The inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th president of the United States took place on Monday in Washington, D.C. Due to freezing temperatures and high winds, it was held inside the United States Capitol rotunda.
It is the second inauguration of Trump as U.S. president. Trump’s first inauguration was eight years earlier, in January 2017. It was the second non-consecutive re-inauguration for a U.S. president, after the second inauguration of Grover Cleveland in 1893 and the first presidential inauguration to take place indoors since Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in 1985.
The event included a swearing-in ceremony, a signing ceremony, an inaugural luncheon, a first honors ceremony, and then a procession and parade at Capital One Arena. Inaugural balls were held at various venues before and after the inaugural ceremonies.
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election on November 6, 2024, and became the president-elect. Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, were formally elected by the Electoral College on December 17, 2024. The victory was certified by an electoral vote tally by a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2025.
Held on the third Monday of January, the inauguration occurred on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which marks the second time a Presidential inauguration has occurred on the same date as the holiday following the second inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1997.
On January 17, Trump announced the inauguration ceremony would be moved indoors due to cold weather. President Trump was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts with Ivanka Trump, Tiffany Trump, former president Joe Biden and others observing.
Attending the inauguration were outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden, outgoing U.S. vice president Kamala Harris (who had been Trump’s main opponent in 2024), former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
Former first ladies Hillary Clinton (Trump’s former opponent in 2016) and Laura Bush also attended the inauguration, but former first lady Michelle Obama was absent.
Former U.S. vice presidents Dan Quayle and Mike Pence (who served under Trump during his first term), and former second lady Marilyn Quayle, were also in attendance.
Trump’s inauguration marked the first time in U.S. history that a president-elect formally welcomed foreign leaders to the ceremony.