Security in the nation’s capital will be at an all-time high Monday at Donald Trump’s history-making inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.
There will be snipers on rooftops and armed tactical teams on the ground. There will be tall anti-scale fencing, widespread road closures, concrete barrier blocks, security zones, metal detectors and checkpoints. And there will be swarms of National Guard troops and police officers, including thousands from stations nationwide.
It is, after all, the first swearing-in of a president who has recently survived two assassination attempts.
“The Secret Service will bring agents and other specialists from field offices across the country to provide a full slate of visible and invisible security measures,” William McCool, the Secret Service special agent in charge, told reporters at a press conference to explain the “higher threat environment” in Washington on Monday.
The inauguration is designated as a “national special security event,” which frees up communication, funding and preparation between multiple agencies, including the Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police, Homeland Security and the D.C. police.
The heightened security in downtown Washington follows a tumultuous election year in which Mr. Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during a July campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Then, two months later, the Secret Service thwarted another attempt on his life at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
More than 25,000 military and law enforcement personnel will be deployed around the city as hundreds of thousands of visitors and protesters descend on the nation’s capital for the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol and the demonstrations and inaugural balls around town.
The most affected areas will be the areas of the National Mall, the Capitol, the Washington Convention Center and Union Station.
The National Park Service announced the Washington Monument will be closed to the public. The Smithsonian museums on and near the National Mall also will be closed, along with the nearby American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
Law enforcement officials advise people to use the Metro to avoid road closures and traffic gridlock in and around downtown.
Security officials warned that it is a “higher threat environment” and that a chief concern is lone actors after the recent attempts to bring a machete and knives into the Capitol complex and a car lit on fire near the Capitol.
However, federal and state law enforcement officials said they are confident in their preparedness after overseeing the security for the Jan. 6 certification of the Electoral College vote and the funeral of the late President Jimmy Carter.
“The fencing remains up and will be staffed by individuals who, on the day of the inauguration, will be able to assist people in terms of getting in, getting screened and finding their way to where their seats are,” said Thomas Manger, chief of the U.S. Capitol Police. “One of the differences between what we expect this weekend and next Monday from the past few weeks is that we expect much larger crowds.”
Chief Manger said there would be 250,000 ticketed guests and thousands more who were planning to show up to protest downtown.
Mr. Trump’s guest list will include global dignitaries, high-profile business leaders and a who’s who of political figures.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to attend. Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are also expected to attend.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.