The inauguration of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, will be held inside the Capitol and not outside as tradition requires. According to Donald Trump, the reason is the cold, which is expected to be severe.
"There is an outbreak in the Arctic that is sweeping the country. I do not want to see people hurt in any way," Trump said on his "Social Truth" platform on Friday. "Therefore, I have ordered that the Inaugural Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, be held at the United States Capitol," Trump added.
The last time an inauguration was moved indoors due to bitter cold was in 1985 for former Republican President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration, when afternoon wind chills ranged from minus 10 to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures on Trump's inauguration day are expected to reach minus 7 degrees Celsius, according to forecasts.
Trump said supporters can watch the ceremony on screens inside the Capital One Arena, a sports venue in downtown Washington that holds 20,000 people.
Trump also said that his presidential parade, which was set to include marching bands and other groups that would have passed down Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House, will pass inside the Capital One Arena.
Bitter cold has affected several past inaugurations. William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, delivered the longest inaugural address on March 4, 1841, in wet and cold conditions without a hat or coat. That event and speech were thought to have contributed to his later death from pneumonia. He died a month after taking office, making his presidency the shortest in American history.
During the second swearing-in ceremony for President Ulysses S. Grant, on March 4, 1873, several cadets and midshipmen standing outside without overcoats collapsed, and gusty winds made Grant's speech inaudible even to those near him on the platform, according to a story published by the National Weather Service.
The morning low temperature of 4 F (-15 C) that day remains Washington's coldest March day on record. (A2 Televizion)
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