The Oath of Office
At noon local time (5pm GMT) on January 20, Donald Trump will take the Oath of Office and be sworn in as America’s 45th president.The event will be presided over by Roy Blunt, a Republican senator from Missouri and chairman of Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Activities.
He will introduce Chief Justice John Roberts of the US Supreme Court who will administer the oath on the steps of the United States Capitol Building.
It will go something like this:
I Donald J Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God
Mike Pence, the vice president-elect, will take the oath shortly before Mr Trump.
Then the Herald Trumpets will perform four "Ruffles and Flourishes. The ruffles are played on drums and the flourishes on bugles, which are simple brass instruments with no valves.
The ruffles and flourishes form a fanfare before a performance of the president's anthem, "Hail to the Chief", and the vice-president's anthem, "Hail, Columbia". There is then a 21-gun salute from the howitzers of the military district of Washington.
The inaugural address
After the swearing in, Mr Trump will give a speech that will, as all inaugural addresses are, be recorded in the pages of history.
In his second inaugural address, with the country emerging from devastating civil war, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed “malice toward none and charity for all”.
Franklin Roosevelt told a country
ravaged by the Great Depression that all it had to fear was fear itself, and
John F Kennedy urged Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you
- ask what you can do for your country.”
Mr Trump will hope to follow in
their footsteps. If he follows Mr Obama’s example, the speech will be about 20
minutes in length.
Following his speech Senator Blunt
will introduce religious leaders.
Readings and invocations will come
from His Eminence Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York;
Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership
Conference; and Pastor Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center.
Readings and benediction will come
from Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Rev.
Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse and The Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association as well as son of famous evangelist Billy Graham; and Bishop Wayne
T. Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International.
Does the outgoing president attend the inauguration?
It is customary for the outgoing president to attend the inauguration of the incoming president, however, it is not compulsory.
President Obama is expected to be there at Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday, but if he does not, then he would be the first president for 96 years to make such a snub.
The pair have had a strained relationship. Mr Trump previously claimed that Mr Obama was born outside the US and was therefore not a legitimate president, and later suggested he was the "founder of Isis", but later backed down on both claims.
During the election campaign, Mr Trump said one of his first actions would be to try and erase the effects of Mr Obama's presidency.
He promised to cancel every "executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama", but again, he has backed down or softened his stance on several of Obama's policies.
On the campaign trail he repeatedly described Obama as weak, "a disaster," ineffective and "the most ignorant president in our history.”
Mr Obama savaged him throughout the election campaign as irresponsible and dangerous, warning that the "fate of the world" was at risk in the event of a Trump presidency.
However, at their meeting after the US election, both men struck a conciliatory note after they met to discuss the transition from one administration to the next.
Who else will be in attendance?
Former presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter will be attending along with their wives, the former first ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter.
Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton will come face-to-face for the first time since she lost a brusing election campaign.
George HW Bush, the 41st president, will not be there as he is being treated at a Houston hospital suffering with pneumonia.
His wife of 72 years, former first lady Barbara Bush, also was admitted to the same hospital on Wednesday as a precaution after experiencing fatigue and coughing
The pomp and circumstance
Prior to Mr Trump’s address there will probably be musical performances and words from religious leaders.
Afterwards, there will be a departure ceremony for Mr Obama as his family.
Mr Trump will then attend the traditional Congressional luncheon and take part in the inaugural parade.
His motorcade will travel down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, with well wishers and protesters lining the streets.
Barack Obama will wake up in the White House on the morning of January 20. That night, Donald Trump will go to sleep for the first time in his new home.
The White House changes hands almost as instantaneously as the presidency does.
While the inaugural ceremonies are underway, staff at the White House will be frantically moving out the remnants of the Obama administration, and preparing the residence and offices for their new inhabitants.
The next morning, Mr Trump will walk from his new White House residence to the West Wing to attend to his duties as President of the United States.
Inaugural balls
Across Washington DC inaugural balls will be held to mark Mr Trump's ascent to the presidency. They will feature dancing and entertainment and appearances by President and First Lady Trump, and Vice President and Mrs. Pence.
Source:Telegraph UK
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