On January 20th, the United States celebrated Inauguration Day, a holiday in which the president-elect and vice president-elect are sworn in and take office. The history of Inauguration Day has been shaped by each presidency, with this year being the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration. The inauguration ceremony traditionally takes place on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C., but was relocated inside of the rotunda due to cold weather.
Inauguration Day marked the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term in presidential office. His first inauguration took place in January of 2017, eight years ago. Trump is now the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and his vice president JD Vance is now the 50th U.S. vice president to be inaugurated.
The first Inauguration Day took place on April 30, 1789, when George Washington took the oath of office in New York City, the nation’s first capital. Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration in 1801 was the first to be held in the United States’ current capital, Washington D.C., although construction of the U.S. Capitol Building was not yet completed. In 1981, Ronald Reagan decided to move the swearing-in ceremony to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building to support larger crowds. The ceremony has not changed locations until this year when President Trump relocated the ceremony inside of the rotunda. As a result, the ceremony’s live audience was reduced significantly, and Capitol One Arena was opened for live streaming of the event.
When Washington was sworn in, reciting the oath located in Article II Section I of the Constitution, he placed his hand on a Bible. While it is not a legal requirement, many presidents have also placed their hand on a Bible during the oath. President Trump placed his hand on a Bible during his first inauguration in 2017, but omitted doing so in his second ceremony. Washington also followed the oath with the words, “so help me God,” which has since been repeated by every president, including President Trump.
Washington also began the tradition of delivering an inaugural address. President Trump’s recent inaugural address was consistent with ideas from his campaign, touching on immigration, energy, and trade. He announced that he will be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as well as restoring the name Mount McKinley to Alaska’s mountain, Denali. President Trump acknowledged last year’s assassination attempts in his inaugural address as efforts to prevent his return to the White House.
“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” President Trump said in his inaugural address.
This year, Inauguration Day fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. President Trump, the chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Sen. Amy Klobychar, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan acknowledged the holiday in their respective speeches.
“Today is Martin Luther King Day,” President Trump said in his inaugural address. “And his honor — this will be a great honor. But in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.”
