Trump’s Inauguration Is Moving Indoors Due to Cold Weather. The Last Time This Happened Was 40 Years Ago

January 18, 2025 Duy191098 Blog 0

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he has “ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda” on Monday, Jan. 20

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Published on January 17, 2025 01:12PM EST
Inauguration moving indoors
The inaugural stage outside the U.S. Capitol, pictured on Jan. 17, 2025, will no longer host Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty

President-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration ceremony has been moved indoors due to the extremely cold temperatures expected in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20.

On Friday, Jan. 17, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had “ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda” in response to the National Weather Service’s severe forecast, which predicts a high of 23 degrees Fahrenheit and wind chill that makes it feel colder.

The rotunda, where former President Jimmy Carter recently lay in state, is enclosed by the dome of the Capitol and will be out of sight from the public.

“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country,” Trump, 78, wrote. “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.”

US President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy Reagan during inaugural ceremony
President Ronald Reagan at an inaugural ceremony in the Capitol rotunda in 1985.AFP via Getty

Inauguration ceremonies have been held indoors a couple of documented times in the nation’s history — most recently 40 years ago, when wind chill temperatures of -25 degrees Fahrenheit forced President Ronald Reagan to kick off his second term inside the Capitol rotunda.

James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States, notably held his second inauguration in 1821 inside the House chamber of the Capitol amid a snowstorm, according to government archives.

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Trump, who was fixated on crowd sizes at his first inauguration in 2017, will no longer deliver his inaugural address in view of a full National Mall, where thousands of people usually line up.

Instead, Trump announced that he will open up the nearby Capital One Arena for fans who want to watch a livestream of the ceremony. He plans to stop by the arena afterward.