Inauguration of Donald Trump: These will be the changes that the new president’s ceremony will have

The extreme cold of Washington has forced Donald Trump’s second inauguration to break with tradition and not be held outdoors, opening another chapter in the history of this ceremony full of symbolism that has been shaped over time.

George Washington, the first president of USAwas sworn into office on April 30, 1789 in an austere ceremony in Congress, which at that time was in New York.

It was not until 1933 that the Constitution established January 20 at noon as the official date of the inauguration. But it imposes no other requirements, so the ceremony has added events and pomposity over the years.

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For the last century, the Capitol in Washington has been the scene of most iinvestmentswhich were first held in the east portico of the building and since the inauguration of Ronald Reagan 1981, on the emblematic staircase in front of the National Esplanade.

There were, however, some exceptions, such as the takeover of Franklin D. Roosevelt [1945whichtookplaceintheWhiteHouseorwhenVicePresidentLyndonBJohnsonwassworninasthenewpresidentfromAirForceOneaftertheassassinationofJohn F. Kennedy.

Due to the cold wave hitting the capital, Trump made the last-minute decision to hold his second inauguration inside the Congressin the Capitol Rotunda, the same place where Reagan was sworn in for his second term in 1985, also because of the cold.

Trump, obsessed with large crowds, will be left without the now traditional photograph of the swearing-in in front of hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall.

The most massive inauguration in history was the first of Barack Obama, in 2009, which brought together more than a million people, with freezing temperatures similar to those expected on Monday in Washington.

Trump maintains that he had a larger audience at his 2017 inauguration, even though aerial photos show a clear difference in favor of the Democrat. On this second occasion, changes in plans will not allow for a new comparison of crowds.

Another image for posterity is that of Joe Biden swearing in office in 2021 from the steps of the Capitol but in front of an empty National Esplanade due to the restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic.

Once inaugurated, the presidents leave the Capitol and parade towards the White House through Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the two most important buildings in the country.

The first to take part in this walking tour was Jimmy Carter in 1977, when he got out of the presidential limousine to show closeness to the people, at a time of strong discredit towards politicians for the watergate scandal which forced the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

Trump’s change of plans will also affect this tradition, since after being sworn in, the Republican will go to the Capital One stadium in Washington to address the thousands of guests who could not be accommodated inside the Capitol.

When night falls after the inauguration, the party begins in Washington, which is filled with galas to celebrate the new president and a central event takes place: the first dance between the president and the first lady.

George Washington and his wife are said to have danced a waltz after the inauguration, although the first official inaugural dance was that of James and Dolly Madison in 1808.

As time went by, the balls became more glamorous, with the attendance of famous artists and severe scrutiny of the first lady’s dress.

The inauguration of a new president is also the farewell for the outgoing president. It is common for both of them to start the day having tea in the White House and then attend the ceremony together at the Capitol.

The inauguration is itself a symbol of the peaceful transition of powers, a tradition that Trump broke in 2021 by not attending the Biden inauguration falsely denouncing electoral fraud.

Another tradition, started by Reagan when he left office in 1989, is to leave a letter in the Oval Office addressed to his successor, something Trump did do four years ago.