President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration promises to be a blend of old and new, with the official schedule of events from the Inaugural Committee detailing how Mr. Trump will be sworn into office. The committee has confirmed that the President-elect will adhere to many of the traditions often observed during inauguration week, however, Mr. Trump is still keen to put his own mark on the week’s events by introducing some new traditions of his own when he arrives in Washington D.C.
According to NBC Washington , the day before he becomes the next president, Mr. Trump will speak at a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. The “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” will mark the President-elect’s arrival in Washington ahead of his inauguration. Outgoing President Obama held a similar event in 2008.
Bill and Hillary Clinton to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, their aides say; George W. Bush and Laura Bush too https://t.co/TtEsxCpr9f pic.twitter.com/oxV8oJBVMd
— CNN (@CNN) January 3, 2017
The committee also confirmed that Mr. Trump plans to largely keep with tradition when it comes to other inaugural week events. Over the course of that week, he’ll be staying at Blair House, much like other incoming presidents before him, whilst also having coffee with the sitting president and attending a service at St. John’s Church on Inauguration Day morning. This will be the second time President-elect Trump has met with outgoing President Obama after the president invited Mr. Trump to the White House following his victory.
That being said, Mr. Trump isn’t expected to entirely keep with tradition. Alex Stroman from the Inaugural Committee confirmed that this year’s parade will be considerably shorter at about an hour and a half in length, saying “That’s probably a testament to this president’s willingness and eagerness to get to work for the American people.” That’s also echoed through the President-elect’s decision to only attend three inaugural balls on the night of his inauguration. In comparison, President Obama attended nine.
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Despite varying plans this year, Stroman was also keen to stress that all inaugural events will still be open to the public in some way or another, saying “That’s probably one of the greatest things about the inauguration — the ceremony, the parade, and the concert all have aspects that are open to the public. Because, again, this is about the celebration of the American people.”
However, that doesn’t mean Mr. Trump’s inauguration won’t face any hiccups. According to the Chicago Patch , various protests are also being planned to take place around Washington D.C. during inauguration week. With various groups announcing that they plan to protest Mr. Trump’s ascension to the presidency, the National Park Service is drawing up plans to accommodate them. The department confirmed on Tuesday that it had received requests from 25 groups to protest, however, only one permit has so far been issued.
Rebecca Ferguson will perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration on one, incredible condition https://t.co/Bvo3yvvImx pic.twitter.com/9Uy59frPoy
— The Independent (@Independent) January 3, 2017
The Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition has been issued a permit to conduct a peaceful protest on inauguration day, with the National Park Service planning to issue permits to other groups when the Inaugural Committee confirms which locations in the city they do not need access to. That being said, the National Park Service was also keen to stress that they plan to accommodate all protest groups who have so far made a request for space at the inauguration.
Similarly, street vendors also are waiting on the Inaugural Committee to release space for them to use. However, with just 19 days until President-elect Trump’s ascension to the presidency, time is quickly running out to finalize plans around his inauguration.
[Featured Image by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
