BRET BAYER: Inauguration Day highlights America’s eternal promise

January 20, 2025 at noon Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. He will become only the second president to hold the office non-consecutively, Grover Cleveland being the first. Cleveland’s fate was the result of public buyer’s remorse. First elected in 1884, he was defeated in 1888 by Benjamin Harrison, whose economic policies proved a disaster. Harrison was so weak that Cleveland saw an opportunity to reclaim the White House. He was re-elected in 1892.

On Monday, Trump will repeat the rare act of Cleveland, speaking at the inauguration on one of the coldest days of the year in Washington, D.C. Trump announced that the ceremony will take place moved into the Capitol Rotunda premiseswith up to 20,000 people watching live at Capital One Arena. Although more than 200,000 people have tickets to the inauguration, most of them will be watching on screens along with the rest of America. Severe weather has forced indoor ceremonies on only a few occasions, most recently during Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, when the temperature was seven degrees at noon.

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Inauguration Day is a constitutional ritual, our way of fulfilling the promise of democracy every four years. Its traditions, largely devoid of politics, are loved by people regardless of who touches the Bible. Every four years, this event is a festive recognition of what unites us. Americans are mostly putting aside their differences and focusing on our robust democracy. Elections can be fraught with hard feelings, but the inaugural celebration transcends those divisions, if only for a day.

John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address featured a memorable quote as President-elect Trump prepares to take the oath of office for a second term.

It begins late in the morning, when, according to tradition, the president and his wife receive tea at the White House. The Bidens will host the Trumps on January 20. This tea, another example of a peaceful transfer of power, can be awkward as winners and losers come together in those final moments. The Trumps skipped it altogether in 2021, but photos from various transitions show plenty of cruel smiles. Everyone studies photos for body language clues, but the bottom line is that it usually does. Americans like to see leaders of different parties get along, even superficially. Pay attention to the stormy response in the press and social networks Trump and Obama are smiling and talking at Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

It is also traditional for outgoing and incoming presidents to travel to the Capitol together. Trump and Obama rode together on the day of Trump’s first inauguration in 2017. It is not yet known whether Biden and Trump will be in the same car this time.

The inauguration ceremony itself will be held according to tradition, all four living presidents will be present – Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Taking pride of place alongside cabinet appointees and high-profile guests will be some new faces for the occasion — a collection of the nation’s most powerful tech leaders, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and TikTok CEO Shaw Zi Chew.

Everyone is looking forward to the inaugural address that sets the tone for the new administration. Over the centuries, signature lines have become memorable long after a president has come and gone. What makes the statement memorable is how well it captures the enduring spirit of America. For example, Thomas Jefferson’s declaration that “every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.” Or Abraham Lincoln in 1865, when the Civil War was in its final, bloodiest period, offering this wonderful olive branch: “With malice toward none, with mercy toward all, with firmness in rightness, as God hath given us to see rightness, let us let us strive to finish the work we are in, to heal the wounds of the nation, to care for those who must endure the battle, and for his widow and his orphan, to do everything to achieve and cherish a just and durable peace between us and with all nations.’

Franklin Roosevelt faced a nation devastated by the Great Depression and tried to instill new resolve with these words: “So, first of all, let me state my firm conviction that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself –nameless, unfounded, unwarranted terror that paralyzes the necessary effort to turn retreat into offensive.” John F. Kennedy delivered what was perhaps the most famous inaugural line of all: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but about what you can do for your country.”

Tech executives including Elon Musk, Shaw Zichu, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday. (ETIENNE LAURENTBAY ISMOYOMARK RALSTONANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In Reagan’s first inaugural address, he stated the guiding principle of America’s greatness in the world: “First of all, we must realize that no arsenal, or any weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

Trump’s transition will reportedly set an upbeat tone for his second inauguration, and if he does, he’ll get a positive public response. On this holy day, Americans like their leaders to talk about things right with America.

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The ceremony will be followed by a parade, which has also been moved to Capital One Arena. A tradition since the nation’s earliest days, the inaugural parade is an opportunity to combine celebration with a display of the best of American life, with marching bands, ships and exhibits representing the states. The sacrifice and courage of Americans will be on display alongside the military, police and fire departments.

This year’s parade will also feature officers from Butler County, Pennsylvania, the site of an assassination attempt on Donald Trump in July. They will pay tribute to the fallen fire chief of the city of Buffalo Corey Comperatorewho was shot that day.

Finally, it is customary for the outgoing president to leave a personal note to his successor in an Oval Office desk drawer. The tradition began with Ronald Reagan, who left a personal note for George W. Bush. Bush then did the same for Bill Clinton, writing: “Your success now is our country’s success. I’m really rooting for you.”

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When President Trump entered the White House for his first term, he found a note written Barack Obama: “Millions of people are pinning their hopes on you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for increased prosperity and security during your tenure.”

In 2021, Trump left Joe Biden a note that Biden called “a very generous letter.” Now Joe Biden will leave Trump a note. And the great cycle of American life continues.

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