Donald Trump will be sworn in on Monday, making him the first convicted felon to serve as president and the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms.
President Joe Biden is expected to attend the inauguration and watch his predecessor become his successor as well.
When is the inauguration?
The ceremony will take place at noon in the Capitol rotunda. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in around noon ET. The ceremony traditionally marks the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ terms end at noon, as required by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.
However, the opening festivities will continue throughout the day.
The ceremony was originally supposed to take place outside the Capitol, but was moved inside due to the cold weather forecast.
Where can I look?
Tune in to live coverage on NBC News, MSNBC and NBC News Now. An NBC News special report will begin at 10 a.m. on NBC and NBC News Now.
You can read the latest coverage on the NBCNews.com live blog.
Who attends?
Former presidents, members of the Trump family and top technology executives will attend the inauguration.
So will Biden, as is customary, even though Trump broke tradition by not attending his inauguration in 2021.
Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will attend, according to their teams. First Lady Jill Biden, Former first lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, will also be there. Former first lady Michelle Obama is not planning to attend, according to her office.
Several prominent tech moguls planned to attend the inauguration before it moved indoors, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk (a close Trump adviser), according to an official involved in planning the inauguration. It is unclear how the move inland affects high-profile guests originally expected to attend, including technology executives and foreign dignitaries.
Trump’s five children are also expected to be there.
Several musical guests will perform, including Carrie Underwood, Village People, Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood and Nelly.
What happens?
On Monday morning, Trump will head to the White House for the usual tea with the Bidens.
Traditionally, members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies meet at the White House to accompany the president-elect and vice president-elect, along with their spouses, to the Capitol, where the ceremony takes place, according to the committee’s website. .
The outgoing president also usually attends the inauguration, although Trump broke tradition by not attending Biden’s in 2021.
Trump and Vance will be sworn in inside the Capitol. Trump said Washington’s Capitol One Arena would be opened so spectators could watch from afar, adding that he would join the crowd after taking the oath of office.
The new president then delivers an inaugural address during the ceremony. In his 2017 speech, Trump recalled scenes of “American carnage” and said that “American carnage stops here and it stops right now.”
Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker in an interview Saturday that the theme of his inaugural address would be “unity and strength, and also the word ‘justice.'”
“Because you have to treat people fairly. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, everything is going to be wonderful.’ You know, we went through hell for four years with these people and then, you know, you have to do something about it,” he said.
After the inaugural ceremony, the outgoing president typically leaves the area by helicopter, a tradition that began when Gerald Ford left the presidency in 1977, according to the joint committee’s website.
The committee will also host an inaugural luncheon, which is typically attended by the newly sworn president and vice president. This year Obama, Clinton and Bush will not attend, according to their offices.
Typically, a parade marches from the Capitol to the White House during inaugurations, but because of the cold, there will be an indoor march at Capitol One Arena in downtown Washington.
Trump will have a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, during which he can enact executive actions. Trump intends to sign more than 50 executive orders after taking the oath of office, including some he could sign publicly, a person in his transition operation said.
Trump made a series of promises during the election campaign about what he would do on day one, from starting a mass deportation program to pardoning the January 6 defendants.
In 2017, Trump ended the day by attending several balls. This year, he will speak at three dances.
Who plans the inauguration?
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has been responsible for planning inaugurations since 1901, when William McKinley was sworn in to begin his second term, according to the committee’s website.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., chairs the committee, which is made up of three members from each chamber of Congress, split evenly between the two parties.
Furthermore, Trump has a presidential inaugural committee, which is in charge of inaugural events held outside the Capitol.
