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Inauguration of Donald Trump 2025: Program and where to watch

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This year’s ceremony will not be anything new for Donald Trump. He experienced the whole process already in January 2017, when he replaced Barack Obama in office and became the 45th president of the United States of America.

He returns to the White House, where one person can be elected a maximum of twice in a lifetime, after a four-year break.

The date of the inauguration of the President of the USA

The inauguration of the new American president will take place on Monday, January 20, 2025. By taking the oath, Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the USA. He will sit in the Oval Office after Joe Biden, whose four-year term ends at noon on the same day.

The ceremony always takes place in Washington DC on January 20 of the year following the election. The president-elect takes an oath and usually delivers an inaugural speech. If the traditional date falls on a Sunday, the ceremony is moved to January 21, which is not the case this year.

The inauguration program and what awaits Trump

The inauguration day starts early in the morning service in the Episcopal Church of St. Jana near the White House. Subsequently, the outgoing president will welcome the new one to the White House, where they will sit together for a while and then leave together in a limousine to the Capitol, that is, to the place of the ceremony itself, where the invited guests should gradually start heading.

The main part of the ceremonial ceremony traditionally takes place at noon local time, i.e. at 18:00 CET, in front of the Capitol building -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on its western facade.

This year, however, due to expected severe frosts, the program was changed, for the first time since 1985. Everything was moved to the rotunda of the Capitol, which can accommodate approximately 700 people. Most of the spectators who had tickets will not be able to participate in the event, as the number of seats inside is very limited.

Shortly before noon, the vice president will first take the oath, and at the stroke of 12 o’clock the new president will take the oath. With his hand on the Bible and his right hand raised in accordance with the Constitution of the United States of America will take the oath which is followed by 21 volleys from guns and inaugural speech of the new president, in which he usually outlines his plans for the next four years.

Oath of the President of the USA

  • In the English language: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
  • In the Czech language: “I do solemnly swear to serve honorably as President of the United States and to the best of my ability to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

After that, the new president will be transferred to the Capitol building, where he will sign the relevant documents and take his turn inaugural lunch with the participation of the head of state, vice president and members of Congress.

Another point of the program, which will not be this year either, is the movement of the new head of the USA along Pennsylvania Avenue in a traditional inaugural procession to the White House, in front of which a military parade will take place.

As the ČTK agency wrote, according to Trump’s statement, the event will be moved inside, to Washington’s covered sports hall Capital One Arena, which can accommodate approximately 20,000 people and where the inauguration broadcast will also be broadcast beforehand. Around 250,000 people had tickets for the inauguration in front of the Capitol.

It will end a busy day inaugural ballwhich, in addition to the president and the first lady or the vice president and his wife, will be attended by other important guests. The highlight of the ball is the dance of the president with the first lady.

Where to watch the inauguration

The inauguration of the new US president will be broadcast, for example, by Czech Television on its news channel ČT24, and you can also watch it on the Seznam Zprávy website as part of the Ptám se já special. Of course, the live broadcast will not be missing on the leading American television stations.

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