Trump Moves Inauguration Indoors Due to “Arctic Blast” Forecast

On By Littum

After spending several weeks worrying about the flag’s optics at half-mast during his inauguration, a brutal forecast solved a problem for Donald Trump.

The president-elect chose to move his inauguration ceremony inside the Capitol building, citing cold temperatures expected in Washington, DC on January 20, in a change of venue announcement shared to The truth Social.

“It is my obligation to protect the people of our country, but before we even begin, we have to think about the inauguration itself. The forecast for Washington, DC, with the wind chill factor, could bring temperatures down to serious record lows.” he wrote. “There is an arctic blast sweeping the country. I do not wish to see people harmed or injured in any way. . . . Therefore, I have ordered the inaugural address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda.”

In his statement, Trump addressed two obsessions of the MAGA movement: Ronald Reagan and audience sizes. The future president noted that Reagan was sworn in at the Capitol in 1985, at which point he became the oldest president to be inaugurated. That record was eventually broken Joe Biden in 2021. It will be broken again by Trump next week.

Since there won’t be an in-person audience for Trump to appear (though he urged all attendees to “dress warmly”), the president-elect is already basking in his Inauguration Day telecast ratings.

“This will be a very beautiful experience for everyone, and especially for the large television audience!” he said.

It is expected to be remarkably cold in DC on Monday. Temperatures close to 20 degrees and strong winds are expected to make it feel like the single digits outside. That didn’t stop Trump’s biggest critics from taking a few shots at him. Former presidential adviser David Axelrod noted Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy both braved the elements for cold initiations.

“In ’61, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated on the Capitol steps, in a wind chill of 7 degrees. It was almost as cold for Obama in ’09,” he wrote X. “In fairness, Trump IS more than 3 decades older than JFK & Obama were. Or did he just fear small crowds?”