Commentary

Trump Comes In From The Cold For Televised Inaugural

All TV eyes will be on Donald Trump Monday as he takes the oath of office for his second term as President.

The President-elect was to have received a cold reception on Inauguration Day. With temperatures expected to hover around the 20-degree mark, the decision was made on Friday to move the ceremony indoors to the Capitol Rotunda. 

Accumulating snow is also predicted for Washington on Sunday, making for a wintry Monday.

As a result of the move indoors, the scene that will unfold on TV and related websites will be unusual as the event will lack some of the visuals we have been accustomed to over the decades.

These include the President-elect and spectators dressed in their heavy overcoats on the steps of the Capitol and the sight of breath vapor from the newly sworn-in President as he (so far, it has only been men) delivers his inaugural address.

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The scenes of crowds outside have also been a part of televised inaugurations.

The same kinds of crowds will likely populate the grounds outside the Capitol, with Trump likely to issue his own self-styled attendance figures numbering in the many, many millions.

Of course, Trump’s election to a second non-consecutive term was a dramatic one, and we can expect robust attendance from his followers coming to Washington from all over to celebrate along with him.

It is unlikely they will storm the Capitol on this visit, however, unless they really, really want to witness the swearing-in of their hero close up. 

The last inauguration held in the Rotunda due to frigid weather was President Reagan’s on January 20, 1985, when he took the oath for his second term.

Temperatures that day fell to 7 degrees, with wind chills reaching 10 to 20 degrees below zero.

The inauguration of President Kennedy on January 20, 1961 is also well-remembered for its wintry conditions, but the inaugural stayed outside, with Kennedy delivering his famous “Ask not” inaugural address.

Eight years ago at his first swearing-in, the weather must have been comparably balmy as Trump and his family dressed lightly for the occasion (above photo).

By coincidence, Inauguration Day this year falls on the annual Martin Luther King Day holiday. This gives Donald Trump an opportunity to take a uniting rather than dividing approach by honoring King.

How will Trump do? Millions will be watching.

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