President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration will look much different than any in the past four decades after a last-minute decision to move it indoors.
Below-freezing, blustery weather forecast for Monday forced Mr. Trump to cancel the traditional ceremony and swearing-in on the West Front of the Capitol and shift everything inside to the Rotunda.
The move indoors, the first time since President Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inauguration, means thousands of spectators, including many ticket holders, won’t see Mr. Trump take the oath of office for a historic, second non-consecutive term live and in person.
It also takes some pressure off the Secret Service and law enforcement. They ramped up event security to unprecedented levels to protect an incoming president who dodged two assassination attempts in the past six months.
Dan Bongino, a conservative radio host and former Secret Service agent, called the move a “great decision” that “creates a lot of difficulties for bad actors.”
Law enforcement and the Secret Service planned a massive security footprint for the outdoor event. Snipers on rooftops and armed tactical teams on the ground were slated to augment the ring of tall anti-scale fencing already installed along the perimeter of the Capitol, with planned widespread road closures, concrete barrier blocks, security zones, metal detectors and checkpoints.
Thousands of National Guard troops and police officers, including thousands from stations nationwide, were expected to help secure the event.
Planners said they’ll “adapt” those security plans now that the event has been moved inside, but declined to provide specifics.
They’ll likely be focused on securing the Capital One Arena, where inaugural visitors have been detoured to watch the swearing-in live on television, and where Mr. Trump said he’ll be stopping by after he takes the oath of office.
The traditional inaugural parade will be detoured from Pennsylvania Ave to the roughly 20,000-seat arena.
“This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social, announcing the indoor move.
Those ticket-holders who had seats on the uppermost outdoor platform where Mr. Trump was to take the oath of office, as well as members of Congress, will be squeezed into the 4,600 square-foot Rotuna for the ceremony.
On Friday, Capitol workers scrambled to erect an indoor stage and set up the room to accommodate the VIPs.
Everyone else, including most of the hundreds of outdoor ticket holders, will be shut out.
“The vast majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremonies in person,” the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said in a statement. “While we know this is difficult for many attendees, we strongly suggest people who are in Washington for the event attend other indoor events at indoor venues of their choice to watch the inauguration.”
Many thousands of Trump supporters have already descended on Washington for the ceremony and to participate in related festivities.
Some will have a chance to see Mr. Trump in person at a Sunday rally, also at Capital One Arena. Other Trump supporters are attending unofficial inaugural events and balls over the weekend.
Mr. Trump advised those who plan to show up on Monday despite the brutally cold to “dress warmly!”
Modern-day presidential Inaugurations have almost always been held outdoors. Mr. Reagan’s second swearing-in was, until now, the exception. His ceremony was forced into the Rotunda, and the inaugural parade was canceled when temperatures dipped into the single digits and wind chills fell below zero.
Monday’s forecast calls for an overnight low of 6 degrees (minus-14 Celcius) and temperatures around 22 degrees (minus-6 Celsius) at noon during the swearing-in.
“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social, explaining the decision to nix the outdoor ceremony. “It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th.”
Cold inaugural weather has had deadly consequences. In 1841, President William Henry Harrison rode a horse, without wearing a coat or hat, to his inauguration at the Capitol. He delivered a 100-minute speech on the East Front. Afterward, he caught a cold that turned into pneumonia. A month after his swearing-in, Mr. Harrison died.
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