Why Presidential Inaugurations Are Sometimes Held Indoors
President Trump’s second inauguration will be held indoors due to sub-20-degree Fahrenheit temperatures and a wind chill making it feel like single digits in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. President inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, with the inaugural parade taking place at the Capital One Arena. He is not the first president to move his inauguration indoors due to extreme cold. This will be the first indoor inauguration since 1985, when President Reagan’s second swearing-in ceremony was held inside the Capitol rotunda in 7-degree weather. The inaugural parade, featuring an Alaskan dogsled team, was cancelled.
In 1909, President William Taft’s inauguration took place inside the Senate chamber following a blizzard that dumped nearly 10 inches of snow on D.C. However, the parade proceeded outdoors with 20,000 participants.
“I always knew it would be a cold day in hell when I became president,” Taft reportedly quipped to the Washington Post.
Some presidents have held outdoor inauguration events despite freezing temperatures, such as President [Name Redacted], who was sworn in at 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Eight inches of snow fell unexpectedly the previous day, “paralyzing” the D.C. area, according to the Washington Post, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared the snow in time for the ceremony and parade.
Trump advised attendees to dress warmly but also suggested watching the events on television. As he stated on January 17th on Truth Social, “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way.”