The Presidential Inauguration Captures the Country’s Attention

On January 12th, 2025, Washington, D.C. was facing extremely cold temperatures and high winds. But within the United States capitol rotunda, President Trump was getting inaugurated for the second time. 

Due to the weather, the inauguration had to be held indoors–the first inauguration to be held within the rotunda since Ronald Reagan’s in 1985. It was decorated with American flags, and symbols that reflected the nation’s heritage. 

The inauguration began with President Trump’s swearing in ceremony and inaugural address. The front row housed Trump and Vice President Vance’s family as is traditional. The second row featured an array of billionaire executives such as Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Meta), Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) and Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX). Others on the podium included members of Congress from both parties, former presidents, and international diplomats.

The event featured performances from several renowned artists. Opera singer Christopher Macchio performed “O, America!” to begin the ceremony and also later sang the national anthem. Following the inaugural address, Carrie Underwood sang an acapella version of “American the Beautiful.” During the ceremony, a choir from President Trump’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, also performed. The ceremony concluded with a prayer led by faith leaders from various religious traditions.

Later in the day, Trump signed some of his first executive orders. In addition, Trump and Vance families attended the inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena in D.C,  which featured a performance with a marching band, cheerleaders, and color guard from Vance’s alma mater, Middletown High School. Speakers at the parade included Charlie Kirk, Michael Whatley, Kash Patel and others. The night concluded at inaugural balls that were attended by heavy hitters in the political, entertainment, and business communities.