THE deadly New Orleans terror attack “played a role” in the decision to move Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors, one of Barack Obama’s former advisers has claimed.
Organizers announced that Monday’s ceremonies would take place inside the Capitol on Friday, blaming the extreme cold weather Washington DC will see that day.
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It will be the first presidential inauguration held indoors since January 1985, when Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term inside the Capitol’s rotunda.
That was also due to bitterly cold temperatures in DC in January.
Coincidentally, Reagan was, like Trump, being sworn in after surviving an assassination attempt.
The Republican was shot and wounded by would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton hotel in March 1981.
In 2024, Donald Trump was shot at and wounded at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on him, grazing his right ear.
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, Brett Bruen, president of PR firm The Global Situation Room, explained that while the cold was the key factor in the switch of venues, security was also a concern for organizers.
The move also comes just weeks after January 1’s horror attack in New Orleans, when ISIS-inspired terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street.
A total of 15 people died, including Jabbar, and 57 were wounded in shocking scenes just hours into 2025 in the Louisiana city.
“There are a wide range of concerns that the Secret Service would take into account, whether it’s from foreign actors or whether there is a risk of domestic terrorism,” Bruen said.
“We had just recently an ISIS-inspired attack in New Orleans, and so there will be consultations with the Secret Service and with other law enforcement agencies.
He added that Trump’s tendency to “go rogue” and meet with the public on Inauguration Day would pose separate challenges to those who are tasked with protecting him.
“In the case of Donald Trump, we’ve already seen efforts by the Secret Service to limit exposure when it comes to his golf course, for instance, and it’s just hard to control and to secure those kinds of spaces,” Bruen said.
“It will be a lot easier at the Capitol.”
TRUMP’S NEAR-MISSES
Trump avoided a potential second assassination attempt in September 2024 after the suspect, Ryan Routh, allegedly positioned himself with a gun near a Trump-owned golf course in Florida to shoot the candidate.
Inauguration Day security measures
President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration will be under heighten security.
Trump survived two assassination attempts during his 2024 presidential campaign trail.
On July 13, 2024, an armed 20-year-old man perched on a roof fired several shots at then-presidential candidate Trump as he delivered remarks to supporters at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed Trump’s right ear.
The suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
On September 15, 2024, Trump’s Secret Service team intercepted the barrel of a rifle in the shrubs at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, as the former president was playing golf.
Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested shortly after and charged with attempting to kill the former president.
What are the security measures on Inauguration Day?
- About 7,800 National Guard soldiers and airmen will join the Secret Service, US Capitol Police and Washington DC’s Metro Police to secure the swearing-in ceremony.
- Law enforcement officials will provide security support, crowd management and medical assistance during the event.
- FBI personnel and officials with the Department of Homeland Security will also be stationed at the event.
- A large section of downtown Washington – stretching about 2 miles from the White House to the Capitol – will be closed to traffic.
- Entry points will be blocked by concrete barriers, garbage trucks, and other heavy items.
- A 30-mile, 7-foot-tall black fence will be the longest ever installed in Washington DC. The fencing is described as being “unclimbable.”
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his trial will begin on September 8 this year.
Bruen added that Trump was also going off script by offering both a viewing party to supporters at DC’s Capital One Arena and holding rallies before and after the inauguration in the city.
“That doesn’t follow the traditional protocol,” he said.
“This isn’t a political campaign. He is now the commander-in-chief.
“He is now expected to govern and to govern in the interest of all Americans.”
Trump posted a statement on his Truth Social app on Friday explaining the decision to move the inauguration ceremonies indoors due to the extreme cold that will grip DC on Monday.
He warned that dangerous wind chills could cause temperatures to plummet to between 6 and 10 degrees at around midday on Monday.
“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the country,” he wrote.
“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.
“Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda,” he went on.
It will be the first time in 40 years that the inauguration was forced to move indoors after Ronald Reagan took the oath of office inside the Capitol in 1985 during a vicious cold snap where temperatures peaked at 7 degrees and -25 with the wind chill.
The Rotunda, a sacred space in American democracy, was recently the scene of national mourning after the body of late President Jimmy Carter lay there in state before his funeral at the city’s National Cathedral.
Trump promised disappointed supporters that DC’s Capital One Arena would be open for an inauguration viewing party.
He also promised to join his supporters at the stadium following his swearing-in.
“Everyone will be safe, everyone will be happy, and we will, together, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he pledged.
Many of his fans, who had already traveled to DC for the swearing-in, were dismayed by the news.
“We might as well stay at home and watch it on TV,” Trump supporter Ken Robinson, who had come from Oklahoma with his family, told NBC News.
“I’m kind of disappointed, to be honest with you.”
Presidential inauguration ceremony rundown
President-elect Donald Trump sworn-in as the 47th president of the United States by receiving the oath of office on January 20, 2025.
The swearing-in ceremony for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will begin on January 20, 2025, at noon EST.
However, the inauguration events began on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Inauguration timeline:
- Saturday, January 18, 2025: Reception and fireworks at Trump’s golf club in Virginia.
- A cabinet reception and vice president dinner.
- Sunday, January 19, 2025: Wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery.
- Trump delivered remarks at a victory rally at Capitol One Arena in Washington DC and a candlelight dinner.
- Monday, January 20, 2025: The inauguration will begin with a service at St. John’s church, followed by tea at the White House.
- The official presidential oath of office of Trump and JD Vance will start at noon.
- A farewell to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will follow.
- President Trump will then head to the President’s Room in the Capitol near the Senate chamber, where he is expected to sign nominations and other documents in his first official act.
- A luncheon hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies follows after the signing ceremony.
- President Trump kicks off the presidential parade from the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue and to the White House.
- After the parade, the Oval Office signing ceremony begins at the White House.
- President Trump will attend three inaugural balls – the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball. He is expected to make remarks at all three events.
- Tuesday, January 21: A National Prayer is held to conclude the official inaugural ceremony.
Monday’s events will be massively paired back due to the decision to hold the swearing-in inside the Capitol.
Whether Trump’s supporters stay in the city or decide to cut their losses and return home remains to be seen.
“We came here to watch it in person,” Robinson grumbled.
“We don’t really care to watch it on a Jumbotron.”
INTIMATE CEREMONY
Some of the security measures in place for dealing with the expected crowds of thousands could also be scaled back in places, Bruen said.
“I was downtown yesterday, and there are massive fences up all around,” he said.
“Now I think you will see some of those removed. You will see a focus on securing that Capitol complex.”
But he warned that security forces now faced a different challenge as they grappled with Trump’s new plan to speak to his supporters at the Capital One Arena.
You’re going to see an effort, in the wake of the two attacks on Trump, for the Secret Service to say, ‘Look, we cannot ensure your security if you decide to waltz into a hotel.’
Brett Bruen
The 20,000-capacity stadium is only a few blocks from the Capitol, but the presidential cortege’s procession will now require fresh security measures.
He added that Trump is likely to try and “interact” with his supporters along the route.
“What we will see on Monday is probably some other fanfare and tactics to try and drum up the enthusiasm in Washington, even if it is such a bitterly cold day,” he said, describing Trump as an “unconventional president.”
He said the Secret Service would likely be as direct as possible with Trump on the threats he faces if he goes off script.
“You’re going to see an effort, in the wake of the two attacks on Trump, for the Secret Service to say, ‘Look, we cannot ensure your security if you decide to waltz into a hotel,'” he said.
“You will also see an attempt by his advisers to keep him on message.”
COP OUT
On Friday, it was revealed that some police departments in the DC area are not assisting the city’s officers with security for Trump’s inauguration.
More than half a dozen DC-area forces will not be helping the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on the day, the Daily Caller reported.
This could leave the MPD with hundreds fewer officers than they would typically have for an event of this magnitude.
Around 25,000 military personnel and law enforcement will be helping with security on Monday, WTOP News reported.
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