Trump’s inauguration must be moved indoors

On By Littum



CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration will be moved indoors, he announced Friday, because of dangerously cold temperatures expected in the nation’s capital.

“I have ordered the inaugural address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be held in the United States Capitol Rotunda, which was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also due to very cold weather,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this historic event and to host the presidential parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One after I am sworn in,” Trump added.

CNN reported earlier Friday that there were plans for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance to be sworn in at the Rotunda, and that Trump’s team was in talks to potentially hold some of the festivities at the arena, where Trump will host a demonstration on Sunday.

Officials are concerned the low temperatures pose a health risk to attendees and guests — a concern Trump expressed Friday.

“I don’t want to see people hurt or hurt in any way. These are dangerous conditions for tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, first responders, police K9s and even horses and hundreds of thousands of supporters who will be outside for many hours on the 20th. ( In any case, if you decide to come, dress warm!), Trump wrote.

The last president to be sworn in indoors was Reagan in 1985, when daytime temperatures dropped to 7 degrees with a wind chill of -25. Reagan took the oath of office inside the Capitol rotunda. His inaugural parade was cancelled.

This year, the temperature on Inauguration Day at noon — when the president-elect is sworn in — is expected to be in the low 20s, about 20 degrees below normal — likely the coldest since Reagan’s second inauguration.

Winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph are likely Monday. These winds will make conditions feel cold. Wind chills will likely hover around 10 degrees during daylight hours and could drop into the single digits after sunset.

A mix of rain and snow is possible on Sunday ahead of the main event, but Monday looks set to be cold and windy but dry so far.

CNN’s Mary Gilbert and Taylor Ward contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with further developments.