President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance are days away from being sworn into office, beginning a second Trump administration after a historic 2024 election victory against Vice President Kamala Harris.
A series of festivities will begin in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, leading up to Inauguration Day on Monday, Jan. 20, when Trump will take the oath of office at noon in front of the Capitol.
From the lead-up to the inaugural ceremony to the start of Trump’s presidency, here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 presidential inauguration:
Ahead of Inauguration Day
Ramped-up security in DC
Four years after a chaotic riot interrupted Congress‘s certification of the 2020 presidential election, law enforcement made several changes to secure the Capitol for the Jan. 6 certification and presidential inauguration.
Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, said the 2025 inauguration will occur under a “higher threat environment” than the last inauguration and that there is a “slightly more robust security plan.”
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Law enforcement prepares Trump inauguration security: ‘Higher threat environment’
- How the Capitol has changed security since the last presidential inauguration
- Secret Service overrides FAA rules to allow surveillance drones for inauguration
Trump’s record-breaking inaugural fund
After Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in 2021 in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, many companies paused donations and political contributions to organizations associated with Trump or any lawmaker who voted against certification.
However, that outlook has changed, and business leaders are working to rebuild relationships with the incoming president, who is expected to have major effects on their companies’ futures.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- These large companies are funding Trump’s inauguration despite pledge to withhold support after Jan. 6
- Google becomes latest Big Tech company to dole out funds to Trump inauguration
- Uber and CEO latest tech company to contribute to Trump’s inauguration
- Microsoft donates $1 million to Trump inauguration
- Chamber of Commerce doubles giving to Trump inauguration
Big Tech leaders embrace Trump’s return to office
Big Tech has been one of Trump’s biggest long-term rivals. However, during the 2024 election cycle, several key figures — most notably, Elon Musk — started to warm to him, with the trend intensifying after his victory.
A number of Big Tech CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, have signaled a warming up to Trump as he prepares to take office again.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Big Tech moguls shell out big donations to build relationship with Trump
- Apple’s Tim Cook joins list of tech CEOs courting Trump
- What’s pushing Zuckerberg to cozy up with Trump ahead of inauguration
- Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg to sit with Trump nominees on Inauguration Day
What to know for Inauguration Day 2025
What to expect on Jan. 20
Washington is getting ready to host the president-elect and vice president-elect, along with what’s expected to be hundreds of thousands of attendees, for a weekend of inauguration festivities.
On Sunday, Trump is holding a final MAGA rally to celebrate his victory in the 2024 election. In addition to three inaugural balls on Monday, there will be several other unofficial celebrations around the district in honor of Trump’s swearing-in.
A number of prominent artists and notable guests have announced they will take part in the events.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Here’s what Trump’s schedule looks like on Inauguration Day
- Carrie Underwood to perform at Trump’s inauguration ceremony
- Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus join lineup for inaugural celebrations
- Lee Greenwood prepping ‘majestic’ ‘God Bless the USA’ performance for inauguration
- Trump’s campaign garbage truck to ride in inaugural parade
- Butler County first responders to march in Trump’s inauguration parade
- DC Metro sells limited edition Trump SmarTrip cards for inauguration
What else to expect on Jan. 20
Aside from the inauguration, several events will take place on Jan. 20.
Flags across the country are still flying at half-staff in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who died in December at age 100, though some will be raised to full-staff to honor Trump.
The 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship is also slated for Jan. 20. This year, the University of Notre Dame will face off against The Ohio State University, which happens to be Vance’s alma mater. Vance jokingly made a plea for the game to be postponed due to his scheduling conflict.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Mike Johnson orders flags at full-staff for Trump inauguration despite Jimmy Carter mourning period
- Newsom joins Republicans raising flags from half-staff to honor Trump
- JD Vance jokes about rescheduling Ohio State playoff final for inauguration
Who is attending the inauguration
Although no head of a foreign country has ever attended a presidential inauguration in the United States, the president-elect decided to break tradition after he won the 2024 election by extending invitations to several world leaders.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Joe and Jill Biden will attend Trump inauguration: White House
- Here’s which foreign leaders were invited to Trump’s inauguration — and which may have been snubbed
- Delegation of Taiwanese lawmakers to attend Trump inauguration
- Argentina’s president accepts invite to attend Trump’s inauguration
How Democrats are responding
Democrats are prepared to protest Trump in Washington ahead of and during the festivities, although their opposition is muted compared to the reactions when he took office in 2017.
The Left’s lackluster resistance comes as it grapples with how to respond to Trump’s reelection, with Molly Murphy, a pollster for Harris’s failed presidential campaign, telling Democratic National Committee members last month that “the 2025 playbook cannot be the 2017 playbook.”
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Exhausted Democrats plan muted resistance for Trump’s inauguration
- Michelle Obama to skip Trump’s second inauguration
- AOC among House Democrats not attending Trump’s second inauguration
- Swing-state Democrats pledge to attend Trump’s inauguration while others draw a red line
The incoming Trump administration
Confirmation hearings for Cabinet nominees
Multiple Trump nominees for key Cabinet positions, including defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth and attorney general pick Pam Bondi, faced Senate confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill in the days before the president-elect’s inauguration.
However, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under pressure to get most of Trump’s nominees ready for a vote by the time he is sworn in or shortly thereafter, various holdups could get in the way of that time frame.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Trump Cabinet hearings: When key nominees will be on Capitol Hill
- Where pivotal Trump Cabinet nominations stand after delays and disagreements
- Eight takeaways from Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing
- Four takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s contentious Senate hearing
- Confirmation hearing for Tulsi Gabbard in limbo as Democrats seek to delay further
Trump’s first day back in the White House
Trump and his advisers told Republican senators that the incoming administration is working on 100 executive orders that will be enacted once Trump is sworn into office. The orders will focus on immigration, a topic Trump was adamant about fixing while campaigning for the presidency.
Trump has also made a number of other promises about what he would do on his first day back in the White House.
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Trump prepares 100 executive orders to enact once in office
- Trump planning to issue crypto currency executive orders on Day One
- What Trump has promised to do on Day One in the White House
- Here’s which Biden executive orders will be the first to go under Trump
Capitol Hill Republicans ready to enact Trump’s agenda
With unified control of Washington, Republicans now have a fresh chance to reverse their fortunes and have already promised a sweeping rollback of Biden’s regulatory agenda.
However, the challenge will be prioritizing a small number of items for consideration on the Senate floor:
Read more from the Washington Examiner:
- Republicans plot Biden regulatory rollback ahead of Trump inauguration
- What Republicans plan for DC with trifecta control
- Four deadlines in 2025 that will test GOP trifecta leadership
