Friday, January 20th, is the day that the swearing in ceremony for Donald Trump will be held – he will be succeeding Barack Obama as the 45th President of the United States of America. Two concerts at the Lincoln Memorial mark the opening of the event which is then followed by the wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Although it is a three-day long event that started on Thursday, the swearing in ceremony is on Friday.
On January 20, there is to be a private breakfast at the President’s guesthouse, Blair House, followed by a private church service. At 8pm Trump will have coffee post which both, the departing and incoming presidents, ride down to the Capitol.
At 10 pm the swearing in ceremony for Donald Trump as president and Mike Pence as vice-president will take place. There will be readings and prayers offered by multiple faith leaders.
After the ceremony, Trump and Pence – along with their respective families – will lead a parade from the Capitol building to the White House. Later there are to be three inaugural balls – two official presidential balls, Liberty and Freedom (both taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center) and the third a is The Salute to Our Armed Services Ball. The president-elect and vice-president elect plan to attend all three balls along with their wives.
On Saturday, January 21st there will be a National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral which will be an interfaith one and some are even open to the public.
While it is customary for the outgoing president to attend the inauguration of the incoming president, it is not compulsory. Should Obama choose not to attend Donal Trump’s inauguration it would be the first in 96 years. However, Hillary Clinton – Trump’s rival – announced her attendance along with her husband and former US president of America – Bill Clinton.
While the event is expected to be aired on news channels around the world, the White House will also stream the inauguration on its website.
