President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony has been taken indoors because Washington, D.C. is supposed to be frozen on Monday, Jan. 20.
On Friday, Jan. 17, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had "ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda" in response to the National Weather Service's severe forecast, which predicts a high of 23 degrees Fahrenheit and wind chill that makes it feel colder.
The rotunda, where former President Jimmy Carter recently lay in state, is enclosed by the dome of the Capitol and will be out of sight from the public.
"There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country," Trump, 78, wrote. "I don't want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way."
Inauguration ceremonies have been held indoors a few documented times in the nation's history — most recently 40 years ago, when wind chill temperatures of -25 degrees Fahrenheit forced President Ronald Reagan to kick off his second term inside the Capitol rotunda.
Government archives recall that James Monroe, the 5th president of the United States, made history by having his second inauguration in 1821 inside the House chamber of the Capitol because of a snowstorm.
A different story with President Trump who, obsessed by crowd sizes during his first inauguration in 2017, would no longer read his inaugural address to a packed National Mall as thousands of people would normally be waiting in line.
Instead, Trump promised to open nearby Capital One Arena to fans to watch a live stream of the ceremony. Afterward, he also promised to come by the arena.
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