Donald Trump to be sworn in as US President - here's how events will unfold

Preparations are under way for Donald Trump to be sworn in as the 47th President of the USA, during a inaugural ceremony in Washington DC on Monday.

Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States on Monday, when he takes the oath of office inside the US Capitol, before moving back to the White House.

Inauguration Day traditionally involves a series of events in Washington DC, from the solemn to the celebratory, kicking off in the morning and continuing into the night.

For the first time since the inauguration of the late President Ronald Reagan in 1985, Trump’s inaugural address, parade and balls will be held inside the Capitol due to severe cold weather.

“The weather forecast for Washington DC, with the wind-chill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday. “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.”

As well as the formal swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address, there’s a parade as the new president and his first lady travel from the Capitol to the White House, a military review and a number of inaugural balls.

Scenes from past inauguration ceremonies for presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. / Credit: AP

Trump’s first inauguration, after he defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, was marked by a searing inaugural address, a dispute over the crowd size and a huge Women’s March the following day.

So what’s the timetable for Trump’s second inauguration and what should you look out for?

What were the events leading up to the big day?

Trump made a triumphant return to Washington DC on Saturday evening with a party at his golf club in Virginia attended by 500 donors, supporters and party officials.

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Trump spent Saturday and Sunday night at Blair House, an official residence in Washington, also known as the President’s Guest House.

He spent the eve of his inauguration attending a series of Washington events where he repeated several of his campaign lines on immigration, including the unfounded claim that foreign governments are “emptying” their prisons, jails or mental institutions into the US.

His team had earlier described it as being “a celebration of music, unity, and patriotism, ushering in America’s new Golden Age”.

Musical acts included country singer Lee Greenwood, who has performed his signature tune ‘God Bless the USA’ at multiple Trump rallies, and more notably the Village People.

Village People will perform at a MAGA Victory Rally on the eve of Trump’s inauguration / Credit: Facebook/Village People

In a social media post, the band acknowledged their LGBTQ+ fans would be unhappy they had accepted an invitation to participate in inaugural activities, but said: “we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics”.

Their gay anthem, Y.M.C.A., has become a Trump-rally hit despite their lack of support for the president-elect.

Their post added: “Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.

“Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music which is why (we) will be performing at various events as part of the 2025 Inauguration of Donald J. Trump”

What happens on Inauguration Day?

The first time Trump will be seen in public on Monday is when he and his wife Melania attend a morning service at St John’s Church, before they go to the White House for tea with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

Controversially, this get-together of the outgoing and incoming presidents and their spouses did not happen ahead of Biden’s inauguration. Having contested the 2020 election result, Trump refused to attend Biden’s inauguration, making him the first sitting president to decline the invitation since 1869.

However, Biden is sticking to protocol and has promised a peaceful transition of power.

Workers at Freedom Plaza along Pennsylvania Avenue for parade seating ahead of the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. / Credit: AP

After their morning tea, the two couples travel to the Capitol by motorcade and Trump is taken into the building, while Bidens and other guests take their seats inside.

Those guests will include former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

President-elect Donald Trump and vice-president elect JD Vance will walk out onto the stage inside the Capitol before both being sworn in.

The organising committee has set the time for Trump to take the oath of office as 11.47am, to reflect that he is the 47th President, but such events don’t usually run to an exact schedule.

US Presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden taking their oath of office / Credit: AP

Once he has been sworn in, Trump will make his inaugural address, and then a signing ceremony will take place.

That is followed by a traditional inaugural lunch, to which former presidents are invited. However, Presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama have all declined the invitation.

After lunch, President Trump, who is now commander in chief of the US army and navy, oversees a military march past, known as Review of Troops on the East Front

The Trump motorcade will then head back to the White House, for another signing ceremony. The new president and first lady are expected to get out of the motorcade at various points on the parade route.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk along the inauguration day parade route in 2017 / Credit: AP

What happens on the inauguration night?

After the White House signing-in ceremony, the Trumps take a break and get ready for their night out, when they appear for a symbolic “first dance” at a series of formal balls – the Commander in Chief ball, the Liberty Ball and finally the Starlight ball.

The inaugural balls are always closely watched, with the first couple under pressure to give a public display of marital unity.

However, it may not be the first dance which grabbed the headlines – after his inauguration in 2017, Trump signed his first executive order within hours of taking office, rolling back the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

The Clintons dancing at an inaugural ball in 1993 and the Bidens at a ball in 2021 / Credit: AP

What happens the next day?

The day after the inauguration of a US president, a national prayer service is held at Washington National Cathedral.

This year, 2,500 people are expected to attend alongside the president and first lady.

That’s the last formal event of the inaugural process.

What Trump chooses to do with the rest of the day, will also set the tone of his second presidency.

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