Second inauguration of Donald Trump

Main article: Presidency of Donald Trump

The ceremony for Donald Trump to become the 47th president of the United States happened on Monday, January 20, 2025. It was held inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C., because of very cold weather and strong winds. This was the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration. It marked the start of Trump's second term as president and the first term of JD Vance as vice president.

This event was only the second time a former U.S. president was re-inaugurated, after the second inauguration of Grover Cleveland in 1893. Trump's first inauguration was eight years earlier, on January 20, 2017.

The ceremony had a swearing-in, a signing, a lunch, a first honors ceremony, and a parade at Capital One Arena. Inaugural balls took place before and after the main events. The Capitol rotunda could hold about 600 people, but the exact number of attendees was not shared.

Context

The inauguration was when Donald Trump officially started his time as president. This happened after he was elected on November 6, 2024. Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, were chosen by the Electoral College on December 17, 2024. Their win was confirmed by a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2025. As the United States Constitution requires, Vance left his job in the U.S. Senate on January 10, 2025.

Planning

Security fencing in Washington, D.C., ahead of the inauguration

The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States took place on January 20, 2025. It happened on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Because of expected cold weather, the ceremony was moved inside to the Capitol rotunda.

A Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies was formed to prepare for the event. Construction of the platform began in September 2024. Security measures were put in place to keep things safe. Many companies and leaders made donations to support the inauguration events.

Pre-inaugural events

Arlington National Cemetery wreath laying ceremony

Trump places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on January 19, 2025

On January 19, Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance went to Arlington National Cemetery. They placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with family members of people who were hurt in the 2021 Kabul airport attack.

Make America Great Again Victory Rally

Tickets and invitation to the inauguration as originally planned on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol

On the evening of January 19, Trump's team held a rally called the "Make America Great Again Victory Rally" at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. There were performances by Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood, and speeches by Trump and Megyn Kelly. Trump also did his signature dance to a song called "Y.M.C.A." by Village People, who were with him on stage.

Church service and White House reception

On January 20, after staying at the Blair House, Trump, his wife Melania, JD Vance, and his wife, Usha, went to a church service at St. John's Episcopal Church. Many presidents have visited this church on their inauguration day. The service was led by Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist minister.

After the service, Trump and Melania met with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House. They posed for photos and had tea together, also with Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, as well as JD Vance and Usha Vance. They all rode together in the presidential motorcade limousine to the Capitol for the inauguration ceremony.

Inaugural events

Presidential communications

The new president changed the official accounts on Twitter from @POTUS and @VP to the new team. Members of the Trump administration also took over other important accounts, including @WhiteHouse, @FLOTUS for First Lady Melania Trump, @SLOTUS for Second Lady Usha Vance, @WHCOS for White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and @PressSec for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. New websites for the government were also started, while old websites were moved to the National Archives.

Attendees

Former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton

Trump invited foreign leaders to join the ceremony for the first time.

Former U.S. president Joe Biden, who had competed against Trump, and former U.S. vice president Kamala Harris, who was Trump’s main opponent, both attended. Other former U.S. presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama — were also there. Former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush attended, but former first lady Michelle Obama did not. Former U.S. vice presidents Dan Quayle and Mike Pence, who worked under Trump during his first term, and former second lady Marilyn Quayle were present. However, former vice presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney and former second lady Karen Pence were not there. New York mayor Eric Adams and media owner Rupert Murdoch also attended.

The president of China, Xi Jinping, was invited but sent vice president Han Zheng instead. This was the first time a senior Chinese official attended a U.S. presidential inauguration. Leaders from El Salvador, Italy, and Israel were also invited, though some could not attend. Leaders from Argentina, Georgia, Brazil, and Russia had mixed responses to invitations. Trump said he had not invited the president of Ukraine but would welcome him if he came. Current and former British leaders had different plans for attending. Presidents and first ladies from Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela were planning to attend.

Foreign ministers from India, Australia, and Japan also attended and planned to meet with Trump the day after the ceremony.

Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

Many politicians who support strong national policies attended, including leaders and members from several countries in Europe. Business leaders such as Bernard Arnault, Delphine Arnault, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg were seated together with other important guests. The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, was there, along with leaders from major tech companies like Alphabet, Apple, OpenAI, Reliance, and Uber.

Celebrities and sports figures such as Victor Willis, Carrie Underwood, who sang "America the Beautiful," Christopher Macchio, who sang the national anthem, and many others attended. Media personalities like Charlie Kirk, Laura Ingraham, and Tucker Carlson were also there.

Ceremony

An order of events for the January 20, 2025, inauguration was shared by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the National Park Service.

Oaths of office

Former President Barack Obama

JD Vance took the vice presidential oath of office, with Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh administering the oath.

Donald Trump took the presidential oath of office, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath.

Inaugural address

Donald Trump gave his second inaugural address as president of the United States.

In his speech, Trump talked about his goals for the new administration, including stricter rules on who can enter the country, easier environmental rules, and new ways to make government work better. He also spoke about ending a war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump said this would be a great time for America.

Post-ceremony events

Outgoing First Lady Jill Biden and outgoing Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff

After the ceremony, President Trump and his wife, Melania, along with Vice President Vance and his wife, Usha, walked former president Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, to a departure ceremony. They said goodbye as Biden’s helicopter left. Later, Trump spoke to supporters.

Inaugural balls

Traditionally, inaugural balls are held before and after the inauguration. Official balls are organized by the inauguration committee, while unofficial balls are not.

Three official inaugural balls were held, featuring performances by Nelly, Rascal Flatts, and Jason Aldean. Many unofficial balls were also organized.

Event	Time	Location	Description
Swearing-In Ceremony	12:00 p.m. ET	United States Capitol, rotunda	During the swearing-in ceremony, the president-elect and vice president-elect took the oaths of office, and then the new president delivered the inaugural address.
Signing Ceremony		President's Room	Following the swearing-in ceremony, the president withdrew to the President's Room (Room S-216), where he had a photo portrait made and signed transitional documents.
Inaugural Luncheon		National Statuary Hall	The president and vice president attended an inaugural luncheon with Supreme Court justices, leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as family and other invited guests.
Pass-in-Review		Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center	After the luncheon, the president and vice president reviewed the military forces that formed the processional escort, including the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, the "President's Own" United States Marine Band, and others.
Procession		Pennsylvania Avenue	Joined by the military escort, the president traveled in the presidential state car.
Parade	3:00 p.m. ET	Capital One Arena	A parade, consisting of military and civilian marching and performance units from each of the states, traditionally proceeds past the reviewing stand in front of the White House. Due to inclement weather, this was moved indoors and took place at Capital One Arena.

Viewership

About 24.6 million people watched the inauguration on 15 TV networks. The most viewers, 34.4 million, watched when Donald Trump took his promise of office at 12:15 PM ET. This number was smaller than the viewership for Biden's 2021 inauguration and Trump's first inauguration in 2017. The numbers come from Nielsen data shared by Adweek and do not include people who watched online.

Protests

Some members of the Democratic Party in the 119th Congress decided not to attend the inauguration. They had different reasons, like the event happening near Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Many people held protest rallies and marches in cities and towns across the United States before and on the day of the inauguration. Groups organized events called the People's March in many locations. Other rallies, named "We Fight Back," happened in many places too. There were also protests in cities around the world, such as Mexico City, London, Paris, and Berlin.