President Trump announced on Truth Social Friday that his inauguration address will be moved into the Capitol Rotunda due to dangerous cold temperatures. Inauguration Day temperature in Washington, D.C. is forecast to be the coldest in decades.
WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in for his second term while indoors during one of the coldest Inauguration Days in decades as a bitter blast of arctic air is expected to invade America.
Frigid weather caused by the polar vortex will send temperatures plunging for millions of Americans, especially those planning to attend Monday’s ceremony in Washington. This posed a significant logistical challenge, as tens of thousands of people were expected to gather on the National Mall, requiring them to wait for hours in security lines.
FORECAST: INAUGURATION DAY COULD BE COLDEST IN DECADES
Washington is expecting frigid temperatures on Inauguration Day, with a high in the low 20s and overnight lows dipping to 6 degrees. According to the FOX Forecast Center, this will be some of the coldest weather in the city in approximately six years.
“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda … the various dignitaries and guests will be brought into the Capitol,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for live viewing of this historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade. I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my swearing in.”
Trump’s move is not unprecedented. The last time the ceremony was moved inside was for Ronald Reagan in 1985, also due to extremely cold temperatures. It was 7 degrees with some stiff winds topping 30 mph, which put the wind chills well below zero.
President Reagan is sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger in the Capitol Rotunda in a public inauguration ceremony.
(Getty Images)
President William Henry Harrison delivered the longest Inaugural address, at 8,445 words, on March 4, 1841 – a bitterly cold, wet day. He died one month later from pneumonia that is believed to have been brought on by prolonged exposure to the elements on his Inauguration Day.
HISTORY: WHEN INAUGURATION DAY WEATHER LIKELY KILLED A PRESIDENT
Inauguration of President Harrison, 1840.
(Getty Images)
Historically, early presidential inaugurations were often held indoors within the Capitol, explained FOX News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram to FOX Weather, noting that President Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration followed this tradition.
Pergram further explained that President James Monroe initiated the practice of holding inaugurations outdoors. This shift occurred after the War of 1812, during which the British forces burned the Capitol building.
“After Andrew Jackson, they pretty much have been outdoors ever since,” he said. “But President-elect Trump has made the decision because of the extreme weather to move everything inside. And this will probably look very similar to what happened in 1985 with President Reagan.”
WHEN INAUGURATION DAY WAS NEARLY SNOWED OUT
Our very own Nick Kosir chats with our friends at FOX News Channel about how they’re prepping for the bitter arctic air they’ll face soon when they travel to the inauguration.
Other notable inaugurations are renowned for their frigid temperatures. For example, in 1853, President Franklin Pierce’s inauguration was marked by heavy snowfall. While the exact snowfall amount is unknown, many people fell ill after the ceremony, including the outgoing First Lady Abigail Fillmore.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration was preceded by a significant snowstorm. Eight inches of snow fell the day before, causing widespread gridlock in Washington. Due to the severe winter weather, outgoing President Herbert Hoover was unable to fly into the city and missed the ceremony. This notable weather event became known as the “Kennedy Inaugural Snowstorm.”