President Donald Trump’s upcoming second inauguration is set to take place indoors, with Washington, D.C. experiencing a significant drop in temperature on Monday, expected to fall below 20 degrees. The wind chill will further exacerbate conditions, making it feel as though the temperature is in the single digits.
Trump will officially assume the role of the 47th U.S. President within the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The inaugural parade is planned to occur at the Capitol One Arena. He isn’t the first president to opt for an indoor ceremony due to severe weather. This inauguration is anticipated to be the coldest since 1985, when Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term amidst frigid 7-degree temperatures. Like Trump’s event, Reagan’s swearing-in also took place indoors at the Capitol rotunda, with the inaugural parade—featuring a remarkable Alaskan dog sled team of 21 huskies—being canceled due to the cold.
Historically, there have been instances of presidents taking their oaths indoors due to harsh weather. In 1909, for example, William Taft was sworn in inside the Senate chamber after a blizzard blanketed Washington, D.C. with nearly 10 inches of snow. However, the parade that followed took place outside, showcasing a remarkable 20,000 participants.
Taft humorously remarked at the time, “I always knew it would be a cold day in hell when I became president,” as reported by the Washington Post.
While some presidents have braved the cold for outdoor inauguration events, others have chosen to stay warm indoors. For instance, President John F. Kennedy was sworn in during a chilly 22-degree day, following an unexpected snowfall of eight inches that had blanketed the D.C. area just the day before. The U.S. Army Engineers worked tirelessly to clear the snow, ensuring the ceremony and parade could proceed as planned, despite the challenging conditions.
As the inauguration approaches, Trump has advised attendees to dress warmly but also suggested that they might prefer to watch the events unfold from the comfort of their homes. On January 17, he expressed on Truth Social, “I don’t want to see people hurt or injured in any way.”
