President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration will be moved indoors due to frigid temperatures expected for Monday, the incoming commander in chief said on Friday.
“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured in any way,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.
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“Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump continued.
Trump also said the Capitol One Arena, where he is set to hold a victory rally on Sunday, will be open Monday for the crowds to watch his swearing-in remotely. The inauguration parade, expected to wind through the streets on Monday following his address, will also be moved indoors to the arena.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Events also issued a statement confirming it will “honor the request” and move the ceremonies inside to the Rotunda, where Trump visited last week to visit the late President Jimmy Carter as he lied in state.
Monday is set to be Washington’s coldest inauguration in 40 years, with temperatures not expected to go above 20 degrees. In the frigid winds, it would have felt like single digits.
Despite the arena being open for Trump supporters to view the inauguration remotely, it is unclear what will happen to the thousands of spectators expected to attend on the Capitol grounds and the National Mall.
Capitol One Arena has a maximum capacity of just over 20,000 seats. An estimated 250,000 people are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration — not just the thousands who hold general admission tickets, but lawmakers, past presidents, businessmen, and celebrities invited by Trump with more privileged access to the grounds.
This is not the first time weather forced an inauguration indoors.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration was moved inside due to air temperatures of 7 degrees and a wind chill of -40 degrees. President William Henry Harrison died a month after his inauguration after standing outside in a cold rain to deliver his speech.
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The tradition of holding the swearing-in ceremony and subsequent speech outdoors began with President James Monroe, whose inauguration had to be moved outside because the Capitol was damaged during the War of 1812.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Capitol Police, the National Park Service, and multiple lawmakers for comment on additional inauguration guidances.