Strictly speaking, Donald Trump has already made a good advance to make his name stand out in the history books. Firstly, he became the oldest elected president of the United States, surpassing even Ronald Reagan, who was 69 years old when he won the election and was sworn in (Trump is now 70 - approx. Ed.). Second, Donald Trump's 58th inauguration ceremony is expected to be the most expensive (so far, Barack Obama's first inauguration is holding the lead at $170 million).
By what other parameters can Trump bypass "competitors"? Here are a few facts that at various times have given inauguration ceremonies their distinctive features.
1. Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd President of the United States, but the first in the history of the country, who took the oath in Washington. This happened in 1801.
2. The first inaugural parade took place at the very first inauguration of President Jefferson, also in 1801.
3. The first inaugural ball was held during the inauguration of James Madison in 1809. The ticket for it cost $4: everything is simple - Madison was the fourth president of the United States.
4. The first president to be sworn in on January 20 (in accordance with the 20th Amendment to the Constitution) was the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt. This happened during his second inauguration in 1937.
5. The inauguration of the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan (1857), was the first during which photographers were allowed to attend, and an official photo session was held.
6. The inaugural speech of Calvin Coolidge (30th President of the United States) was the first to be broadcast on the radio (1925).
7. The inauguration of Harry Truman (33rd US President) in 1949 was first shown on television.
8. The second inauguration of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, was broadcast in real time on the Internet for the first time. It was 1997.
9. Dwight Eisenhower (34th President of the United States) is remembered for perhaps the most original inauguration ceremony, during which in 1953 he lassoed a cowboy on the podium.
10. Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter (39th President of the United States) were the only presidents in history to "walk" the inaugural parade from Capitol Hill to the White House.
11. The second inaugural speech of the 1st US President George Washington was the shortest in history - it was only 135 words.
12. The speech of the 9th US President William Henry Harrison, on the contrary, turned out to be the longest (at the moment, of course). It took Harrison one hour and 45 minutes to say 8,445 words. All this time - during a snowstorm! He was standing in an open space without a coat or hat.
13. Courage (or stubbornness?) played a trick on Harrison: his term was also the shortest in American history. He died in 1941, a month after his inauguration, from pneumonia.
14. The warmest - literally - inauguration went to Ronald Reagan. When Reagan took the oath for the first time (1981), it was 13 degrees outside the window with a plus sign. But on the calendar was January 20!
15. Four years later, the weather took revenge: Reagan's second inauguration (1985) was remembered as the coolest (in the afternoon in Washington it was only +7 degrees).
16. The first inauguration of Barack Obama was the most massive: in 2009, about 1.8 million Americans gathered on the National Mall.
17. Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest president of the United States (and the 26th in a row) - at the time of taking the oath, he was only 42 years old.
On January 20, Donald Trump will take office as the 45th President of the United States. Celebrations on this occasion will be held in Washington for three days. The main events will start at 15:30 CET (17:30 Moscow time). Watch the inauguration ceremony live on euronews.
Where will the inauguration take place?
The main action will unfold on Capitol Hill near the Congress building. A special platform has been mounted here, from which Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States.
In March of the distant 1909, the inauguration of President William Howard Taft had to be moved indoors - on the eve of the event, a blizzard with sleet hit Washington. The situation practically repeated itself in 1985 with Ronald Reagan. He was sworn in (for a second term) on January 20, 1985, in a private ceremony at the White House. The day fell on a Sunday and the celebration was celebrated the following day in the Capitol rotunda due to bad weather.
What happens on inauguration day?
The ceremony will begin at 11:30 local time (19:30 Moscow time), and Donald Trump and Michael Pence will take office at noon. The elected vice president (Pence) will be the first to take the oath. After that, Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in the new president (Trump).
According to the tradition established by George Washington at the first inauguration ceremony in New York on April 30, 1789, the head of state takes an oath on the Bible, although this moment is not spelled out in any rules.
Obama, at his inauguration in 2013, laid his hand on the Bible of President Abraham Lincoln, which is stored in the US Library of Congress. Trump decided to use two Bibles - Lincoln's and his family, received at the age of 9 as a gift from his mother.
Oath of the President
According to Article 2 of the US Constitution, Trump will pronounce
these words: “I do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully perform the office of President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States". To this, as a rule, presidents add: "And God help me."
Guests and participants of the ceremony
Ceremony participants and more than 1,600 guests will gather at the Congress Building on Capitol Hill: outgoing President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden with their families, Donald Trump and Michael Pence with their wives and children, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and other legislators, former cabinet members and candidates for these posts in the new administration, members of the Supreme Court, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, state governors.
Traditionally, the ceremony is attended by former leaders of the state. Former US President Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, who was Trump's rival in the elections on November 8 last year, confirmed their participation. George W. Bush will not be able to come to the ceremony
state of health.
How will the ceremony end?
The ceremony ends with the US national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. This time, 16-year-old American soprano Jackie Ivanko will be honored to do so.
What will happen after?
At the end of the event, the incoming President and Vice President will enter the Capitol building, where the Inaugural Ceremonies Committee will host a gala dinner in their honor.
After the banquet, Trump and Pence will lead a solemn procession down Pennsylvania Avenue from Congress to the White House.
Presidential ball
The day will end with traditional Washington balls, the number of which changed from year to year. Under Clinton, the number of points rose to 14, and under Obama it dropped to 10, and then to two at his inauguration on the second
term.
Trump has three inauguration balls scheduled. Of these, two - for a wide range of participants. The third ball that Trump will attend will be given in honor of the country's Armed Forces.
Safety
In addition to the ongoing terrorist threat, the authorities fear the actions of activists of the public association DisruptJ20 (“Disrupt J-20”), who announced their intention to disrupt the ceremony.
Reportedly, to ensure order during
3,000 police officers will be additionally mobilized at the inauguration. In addition, 5,000 US National Guard soldiers will arrive in Washington.
US Presidential Inauguration: One Ceremony, Different Styles
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1961
Gerald Rudolph Ford, 1974
Ronald Reagan, 1981
Bill Clinton, 1993
George Bush, 2001
Barack Obama, 2009
Today, January 19, the inaugural celebrations begin. In total, the celebrations in honor of the inauguration will last three days - from January 19 to 21. We will tell you what is planned for each of these three days.
Every four years, as a rule, according to the same unchanging scenario, the Inauguration of the newly elected President of the United States of America takes place.
Article 2 of the US Constitution provides that to be elected President of the United States of America, a person must be a US citizen by birth, at least 35 years of age, and have resided in the United States of America for at least 14 years.
US presidential inauguration: day one
January 19 during the day from morning to evening, all events will be held at the Lincoln Memorial - a memorial complex located on the National Mall in downtown Washington. A marathon concert called Voices of the People, featuring brass bands and choirs from all over the United States.
At 15:00 (23:00 Moscow time) at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery, where prominent American military men, politicians and astronauts are buried, President Donald Trump, along with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, will solemnly lay wreaths of mourning.
At 4:00 pm, Lincoln Memorial - speeches by Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Further, until the evening, the continuation of the concert, which
end with fireworks at dusk.
All celebrations will be widely broadcast live on radio and television.
US presidential inauguration: day two
January 20th
At 8:30 (15:30 Moscow time), Donald Trump, Mike Pence and their families will arrive for a service at St. John's Episcopal Church, located near the White House.
At 9:30 a.m., Barack Obama and Donald Trump and their spouses will hold a traditional tea party at the White House. At the end, everyone will go together to the place of solemn acceptance of the oath.
At 11:30 a.m., the 58th inauguration ceremony of the President of the United States of America begins. The ceremony will be opened by the President's personal band of Marines, which has performed at inaugurations since 1801. Traditionally, for the last sixty years, all the inaugural ceremonies of US presidents have been commented on by the well-known announcer in the US, Charles Brotnam. However, this time he will not be the inauguration ceremony for Donald Trump. Instead, the newly elected president decided to choose the 58-year-old announcer Stephen Ray as the host of the inauguration ceremony. He will have to introduce former presidents present at the ceremony, members of the Trump and Pence families, and congressional leaders. Hillary Clinton, who lost in the election to Trump, will attend the inauguration along with her husband, former US President Bill Clinton. In addition, US President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, as well as former President Jimmy Carter, should also be present. George W. Bush is likely to be absent from the ceremony due to poor health. After the presentation, performances by the clergy should follow.
At exactly 12:00 noon, on the western steps of the Capitol, Donald Trump will be sworn in and from that moment he will officially become the forty-fifth President of the United States. The oath will be taken by Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court John Roberts.
Although the text of the oath: "I solemnly swear that I will faithfully perform the duties of the President of the United States and to the best of my ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" and minor variations are allowed, so far only one of the presidents taking the oath - Franklin Pierce, said the time taking the oath in 1853 "I solemnly promise" instead of "I solemnly swear." When pronouncing the oath, Donald Trump will use two Bibles - a Bible that belonged to Abraham Lincoln, and a Bible given to him by his mother in 1955 in honor of his Sunday school graduation. As soon as the new head of state takes the oath, the US Marine Corps Band will play the presidential anthem Hail to the Chief (Glory to the Commander) and at the same time a volley of twenty-one guns will thunder.
At 13:00, after being sworn in, Donald Trump will deliver his inaugural address. At the end of the ceremony, 16-year-old Jackie Ivanko will perform the national anthem.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the outgoing president will leave Capitol Hill, and the incoming president and vice president will return to the Capitol building, where the Joint Inauguration Committee will host a dinner in their honor. Trump and Pence's motorcade will then lead the inaugural parade, which will run down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. More than 8,000 people will take part in the parade: veterans and active-duty military, high school and college students, police officers, motorcyclists and cavalry units, as well as boy scouts. The parade in honor of Donald Trump will last about an hour and a half.
At 19:00, three official inaugural balls will begin, which will include dancing, lots of entertainment, congratulations, speeches by Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Two balls will be held at the Walter Washington Convention Center and will feature guests from all over the country. And in the building of the National Museum there will be a ball in honor of the military, the entrance will be only by special invitations.
US presidential inauguration: day three
January 21
At 10:00 a.m., an interfaith prayer service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral. This is a tradition dating back to 1933, the first inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
This concludes the official celebrations.
At noon on January 20 (20:00 Moscow time), billionaire Trump became the owner of the White House, replacing Barack Obama in this post
Early in the morning of January 20, 2017, the Capitol building in Washington was ready for the inauguration of the new US president. The tradition of holding the ceremony in the west wing of the Capitol has been going on since January 20, 1981, when Ronald Reagan took over as President of the United States.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which has existed since 1973, is not the first time that it has taken part in the inauguration of a US President. The choir sang during the inauguration of Lyndon Johnson in 1965, Richard Nixon in 1969, Ronald Reagan in 1981 and George W. Bush (in 1989) and George W. Bush (in 2001- m).
Incumbent US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at the entrance to the White House are waiting for President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania for a traditional tea party. In an hour and a half, Obama will transfer to Trump the powers of the head of state, which he led for eight years. Following a long tradition, Obama left a note for the new president, Donald Trump, in the top drawer of his desk in the Oval Office.
For a tea party with the Obamas, the wife of the elected President of the United States, Melania Trump, arrived with a gift for Michelle Obama - an elegant tiffany-colored package.
The inauguration ceremony for Republican Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States was attended by the 39th President, Democrat Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn. Carter held the Oval Office of the White House from 1977 to 1981. The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, who succeeded him, and the 41st President George W. Bush, who followed him, did not attend Trump's inauguration. Reagan passed away in 2004. And Bush Sr. was hospitalized a few days before Trump's inauguration.
The 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush (2001-2009) arrived at Trump's inauguration ceremony with his wife Laura
Among the honored guests of the inauguration ceremony were former US President Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and his wife Hillary Clinton. She was Trump's rival in the presidential election and, until the last day, most polls gave her the lead in the presidential race.
US President-elect Donald Trump appeared before the gathering in the west wing of the Capitol to take the oath and take office as the 45th President of the United States
Tens of thousands of people gathered in front of the Capitol in Washington to see with their own eyes the accession of Donald Trump to the office of President of the United States and to hear him say "America first!"
In downtown Washington, about one and a half hundred people held a protest against Trump. They smashed car windows and shop windows. The Bank of America office and the Starbucks coffee shop were also affected.
Police fired tear gas at anti-Trump demonstrators.
Protests against the new US president were also held in a number of other countries. Including - at the US Embassy in London.
Barack Obama congratulates Donald Trump at the inauguration ceremony of the new US President.
New US President Donald Trump and members of his family at the inauguration ceremony at the walls of the Capitol in Washington.
After the speech and congratulations, Donald Trump and Melanie escorted Barack Obama and Michelle to the helicopter on the lawn of the Capitol building. From Washington, Barack and Michelle Obama flew to Joint Base Andrews, located 25 km from Washington. From there, saying goodbye to the workers of the air base where the Presidential Air Force One is based, they went on vacation to Palm Springs, California.
Barack Obama is 55 years old. He served as President of the United States from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017.
The inauguration ceremony for newly elected US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be held on January 20 on Capitol Hill in front of the Congress building in Washington. The 45th head of America will make a solemn speech, after which a parade will take place and a festive ball will begin. On the occasion of the celebration, RT decided to recall the American inaugurations, which the country especially remembered. So, George Washington had the shortest solemn speech - only 135 words, and during his inauguration, the previous US President Barack Obama forgot the words of the oath.
- Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Jimmy Carter
- Reuters
History of inaugurations
The first such celebration took place on April 30, 1789 at Federal Hall in New York. Then George Washington, the first President of the United States, took office. In the current capital of the country, which Washington became only in 1800, the first inauguration of a new head took place in 1801 - then the 3rd US President Thomas Jefferson solemnly took office.
Now the place of the inauguration is the west wing of the Capitol (the place where the US Congress meets. — RT). It was chosen in 1981, during the inauguration of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
Until 1933, inaugurations took place on the same day - March 4, but the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution shortened the transition period, and the date of the inauguration of the new head was moved to January 20.
Interestingly, if the date of the inauguration falls on a Sunday, then it is postponed to the next day - Monday. For this reason, in 2008, Barack Obama took office for his first term on January 21st. The next inauguration, which will also be moved from Sunday to Monday, will take place in 2041.
The oath flew out of my head
Every new president of the United States is required to take the oath. This is stated in Article II, Title I of the US Constitution.
“Before taking office, the President takes an oath or makes a declaration in the following form: “I solemnly swear (or declare) that I will faithfully perform the office of President of the United States and to the best of my ability uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Despite the fact that the oath consists of 35 words (in English), some presidents and statesmen manage to forget it. Like, for example, the 44th leader of the United States, Barack Obama. He was to say, "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly promise that I will faithfully serve as President of the United States and, to the best of my ability, will uphold, safeguard, and defend the Constitution of the United States." However, after the words “I promise that I will,” the 44th President suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.
The hottest inauguration
On the day of inauguration of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, the weather was the warmest of all inauguration days. Then, in January 1981, the air temperature rose to +13 degrees Celsius. This event went down in history as "the warmest January inauguration".
- Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan during the inaugural parade in Washington DC
- CNP/AdMedia/globallookpress.com
It is noteworthy that on January 21, 1985, on the day of his second inauguration, the air temperature dropped to a record -14 degrees Celsius. Because of the cold weather, Reagan took the oath of office indoors at the Capitol, and the traditional inaugural parade was cancelled.
As for the weather forecast on the day of the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, the weather forecasters promise +9 and intermittent rains.
Sudden presidency
The 36th President of America, Lyndon Johnson, took the oath on an Air Force plane (flight number one), holding a Catholic prayer book. This happened on November 22, 1963. Johnson took office urgently in connection with the assassination of former US leader John F. Kennedy.
Note that the presidency of Lyndon Johnson lasted more than five years. He was far from the most popular head of state, so he did not run for a second term. Republican Richard Nixon won the 1968 election.
The shortest speech
Donald Trump promised to keep his speech short. Interestingly, George Washington's second inaugural address was the shortest to date, at only 135 words.
“The voice of my people again called me to assume the office of chief executive,” Washington said at the time. “When the time is right, I will do my best to do what I consider to be a high honor in repaying the trust that the people of a united America have placed in me. To exercise any official authority, in accordance with the Constitution, the President of the United States is required to take an oath. The oath that I will now take in your presence: "If it is found that during the leadership of the government I deliberately or knowingly violated the relevant provisions, all present at this solemn ceremony may subject me to censure (in addition to the punishment due under the Constitution)."
By the way, George Washington is the only US president who delivered solemn speeches in two cities: in the temporary capital of America, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and in the current Washington.
- George Washington during his inaugural address to members of Congress
- globallookpress.com
Note that, like most presidents, Donald Trump will not write the solemn speech himself, but will turn to his assistant Stephen Miller, the author of most of his official speeches in 2016, for help.
longest speech
The longest speech in the history of US presidential inaugurations belongs to the 9th head of the United States, William Harrison. His solemn speech lasted two hours and contained more than 8,000 words. It is noteworthy that Harrison wrote it himself.
Note that before the election of Ronald Reagan, William Harrison was considered the oldest president of the country. He took office at the age of 68. Reagan was 70 at the time of his first term.
As RT reported, inauguration day, January 20, US President-elect Donald Trump will begin with a church visit.
In addition, American bands 3 Doors Down, The Piano Guys, performers Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, Tim Rushlow, Larry Stewart and Richie Macdonald will also attend Trump's inauguration.
Also, US President-elect Donald Trump will sign the first decrees on the day of his inauguration.
