On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump was once again sworn into office. With the Swearing-In Ceremony taking place at 12 p.m. EST and the Inauguration Parade kicking off at 2:30 p.m. ET, there were a number of other events taking place throughout the day.
Trump kicked off his inauguration celebrations on Saturday, Jan. 18 at Trump National Golf Club Washington D.C., before making remarks at his “victory rally” at Capital One Arena in Washington on Jan. 19 and attending tea with the Bidens the morning of the inauguration. While these events seem extravagant, Trump’s second inauguration was relatively small compared to those of previous presidents.
Traditionally, the presidential inaugurations have been held outdoors on the United States Capitol steps. However, due to the freezing temperatures in Washington on Inauguration Day, Trump took the oath of office inside the Capitol Rotunda. As for those who made the trip to Washington for the event, Capital One Arena hosted a viewing party of the Swearing-In Ceremony.
Though Trump skipped former President Joe Biden’s inauguration, both former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden were in attendance on Monday. Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were also present at the inauguration, with former First Lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in attendance with their respective husbands. Former Vice President and presidential nominee Kamala Harris was also in attendance with her husband Doug Emhoff, though it had been speculated that Harris would not attend the event.
Ahead of the highly anticipated event, there were many conversations had about whether or not the flags would fly at full-staff on Inauguration Day. With the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, flags across the nation were ordered to be flown at half-staff for a 30 day period in remembrance and respect. However, on Jan. 20 Trump made a Presidential Proclamation that, “on this and all future Inauguration Days, the flag of the United States shall be flown at full-staff.”
The flag-flying proclamation was just one of many presidential actions Trump made on Inauguration Day. Trump announced that he is withdrawing the US from the international Paris Climate Agreement, once again, and from the World Health Organization. Revoking birthright citizenship, pardoning nearly 1,500 people involved in the January 6 Insurrection and ending a number of federal Diversity, Equality and Inclusion programs were just a few actions on a long list that the President made on Jan. 20.
As it stands, the nation is politically divided and will most likely remain in such a state for the foreseeable future. Trump’s candidate picks have been seen before the Senate throughout the week and will continue to go through the confirmation process until they are either confirmed or rejected.
