On Monday, Donald Trump he will complete his dramatic comeback as he is sworn in for a second term as President of the United States.
Following his loss in the 2020 election, many believed that Trump's future was over. Critics also questioned whether the scandal would tarnish his legacy.
After all, his false allegations of election fraud led a group of people to violently attack the US Capitol on. January 6, 2021. Later, he was indicted on four counts: one of withholding confidential documents, one of falsifying business records, and two of election tampering.
But in November, Trump scored his biggest electoral victory, taking both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
His recent inauguration is expected to bring together several opposition parties, among them powerful members of the country. tech elite.
What happens at the US presidential inauguration, who will attend, and what does it tell us about Trump's return to power? We answer those questions and more in a brief explanation.
What is an opening?
In the United States, the presidential inauguration is when the president-elect takes the oath of office and begins his four-year term.
To take the oath, the president-elect usually places his hand on the Bible, although some have chosen a spiritual or political book.
After reciting the oath of office, the new president gives an opening speech to the assembled group of people, government officials and officials of other countries.
What does the oath of office say?
This oath is found in Article II of Section I of the US Constitution.
It says: “I swear that I will faithfully perform the office of President of the United States, and will do everything in my power to defend, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Which book will Trump swear by?
During his first inauguration in 2017, Trump was sworn in on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861. He also used a second Bible, gifted to him by his late mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump.
Media reports indicate that Trump may use the same combination of books this year: Lincoln's Bible, plus one of his mother's.
Trump also used the opportunity to promote sales of the special “Inauguration Day” version, which is currently priced at $69.99.
“The biggest thing that we have to bring back to America to make it great again is God,” Trump said in a promotional video for the site.
When and where will the opening take place?
The launch will take place at 12pm Eastern Time (17:00 GMT) on January 20, 2025.
The ceremony was to be held outside, on the west side of the US Capitol, facing the park called the National Mall, in Washington, DC.
But the winter temperatures forced Trump to reconsider. On Friday, in terms of security, he announced that the ceremony would take place moved into the house to the Capitol's rotunda, under its 88-meter (288-foot) dome.
The closed area, however, has reduced attendance. About 250,000 guests have tickets to the first outdoor event, but Trump has encouraged supporters to instead watch the telecast at Capitol One Arena, where he will appear during the day.
How cold will it be?
Early estimates indicated that Trump's second inauguration could be the coldest in recent years, as storms sweep across the US.
As of Friday, the National Weather Service said Monday afternoon temperatures will hover around -6 degrees Celsius, or 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
Has any other president installed in the Capitol Rotunda?
Bus one. In 1985, Ronald Reagan took office for the second time – and he also experienced winter. Temperatures hit -14 degrees Celsius, or just 7 degrees Fahrenheit, even lower than the forecast for Monday.
So, like Trump, Reagan made the decision to move his inauguration indoors, to the Capitol Rotunda.
Some presidents, however, have held their ceremonies in other parts of the Capitol, such as inside the Senate chamber, although outdoor ceremonies have become more common.
Who will attend?
Although presidential inaugurations always attract celebrities, this year's list of people who will be in attendance has attracted more attention.
Three former presidents – Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton – will all be in attendance. So are the outgoing union leaders, the President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Both Biden and Harris met with Trump on the campaign trail. While Biden won his 2020 race against Trump, he dropped out of the 2024 race, and Harris, who replaced him, lost.
Trump's guest list also includes foreign leaders from around the world. Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French politician Eric Zemmour and British MP Nigel Farage are all expected to attend.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also tried to attend, but his country's Supreme Court ruled him out a flying accidentconsidering the charges he is facing at home.
A number of prominent businessmen have also supported Trump's return to power, among them billionaire Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Critics have taken the presence of the tech billionaire as a sign that the industry has embraced Trump, despite their cautious and critical stance in the past.
Although he has already called the rebellion of January 6 “a day of shame”, Apple's Tim Cook is said to have donated $ 1m to Trump's inauguration ceremony.
Cook is not alone. In a sign of the corporate world's efforts to capitalize on the incoming administration, Trump's inaugural fund has raised $170m since January 8.
As the event unfolds, some insiders expect the total to top $200m.
The money helps pay for opening ceremonies, as well as other events such as private balls and parades.
Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta have said they will donate $1m, along with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who donated $1m.
Other major contributors include pharmaceutical company Pfizer, financial services firm Intuit, trading software Robinhood, and automakers like Ford and General Motors.
Trump's initial inauguration also brought in the most money, topping $106.7m. By contrast, Mr Biden only received $61.8m in donations for his 2021 campaign.
Who will sing at the opening ceremony?
Trump had a hard time finding supporters for his 2017 inauguration — but this year, that's not the case.
Pop star Carrie Underwood is slated to sing America the Beautiful, while country singer Lee Greenwood will sing his classic God Bless the USA, a staple of Trump's campaign anthem.
During this time, opera singer Christopher Macchio will present his national anthem.
The Village People will also appear to perform Trump's favorite song, the disco song YMCA.
What was the controversy with the US flag?
On December 29, former President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100, and according to tradition, US flags were lowered in federal buildings for 30 days of mourning.
But that 30-day period continued with the inauguration, and Trump refused to have flags flying at his event.
“Democrats are all 'trembling' about our beautiful American Flag possibly being 'half-staffed' during my inauguration,” Trump said. he wrote on social media this month. “Nobody wants to see that, and no American is going to be happy about it.”
Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, eventually agreed with Trump, to beg The flags will be flown at half-mast on Monday. However, he said that it would be downloaded again the next day.
This shows a violation of the President's traditions. In the past, the flag has been flown at half-mast during funerals, such as in 1973, when President Richard Nixon was sworn in for a second term while the nation honored one of his predecessors, Harry Truman.
Will there be protests?
When Trump took office in 2017, he faced protests that spread across the country, as protests took to the streets against his right-wing policies.
More than 200 opponents he was arrested on the day of Trump's first inauguration – although almost all saw the charges against them dismissed.
Then, the next day, about 500,000 people joined Women's March in Washington, marking one of the largest one-day demonstrations the city has ever seen. Around the world, nearly four million people participated in local versions of the Women's March.
However, this time, the situation does not look good. Although protests are expected to take place, few expect similar protests in 2017.
What about security?
Security is expected to be high, especially after a test on Trump's life last July, when he was shot in the ear while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania.
About 48 kilometers, or 30 kilometers, of the wall has been set up around the Capitol, which has been heavily fortified. At two meters (7ft) high, the fence was designed to prevent people from climbing the barrier.
About 25,000 law enforcement officers are also expected to man the headquarters, including 7,800 members of the National Guard.
City officials in Washington, DC, he said that there will be road closures near the opening, and ticket holders will go through security before entering any events related to this.
How large is the population expected to be?
Crowd size is a concern for Donald Trump, and his inauguration day crowd is no exception.
In 2017, Trump spent weeks insisting that he had pulled the largest inauguration crowd, even though this was not true.
About 220,000 tickets have been released for this year's opening, with about 250,000 seats available.
But the change in location can be a hindrance. The first area, the grassy National Mall, has room for hundreds of thousands of visitors. Capitol One Arena, where the live broadcast is held, has a capacity of over 20,000.