Writing on the social network Truth Social on January 17, Mr. Trump said: “There is a cold Arctic wind sweeping across the country. I don’t want to see anyone affected in any way. Therefore, I have requested that the inaugural address, prayer and other speeches take place inside the Capitol dome.”
Weather experts predict that the Arctic storm will cause temperatures to drop to minus 6 degrees Celsius on inauguration day January 20, and there may also be snow a day before, CNN reported.
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Dignitaries and VIP guests will also be invited into the domed lobby of the US Capitol building, however the space inside will be very limited compared to when held outdoors.
The Congressional Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies, which is in charge of planning the above event, reported that many guests with tickets may not be able to directly attend the ceremony after the latest update. The committee also recommends that those traveling to Washington DC to watch the inauguration choose indoor viewing locations.
CBS News quoted knowledgeable sources as saying that changing the location for the inauguration ceremony was the president-elect’s decision. In addition, the plan to move the ceremony to the lobby under the dome of the US Congress building (Capitol Rotunda) has been prepared for many months as a backup plan.
The outdoor area on Capitol Hill was supposed to take place at the inauguration, but the event had to be moved indoors
Mr. Trump said the Capital One Arena indoor stadium will be open to the public to watch the ceremony live. The inauguration parade will also move into the above stadium, which can accommodate 20,000 people, instead of going along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House as usual.
This is the first time the US president’s inauguration ceremony has taken place indoors in 40 years. In 1985, the late President Ronald Reagan had his inauguration ceremony for his second term also inside the congressional dome hall, when outside there was a cold wind of up to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
In 1841, the late President William Henry Harrison is said to have caught a cold after giving his inauguration speech for 2 hours, in cold weather, without wearing a coat or hat. He later contracted pneumonia and died a month after the inauguration, becoming the president with the shortest tenure in US history.
