VA Guide To Donald Trump’s Inauguration As 47th President

VIRGINIA — Former President Donald J. Trump will become the nation’s 47th president Monday after a weekend of glitzy inaugural festivities.

A handful of Democratic lawmakers from across the country have said they’ll spurn the Republican president-elect’s inauguration, but most are expected to be in attendance Monday as Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance take the oath of office. Swearing-in ceremonies begin about noon local time in Washington.

Because of snow and bitter cold moving into the Washington, D.C., region over the weekend, Trump on Friday announced on his social media platform, Truth Social that the inauguration speeches and other parts of the ceremony will be delivered inside the Capitol Rotunda. Capital One Arena will be open Monday for live viewing of the inauguration, and to host the presidential parade, with Trump appearing at the arena.

Democrats who have said they will skip the inauguration include former First Lady Michelle Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Rep. Dan Beyer of Virginia, according to Politico.

• Related: Inauguration Day Brings Metro Station Closures, Other Service Impacts In D.C. Area

What’s The Schedule?

The weekend kicks off Saturday with a fireworks show at Trump’s golf club in Sterling, Virginia, followed by dinner for Trump’s cabinet picks.

Performers at the swearing-in ceremony include Carrie Underwood, Lee Greenwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio, The American disco group The Village People, whose “Y M.C.A.” became a campaign staple, will perform at one of three inaugural balls Monday evening.

Tuesday, Trump’s first full day as the 47th president, will include a National Prayer Service in the morning.

Click here for the full schedule of inaugural festivities.

Virginia Rallies, Balls, Inaugural Events

Here’s what we know about Virginia events tied to the inauguration:

• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Wreath-Laying: President-elect Trump will visit the Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony on Sunday morning, according to ABC7News.
• Make America Great Again Victory Rally will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, at Capitol One Arena at 601 F St. NW in Washington, DC. Tickets can be ordered online are first come, first served and limited to two tickets per mobile phone.
• Inauguration Party “Celebrate the Win” hosted by Fairfax County Republicans from 6:30-10 p.m. on Monday at the Historic Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, 11200 Fairfax Station Road, in Fairfax Station. Tickets are $30. The event will include a full buffet and light refreshments provided and — BYOA. Casual/MAGA apparel encouraged.
• Trump Victory Ball will take place Sunday, at 4 p.m. at the Sheraton Pentagon City Hotel, 900 South Orme St. in Arlington. Purchase tickets online
• Inauguration Watch Party: Monday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at 15120 Washington St., Haymarket. Tickets $35.
• Celebrate the Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., 528B East Market St., Leesburg, VA. This free, family-friendly event is hosted by the Loudoun County Republican Committee. Food and drink are available for purchase. RSVP by Saturday, Jan. 18
• Presidential Inauguration Dinner will take place from 7-10 p.m., on Monday, at 54 Resturant & Lounge, 9650 Main St. #10 in Fairfax City. Register online.
• MLK Day of Service: Alexandria Democratic Committee encourages Democrats to focus their energy on doing good and serving the community on Monday.

Trump plans to give remarks at the Commander In Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball and the Starlight Ball, and additional information will be updated here.

How Can Virginia Residents Get Tickets?

Members of Virginia’s congressional delegation were given a limited number of free tickets available to constituents to watch the swearing-in ceremony from the Capitol grounds. Trump said Friday some supporters would be able to watch the ceremony from Washington’s Capital One Arena on Monday, a day after he plans to hold a rally there.

Constituents could request tickets through their congressional office. More than 250,000 guests are ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds and tens of thousands more were expected to be in general admission areas on the National Mall or to line the inaugural parade route from the Capitol to the White House. Non-ticketed viewing areas on the National Mall west of 4th Street NW will also be open to the public.

Demand for tickets appears to be strong, The Washington Post reported. A spokeswoman for Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District of Columbia) told the Post her office received 1,264 requests for the 198 inauguration tickets she received.

Virginia residents can also register here for tickets to the MAGA victory rally at 3 p.m ET Sunday at the Capital One Arena.

Fewer Boycotts Than In 2017

Fewer lawmakers are expected to boycott Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president than when he was sworn in as the 45th president in 2017. Eight years ago, more than 60 members of Congress, led by the late Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, boycotted the event. Some of those people — but not all — are expected to again decline to attend the ceremonies again this year.

U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman of California skipped the inauguration eight years ago but told Politico “it’s different now.”

“I’ve talked to colleagues who see it differently. I feel like whether we like it or not, this guy was just elected by the country with full disclosure of all of his ugliness,” Huffman said. “This time around, I feel like I need to stand there to show that he’s not pushing me out of my role.”

Fewer Protests Expected

Requests for protest permits are down this year and fewer people are expected to demonstrate than in 2017, according to the National Park Service. Some protests have satellite events around the country.

The People’s March on Washington on Saturday, “a day of joyful resistance,” is expected to bring about 50,000 people to Freedom Plaza and the Washington Monument grounds. Organizers of the event include the Women’s March, whose 2017 rally drew a crowd of about 470,000 people. Satellite People’s March events are taking place across the country.

The Answer Coalition’s National Day of Action rally and march in protest of the Trump administration’s “extreme right billionaire agenda” starts at 11 a.m. ET at Malcolm X Park/ Meridian Hill Park in Washington. Satellite events are planned in dozens of cities.

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network’s MLK Day 2025 demonstration kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Monday at McPherson Square, then march to Metropolitan AME Church at noon. Organizers expect this event to draw about 1,500 people.

Inauguration week ends with the National March for Life’s annual rally at the Washington Monument grounds at noon, with a march along Constitution Avenue and around the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court at 1 p.m. About 150,000 people are expected to attend, according to the National Park Service. Virginia residents can register to participate in this march.

Observe MLK Day Instead?

Inauguration Day coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is always observed on the third Monday in January. Because it’s an official U.S. holiday, all but essential federal and state workers will have the day off. Some local governments and private businesses observe it is a paid-time-off holiday, too.

Since the day honoring King’s civil rights legacy became a federal holiday in 1983, MLK Day has been observed as a day of volunteer service in local communities. Because the holiday is relatively new, it has coincided with Inauguration Day only one other time, in 1997 when former President Bill Clinton was sworn into office — although former President Barack Obama took the oath for his second term on MLK Day 2013. That’s because Jan. 20 fell on a Sunday that year.

Bernice King, the slain civil rights leader’s youngest daughter, told The Independent that she’s happy Inauguration Day falls on the same day as the holiday honoring her father because it’s a reminder there’s still work to do.

“We cannot retreat or recoil,” King told the publication. “We have to commit ourselves to continuing the mission of protecting freedom, justice and democracy in the spirit of my father.”

The Associated Press contributed reporting.