Source : the age
Washington: President-elect Donald Trump arrived in the Washington area to begin celebrations for his return to power as his supporters were left scrambling to make alternative plans ahead of an inauguration ceremony that has been upended by dangerously cold weather.
As Trump touched down at Dulles Airport in suburban Virginia, many fans who had travelled to see him being sworn in were left wondering what to do after the president-elect moved his ceremony indoors.
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump attend a private party and fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club.Credit: Getty Images
The DC stadium where Trump said supporters could now watch a live stream of the event can seat up to only 20,000 people – far fewer than the hundreds of thousands who planned to attend the ceremony at the US Capitol or the National Mall.
Trump held an event on Saturday night (Sunday afternoon AEDT) for about 500 guests at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington, where Elvis Presley impersonator Leo Days serenaded the incoming president and first lady.
He addressed the crowd, giving a shoutout to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and declaring his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff a “great negotiator.” Witkoff this past week helped negotiate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that’s scheduled to take effect on Sunday.
Soon after his remarks, Trump stepped out onto a clubhouse balcony while guests gathered on the patio below him for a fireworks display and performance by tenor Christopher Macchio.
President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump watch fireworks at Trump National Golf Club. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)Credit: AP
Back in DC, some Trump fans, like Robert and Melinda Ferguson, were making the best of the shift after driving from Oklahoma to Washington for the inauguration. While they no longer had access to the ceremony, the pair’s trip was not in vain, as they still had tickets to one of the inaugural balls and toured bourbon distilleries on the drive over.
“I don’t necessarily care. It’s gonna be cold; I don’t want to stand outside anyway,” Robert said while sightseeing at the Lincoln Memorial.
But others who had planned to arrive in Washington in the coming days pondered online whether to cancel costly flights and accommodation, while messaging forums were awash with conspiracy theories about a government plot being the real reason Trump moved the event indoors.
Robert and Melinda Ferguson from Oklahoma travelled to Washington for the inauguration but won’t be able to attend after it was moved indoors.Credit: Michael Koziol
“Hard to imagine Trump would willingly move this inside considering all the bad weather rallies that’s already been had,” wrote one user in a private meet-up group formed for MAGA fans currently in Washington for the event.
“Anyone want to hang out at a bar/restaurant to watch the inauguration?” wrote another user.
The decision to move Trump’s swearing-in ceremony into the Capitol Rotunda marks the first time since Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inauguration that the event has taken place indoors.
“There is an Arctic blast sweep in the country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.
“It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of law-enforcement, first responders, police, canines, and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (in any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!)”
Folding chairs are set up during rehearsals for the inauguration on the West Front of the US Capitol. Credit: Getty Images
Even as the president made the announcement, officials and workers were still making preparations on the steps of the US Capitol building – where presidents traditionally take the oath of office – while inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building nearby, perplexed staff distributed media accreditation to journalists to cover the outdoor event.
Construction of the platform where Trump was meant to be sworn in had been under way since the “first nail ceremony” took place in September.
Viewing areas had also been set up outside the White House and along the National Mall, where screens will now show the weather forecast on Monday to discourage people from congregating.
Law enforcement officials had also embarked on a months-long security operation to keep the area safe, installing almost 50 metres of “unscalable” fencing around the district and bringing in about 25,000 police and military personnel.
While authorities say there are no signs of serious threats, the inauguration nonetheless comes after the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, the Tesla Cybertruck explosion at Trump Tower in Las Vegas, and the two assassination attempts against Trump during the election campaign.
Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller acknowledged people would be disappointed – telling Fox News his father-in-law could not see Trump take the oath due to the Capitol Rotunda only allowing about 600 people – but added: “Everybody realises that we have to keep people safe.
“You can’t have someone out there for seven, eight hours in 10 or 11-degree weather [minus 11 degrees Celsius]. We wish everyone could be there, but once the president starts making everything happen on Monday after he is sworn in, everyone, I think, is going to be very happy.”
At Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, his speech was dubbed “American carnage” due to its dark themes about a country rife with crime, economic decay, and “forgotten” men and women. According to aides, this year’s address will be more upbeat and centred on the themes of “light” and “unity”.
Trump has signalled he will begin his presidency by signing a raft of executive orders to tackle the immigration crisis, shake up the US economy with more aggressive tariffs, wind back climate change policies initiated by the Biden administration and grant pardons to people he believes were unfairly convicted over the January 6, 2021, attack at the US Capitol.
This comes as a just-released New York Times poll found that many Americans who didn’t necessarily like Trump nonetheless share his view of the nation’s problems and even back some of his most contentious pledges to fix them.
Among them was Trump’s signature policy: embarking on the biggest deportation program in history to remove illegal immigrants from America.
The policy has come under scrutiny because there are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, most of whom are not violent criminals – despite the narrative pushed at the election – but rather, people who have been in the country for years and contribute to the economy by working in industries such as construction, agriculture and hospitality.
The Times poll, which surveyed 2128 adults from January 2 to 10, found that 55 per cent of Americans either strongly or somewhat support such mass deportations.
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