Trump moves inauguration ceremony indoors due to freezing temperatures by Reuters

Written by Tim Reed and Doina Chiacco

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President-elect Donald Trump said that his inauguration ceremony on Monday will be held inside the US Capitol building and not outdoors due to the extreme cold. This is the first time in 40 years that the inauguration ceremony of a US president has been moved indoors.

Trump said on his “Truth Social” platform on Friday: “There is an explosion in the Arctic that is sweeping the country. I do not want to see people injured or injured in any way.”

“Therefore, I have ordered that the inaugural address, as well as other prayers and speeches, be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda,” Trump added.

The last time the inauguration was moved indoors due to extreme cold was in 1985 during former Republican President Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in, when afternoon temperatures dropped to between -10 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 to minus 29 degrees). Celsius). ).

The weather forecast in Washington on Monday expects temperatures at the time of Trump’s swearing-in to be around 19 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 7 degrees Celsius), but it will feel colder with wind chills.

Trump said that his supporters can watch the ceremony on screens inside the building Capital One (NYSE:) Arena, a sports venue in downtown Washington that seats 20,000 people.

Trump also said that his presidential parade, which was scheduled to include marching bands and other groups marching down Pennsylvania Avenue next to the White House, would be shifted inside Capital One Arena. It was not immediately clear how the show would be organized inside the sports stadium.

Trump said he would join the crowd in the square after he was sworn in.

Trump is scheduled to hold a rally with his supporters inside the same square on Sunday, the eve of his inauguration.

The extreme cold has had an impact on many past inaugurations.

William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, gave the longest inaugural address on March 4, 1841, in damp, cold conditions without a hat or coat.

This event and speech are believed to have contributed to his later death from pneumonia. He died one month after taking office, making his presidency the shortest in US history.

During President Ulysses S. Grant’s second swearing-in ceremony on March 4, 1873, several students and midshipmen standing outside without coats collapsed, and high winds made Grant’s speech inaudible even to those closest to him on the podium, according to a published history. By the National Weather Service. The morning low temperature of 4 F (-15 C) that day remains the coldest March day on record in Washington.