WASHINGTON: Donald Trump was headed to Washington Saturday ahead of his second inauguration as president, four years after he departed the city under the shadow of an attack by his supporters on the Capitol.
Trump boarded a US military C-32 aircraft late Saturday afternoon in West Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife Melania Trump and their son Barron, on a flight dubbed Special Air Mission 47 — a nod to Trump becoming the 47th president on Monday.
It’s a courtesy that’s traditionally been extended by the outgoing administration to the incoming one. Trump did not make a government plane available to President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration in 2021, and instead the Democrat flew to Washington on a privately chartered aircraft.
Trump’s celebration of his return to power was set to get underway on Saturday evening with a fireworks showcase at his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, about 30 miles outside Washington.
With a blast of Arctic air expected to leave the nation’s capital facing frigid temperatures on Inauguration Day, organizers were also scrambling to move inside most of Monday’s outdoor events, including the swearing-in ceremony.
“I think we made the right decision. We’ll be very comfortable now,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Saturday.
On Pennsylvania Avenue leading to the White House, crews were breaking down metal bleachers that would have been used for outdoor inauguration viewing stands.
Even before Trump got to town, groups of protesters began taking to the street in the morning as a light sleet fell.
Melody Hamoud, a Washington resident, wore a pink hat that she had on at a 2017 march to protest Trump’s first inauguration.
“I just didn’t want to sit home and fret in front of the TV,” she said. “I wanted to feel like our movement still has energy and be around others who felt the same.”
Timothy Wallis, 58, flew in for the inauguration from Pocatello Idaho, with friends. The group had tickets to watch the ceremony outside but haven’t been able to get tickets to any of the indoor events.
“We found out on the plane,” he said about the change of plans.
Wallis said he was disappointed about the switch and a little bemused since he’s used to cold at home.
“We left snow to come here,” he said. “I brought my gloves!”
Trump, a Republican, left office in 2021 as a political pariah after his refusal to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden led a mob to overrun the Capitol. He then broke tradition by skipping Biden’s inauguration.
Biden will adhere to one of the most potent symbols of the democratic handover, welcoming Trump to the White House and joining him on the ride to the Capitol before Trump takes the oath of office.
The first time Trump was sworn into office eight years ago, the former reality TV star billionaire came in as an outsider disrupting Washington’s norms, delivering a dark inaugural address as his swearing-in drew large protests and some clashes in the street.
This time, Trump told NBC, the theme of his inauguration speech would be “unity and strength, and also the word ‘fairness.’”
As he takes power, the protests were far less noticeable, eclipsed by the ceremonies and celebrations around Trump’s taking power. As one more marker of Trump’s remarkable comeback, the events surrounding his inauguration will be more celebrity-studded than the last time, along with a noticeable turnout by a cadre of tech-world billionaires.
Country music stars Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jason Aldean, disco band the Village People, rapper Nelly and musician Kid Rock are all scheduled to perform at inauguration-related ceremonies and events. Actor Jon Voight and wrestler Hulk Hogan are also expected to make appearances, as are a crew of Trump-embracing business executives: Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
While Trump holds court at his Virginia golf club on Saturday evening, Vice President-elect JD Vance will attend a reception for Cabinet members and host a dinner in Washington.
On Sunday, the eve of his inauguration, Trump is scheduled to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery before heading to a rally at Capital One Arena in Washington. The rally will be followed by a private dinner.
On Inauguration Day, Trump will start with the traditional prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church before heading to the White House for a customary tea with the outgoing president and first lady.
Trump then heads to the Capitol, where his ceremony has been moved indoors as temperatures are set to plummet and make it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. It’s not quite clear how the ceremony will be adapted to the Capitol Rotunda, which holds only 600 people. More than 250,000 guests were ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.
Eight years ago, Trump’s critics were wrestling with whether to attend his inauguration, contemplating whether to buck long-standing practice and send a signal to the divisive new president. This year, much outspoken resistance to Trump has faded away, though there will be two notable absences: former first lady Michelle Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Neither gave an explanation as to why she was skipping the ceremony.
After Trump takes the oath of office and delivers his inaugural address, there will be a ceremonial farewell to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. As the new Republican government takes power, Trump will head to a signing ceremony at the Capitol to approve some of his first official acts, followed by a congressional luncheon and review of US troops.
The planned traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue has morphed into an indoor event because of the cold, with Trump again planning to speak to his gathered supporters before he heads to the White House for a signing ceremony in the Oval Office. A trio of glitzy balls will follow in the evening, punctuated by musical performances.
Trump’s arrival in Washington will once again be accompanied by protests and vigils on issues such as abortion, immigration rights and, this time, the Israel-Hamas war, but the feel and the force of those demonstrations were different from the outset of his first term.
The Women’s March, spurred by women outraged over Trump’s win in 2017, drew more than 500,000 people to Washington and millions more in cities around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in US history.
The march returned Saturday, rebranded as the People’s March, with organizers saying their focus will be less on Trump and more on broader goals around women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy. It drew far fewer than eight years ago.