President-elect Donald Trump’s indoor inauguration will reportedly include a stage so large that it will force some lawmakers to miss the main event.
The 47th president’s transition team decided against using a stage that had already been constructed in the Capitol’s Rotunda for the scheduled event on Monday. This change occurred because Trump had requested the ceremony to be held indoors due to an expected polar vortex.
Instead, a more visually appealing stage was requested, although this led to a reduction in seating capacity, as reported by the Daily Beast.
As a result, numerous legislators and their families will need to witness Trump’s swearing-in from an overflow location in Emancipation Hall, a spacious area within the Capitol Visitor Center where the general public typically begins tours of Congress.
Still, those who are relegated to the overflow section will get their own moment with the incoming president, who is expected to say a few words to the attendees following the main event in the Rotunda, according to the Daily Beast.
Other negotiations about the inauguration were also contentious, with Republicans at one point threatening to move a number of inaugural events to the White House in an ultimatum they apparently used as a leveraging tool.
The Trump team and congressional allies also butted heads with Democrats on the bipartisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, chaired by Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team reportedly rejected a stage that had already been built in the Capitol’s Rotunda for a larger one
Trump ordered the official ceremony be moved indoors due to an anticipated polar vortex
Yet Trump has vowed his second inauguration will be the ‘blingy-est’ presidential turnover in history.
‘This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he announced that the events would be moved indoors.
He noted that the Capitol One Arena, where the incoming president held a pre-inauguration rally Sunday night, would be opened for a viewing party.
The crowd there are expected to be treated with Big Mac hamburgers and commemorative bottles of Diet Coke.
The parade will also move to the basketball and hockey arena.
‘I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In,’ the president-elect said.
He explained that he was worried about his throngs of supporters being exposed to the elements for long hours – and the first responders who would have to tend to them.
‘It is my obligation to protect the People of our Country but, before we even begin, we have to think of the Inauguration itself,’ he said on Truth Friday.
The Trump team called for a more aesthetically-pleasing setup with a more robust stage
The inauguration will be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, with an overflow room in Emancipation Hall – a large room in the Capitol Visitor Center
Other negotiations about the inauguration were also contentious
‘I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,’ Trump continued.
‘It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).’
Trump, 78, himself would only have had to stay outdoors on the West Front of the Capitol for the duration of the oath and his speech, but crowds generally start showing up hours before due to the strict security measures.
The rest of the inaugural schedule is expected to go as planned, with the festivities moving to Statuary Hall for a traditional inaugural lunch following his swearing-in and speech.
Later Monday night the president and First Lady Melania Trump will attend three official balls, with the glamorous former model wearing an American designer.
She is said to have curated her own gown for the official inauguration ball.
Supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump line up in the streets for a MAGA victory rally at Capital One Arena on January 19
Trump said he was worried about his throngs of supporters being exposed to the elements for long hours
The incoming president is also discussing having a second inauguration victory parade in DC in July
Trump will use his Scottish mother’s Presbyterian Bible for the swearing-in, before travelling the 1.3 miles to the sports arena, which holds 20,000 people.
The incoming president is also discussing having a second inauguration victory parade in DC in July to make up for the disappointment of tomorrow’s march being cancelled.
Meanwhile, Biden’s family is said to be ‘relieved’ that the frail 82-year-old outgoing President will not have to sit outside for the ceremony.
A White House source said: ‘The idea of him sitting outside in the cold for hours worried everyone, particularly his wife.
‘Now he can be safe and warm and will be able to be seated the whole time. It’s a huge relief.’
