Trump’s pre-inauguration return to Washington includes fireworks, Elvis impersonating By Reuters
Written by Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Washington on Saturday evening for an inauguration celebration marked by a return to power marred by high temperatures.
Trump will arrive at the site with his wife Melania early in the morning from his home in Palm Beach, Florida, where the Republican had worked on his transition to office after winning the Nov. 5 election over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump is expected to head to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington, where a crowd of about 500 guests will watch a fireworks display and music featuring Elvis impersonator Leo Days and tenor Christopher Macchio. mr. Trump has been seen at political events.
Trump, 78, is expected to hold a meeting with his supporters inside Capital One (NYSE:) Arena in downtown Washington on Sunday, the day before his inauguration, and a post-inauguration ceremony on Monday afternoon. Trump will be sworn in at 12 pm ET.
Monday’s cold snap prompted Trump to move the inauguration ceremonies from the west side of the US Capitol building to the Capitol Rotunda, and the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capital One Arena.
Most of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests who were supposed to watch on the grounds of the US Capitol will not be able to watch the swearing-in inside the building. Only a fraction will be able to get inside the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena where the US Inauguration will be broadcast and performers and participants are expected to perform.
Trump will deliver his inaugural address, a speech intended to inaugurate the president’s new four-year term, from the rotunda at the US Capitol.
It will be the first time since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in January 1985 that a major event has been moved indoors.
When he returns to the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump is expected to start signing some of the dozens of orders and directives he plans to end immigration, boost US energy production and other priorities.
Trump, whose first term was 2017-2021, refused to attend the inauguration of the man who defeated him in 2020, Democrat Joe Biden. He left Washington for Florida before the event, vowing “we’ll come back another way.”
Two weeks ago, his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, seeking to delay lawmakers from confirming Biden’s victory.
