US President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump watch the fireworks display ahead of Trump’s inauguration, at Trump National Golf Club, Washington DC, US, January 18, 2025. Picture: Reuters, Daniel Cole
By Steve Holland and Gabriella Borter
STERLING, Virginia - President-elect Donald Trump arrived in the Washington area on Saturday evening for a celebration of his return to power ahead of an inauguration ceremony that has been upended by record cold temperatures.
Trump flew aboard an Air Force plane sent by outgoing President Joe Biden to the Republican's base in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump prepared his transition after winning the November 5 election over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. His wife, Melania, daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, accompanied him on Saturday's flight.
After arriving at Dulles airport in suburban Virginia, Trump travelled to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington.
Elvis Presley impersonator Leo Days serenaded the incoming president and first lady ahead of a reception for about 500 guests and fireworks display. An aide posted a video on social media showing the singer crooning as the Trumps watched.
The 78-year-old Trump is due to hold a rally with supporters inside the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington on Sunday, the eve of his inauguration, as well as a post-inauguration event Monday afternoon.
Frigid weather forecast for Monday prompted Trump to move the inauguration ceremonies from the iconic west front of the US Capitol building indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, and the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capital One Arena.
In the Capitol Rotunda, Trump will be sworn in at 12pm ET (1700 GMT) then deliver an inaugural address, a speech that typically sets the tone for the president's four-year term. He told NBC News the the theme would be "unity and strength, and also the word ‘fairness.’”
It will be the first time since Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in January 1985 that the big event has been moved indoors.
CROWDS WITHOUT SEATS IN DC
Most of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests who had been due to watch from the US Capitol grounds will be unable to view the swearing-in inside the building. Just a fraction will be able to fit inside the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena where the inauguration will be broadcast and parade entertainers and participants are expected to perform.
On Saturday, Trump fans who had planned to attend the inauguration were already walking around downtown Washington.
Arthur Caisse, a 78-year-old retired professor, and his brother Richard Caisse, a 64-year-old small business owner, had travelled from Connecticut to see Trump’s second inauguration, after coming for the launch of his first term in 2017.
"It’s so disappointing because all of us travelled so long and far to get here, and then to go through the congressional process to get tickets to the inauguration. Finally we got tickets, now, boom. They’re saying we may not even be able to go to the (National) Mall,” Arthur Caisse said.
"I’m not disappointed because on Monday we’re getting our country back,” Richard Caisse chimed in.
Debbie Koch, a 60-year-old information technology professional who travelled from Wisconsin with her sister, said they were still planning to attend the Sunday night arena rally if they can get inside.
"We don’t know for sure," she said. "We’re just excited to be here."
Asked on Saturday how they would manage the crowds of Trump inauguration ticket holders who would not fit into the Capitol Rotunda or the stadium, the Secret Service referred the question to event organisers.
Trump's inauguration committee didn't respond to requests for more information on Saturday.
Once he returns to the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump is expected to begin signing dozens of executive orders and directives to crack down on migration, boost US energy production and other priorities.
Trump, whose first term lasted from 2017 to 2021, had refused to attend the inauguration of Biden, who defeated him in 2020. He left Washington for Florida ahead of the ceremony, vowing "we will be back in some form."
Two weeks earlier, his supporters had attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, seeking to delay lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory.
Biden will attend Trump's inauguration ceremony on Monday.
- REUTERS