Skip to contentPhysical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
He confirmed that President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inaugural address will be held indoors because of the dangerously cold weather forecast for next week in Washington.
The address, as well as other speeches, will now take place in the rotunda of the US Capitol, rather than outside the building.
The inaugural parade will also be held indoors at Washington’s Capital One Arena in downtown Washington approximately one mile (1.6 km) away, along with all three inaugural balls.
The last president to be sworn in indoors was Ronald Reagan in 1985, when cold weather also plagued the US Capitol.
In a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he “doesn’t want to see people hurt or hurt in any way” amid the freezing temperatures.
“These are dangerous conditions for tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, first responders, police K9s and even horses,” as well as “hundreds of thousands” of supporters.
“In any case, if you decide to come, dress warmly,” he added.
Capital One Arena will also be open for live viewing of the inaugural address.
Inauguration Day is expected to be bitterly cold in Washington, DC, with temperatures expected to range from -11C (12F) to -5C (23F).
“Everyone will be safe, everyone will be happy, and together we will make America great again,” Trump wrote.
In the run-up to the inauguration, organizers said about 220,000 tickets would be distributed to view the event on the grounds of the US Capitol.
Those without tickets could also watch the ceremonies on the National Mall.
The move indoors means much more limited capacity at Monday’s event for Trump, who is known to closely monitor attendance at his public events.
After his first inauguration, he claimed that “a million and a half people” were in attendance on the National Mall.
But crowd size experts say it was about a third of the estimated 800,000 to one million people who attended Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
