Donald Trump begins his second term today with an inauguration ceremony

Donald Trump, who was elected as the 47th president of the United States, will officially begin his term today with an inauguration ceremony to be held at the Capitol. Due to the freezing temperatures in the capital, the ceremony has been moved indoors for the first time since Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1985.

Moving the ceremony indoors means that most guests with tickets will not be able to attend in person. Nevertheless, well-known artists, billionaires, and heads of state will be present at the ceremony.

It is considered certain that Donald Trump's wife Melania Trump, his five children, and his grandchildren will be in attendance. Lara Trump, who is married to Trump's eldest son Don Jr. and Eric Trump, has gained more influence over the past year. Trump's two sons-in-law have also been given key advisory roles to their father-in-law.

Although they have stepped into the background, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are expected to attend the ceremony, just as they did on election night.

According to VOA Turkish, the Rotunda hall, located under the dome at the Capitol, has a capacity of around 600 people for the inauguration ceremony. For this reason, there will be very little space for Supreme Court justices, military leaders, former presidents and their spouses, cabinet nominees, and visiting statesmen.

In addition to these individuals, there will be attendees from the 535 members of Congress who traditionally occupy the front rows among the audience. Some Democratic members of Congress will not attend the ceremony.

A PARADE OF BILLIONAIRES

Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are among the names invited to the ceremony.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO PERFORM

Before Donald Trump is sworn in by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts at noon local time, 8-time Grammy Award-winning country music artist Carrie Underwood will perform the song “America the Beautiful.” The addition of Underwood to the program was described as a surprise.

The famous disco group Village People, known for the 1970s song “Y.M.C.A,” will also take the stage at one of the events to be held on the evening of the inauguration day.

The song was played at the end of Trump's rallies during the election campaign and became very popular on social media as people imitated Trump's dance moves.

Opera singer Christopher Macchio will perform the US national anthem at Trump's inauguration ceremony.

INAUGURAL ADDRESS

In his 16-minute speech at his first inauguration in 2017, Trump had remained loyal to the messages he gave during his campaign. Trump had painted a bleak picture of the country, blaming other countries for the closure of factories and the shrinking of the middle class. Trump had said he would end the “American carnage” and govern the country with an ‘America First’ approach.

Trump's main campaign promise this time has been to launch the largest deportation operation in history and to close the US-Mexico border to illegal crossings. Speaking of starting a “golden age,” Trump promised to impose tariffs on imports. In recent days, Trump has shared more details about how he plans to achieve these goals.

In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said the theme of his inaugural address would be “unity and strength, and also the word ‘justice’.” Trump said, “Because you have to treat people fairly. You can't just say 'everything is going to be great.' You know, we've lived through hell with these people for four years. So something has to be done about it. You can't let that happen, and we shouldn't let that happen.”

FOREIGN LEADERS EXPECTED TO ATTEND

By sending invitations to world leaders, Trump may be breaking a tradition on Inauguration Day. This is because no head of state had previously made an official visit to the US for an inauguration ceremony.

Chinese President Xi Jinping became the first leader to be invited to the inauguration last December. Xi will not attend the ceremony but will send Vice President Han Zheng as his special representative.

Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have accepted Trump's invitation. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also announced that they had been invited and planned to attend.

HOW WILL THE PROCESS WORK?

The day will begin with a service at St. John's Church in Lafayette Square and a tea reception at the White House. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and their spouses will be at the White House, accompanied by members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), which is formed every four years for the inauguration. After the two presidents meet briefly, they will move to the Capitol for the inauguration ceremony.

At the ceremony, which was moved inside the Capitol building due to the cold weather, Vice President JD Vance will be sworn in first, followed by President Donald Trump.

The oath, which will be administered by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, is expected to take place at 12:00 local time. Afterward, Trump will deliver his first presidential address. According to the JCCIC, every president since George Washington has delivered a speech. Trump had stated in previous remarks that he intended for this speech to be uplifting and unifying.

Following the ceremony, Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden will depart from the Capitol by plane.

In his first official act in office, Trump is expected to move to the President's Room next to the Senate chamber with his aides and members of Congress to confirm his nominees. The President, the First Lady, and guests will come together for lunch at the Capitol, a tradition since 1953, hosted by the JCCIC.

Normally, following this at presidential inaugurations, the President and Vice President would proceed to the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue, accompanied by a procession consisting of military honor guards, school bands, private vehicles, and citizen groups, and the new president and his guests would then watch the rest of the celebrations from a stand built specifically for the parade.

However, due to the freezing temperatures in the capital this year, Trump has also moved the traditional parade indoors. Trump is expected to give a speech and bands are expected to march at the ceremony to be held at the Capital One Arena.

According to the press release from Trump's inaugural committee, after the parade and the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump will attend three inaugural balls: the “Commander-in-Chief Ball,” the “Freedom Ball,” and the “Starlight Ball,” and the new US President is expected to speak at all three.