue pardons to those convicted in the assault on the Capitol.

Provincial and territorial premiers met with the federal government on Wednesday to prepare to respond if Donald Trump makes good on his threat.

Canada needs to come to terms with the fact that Mr. Trump will move forward with imposing these tariffs, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said after meeting with him twice at his residence from Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Ms. Smith will also be present on Monday for the swearing-in of the president-elect.

With information from Associated Press, Reuters and CNN