Washington braces for inauguration day and a second Trump term

Donald Trump to make history on Monday as he is sworn in for his second term in the White House, becoming the 45th and 47th US president

Live updates: Follow the latest on Donald Trump’s inauguration

Donald Trump will be sworn in as US President on Monday, capping a remarkable political comeback and starting a second term in office that will see swift changes in foreign policy, including in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Tall metal fencing has sprung up around Washington, checkpoints have been prepared and thousands of police officers are being sent across the US capital to oversee the inauguration, a ceremonial day filled with pomp and circumstance, not to mention politicians and celebrities.

On Friday, officials announced that the swearing-in and other inaugural events will be held indoors in the US Capitol rotunda, while the inaugural parade will take place in the Capitol One Arena in Washington, due to temperatures forecast as low as minus 6°C for the event at noon as an Arctic weather front grips the northern US.

About 250,000 people have tickets to the day's events, which normally sees thousands of spectators lining the capital's streets and watch musical performances, parades and fireworks.

At his first inauguration in 2017, Mr Trump drew ridicule after he claimed “a million and a half people” had come to watch his event, when in reality there were far fewer than at Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009. No doubt, Monday's crowd size will be closely monitored as the president-elect remains fixated on supporter numbers.

Crowds gather on the Washington Mall between the US Capitol and the Washington Monument on January 20, 2017, about two hours before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the US. EPA

From the steps of the Capitol Building, President Joe Biden will ceremoniously end his four-year term, and hand over the reins to Mr Trump, who will then take the oath of office. It will be a historic moment in US politics, as it was only four years ago that Mr Trump finished his first term under a cloud, having refused to concede defeat.

Members of Congress, relatives and former and current officials will be in attendance. The ceremony will stand in sharp contrast to Mr Biden's inauguration in 2021, when Mr Trump broke with decades of tradition and refused to attend amid his false claims that the 2020 election had been rigged.

Then, the nation was in the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic that killed more than one million Americans, and voters were ready to move on from Mr Trump's chaotic handling of the crisis. Four years later, after a lengthy round of high inflation, they decided they wanted him back – or at least they did not think Mr Biden, 82, was up to the rigours of a second term.

Mr Trump, 78, survived two attempted assassinations last year before winning the election with 49.9 per cent of the vote, compared to 48.4 for his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

President-elect Donald Trump talks to the press at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 7, 2025. Reuters

He says he will bring back his “America First” approach to foreign policy. He vowed to increase tariffs on goods coming from China and elsewhere and claimed he would bring an immediate end to Russia's war in Ukraine, although already his team has suggested it will take more than the 24 hours Mr Trump said he would need to solve Europe's biggest conflict since the Second World War.

In the Middle East, Mr Trump had said he wanted a ceasefire and hostage release deal to be reached before his inauguration. He got his wish on Wednesday and has moved to take credit for the agreement, which takes effect on Sunday.

Mr Biden said he had directed his administration to co-ordinate closely with the Trump team to “make sure we're all speaking with the same voice, because that's what American presidents do".

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But when a reporter at the White House asked him if Mr Trump deserved credit, the departing President said: “Is that a joke?”

In his farewell foreign policy speech on Monday, Mr Biden said he would be giving the incoming administration a “very strong hand to play", with a robust US economy and improved international alliances.

Khaled Elgindy, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and an expert on US foreign relations in the Middle East, said there are some fears and concerns about Mr Trump's unpredictability as he enters his second term.

“But Joe Biden didn't bring any stability to the Middle East,” Mr Elgindy told The National. “He brought instability with his reflexively supporting anything that Israel did in the region: the war in Lebanon, invasion of Syria, attacks in Yemen, Iran – everything just blew up.”

“And they're going to be looking to Donald Trump to restore some kind of stability, because as unpredictable as he is, he is also known for not being very adventurous militarily.”

Ms Harris is also expected to attend the inauguration, after she had to formally certify Mr Trump's win in Congress last week.

President Joe Biden on the steps to Air Force One in Los Angeles on January 8. Reuters