United States presidential inauguration

The US presidential inauguration is a ceremonial event in which the president-elect and vice president-elect are sworn into office. According to the US Constitution, presidential inaugurations must be held on January 20 after a presidential election in November of the previous year. While not official national holidays, presidential inaugurations are large celebrations with thousands of spectators. Among the traditional events taking place on Inauguration Day are a church service, a swearing-in ceremony, an inaugural address, a luncheon, a parade, and inaugural balls.

However, the 2021 US presidential inauguration of President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris was significantly scaled down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which by the end of February 2021 had claimed over 500,000 American lives. Some of the many modifications to Biden’s inauguration included a virtual parade instead of a live one, and a ninety-minute live television special, Celebrating America, instead of the traditional inaugural balls.

Incumbent president Donald Trump refused to attend Biden’s inauguration after falsely claiming that the election had been stolen from him. This refusal to accept the election results culminated in the deadly Capitol Riot on January 6, which began after thousands of Trump’s supporters listened to a speech that he gave in Washington, DC, that morning. After Trump’s speech, in which he doubled down on his unfounded claims of voter fraud and castigated Vice President Mike Pence for not joining efforts to overturn Biden’s victory, a mob marched to the Capitol Building, where Vice President Mike Pence and Congress were certifying Biden’s Electoral College victory. Rioters quickly overwhelmed police and stormed into the building, temporarily disrupting the certification of the election and forcing Pence and many members of Congress to shelter in place. The riot claimed five lives, including a Capitol police officer, and significantly damaged the Capitol Building.

This disruption to the peaceful transition of power worried many observers. However, 2025 resumed the normal transition of powers as incumbent President Joseph Biden ensured a peaceful transition for President Donald Trump. The 2025 inauguration was marked by a change of location for the swearing-in of the president. Sub-freezing temperatures for the day pushed the oath inside the Capitol Rotunda, instead of on the Capitol steps where the ceremony is traditionally held.

Background

The US Constitution originally mandated that Inauguration Day be held on March 4. However, President George Washington was not sworn in until April 30, 1789, because bad weather prevented many members of the First Federal Congress from arriving in New York City, the nation’s capital at the time.

After this, Inauguration Day was held on March 4 from 1793 to 1933, until the passage of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933 pushed back the date to January 20. This was done to shorten the time from Election Day to Inauguration Day, which has historically been a period of political inaction. If January 20 falls on a Sunday, the president-elect is still sworn in on that day and a public swearing-in ceremony and festivities are held the next day.

While many events are held on Inauguration Day, the Constitution specifies that only the presidential oath is required. When the president-elect takes this oath, they say these words: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The vice president-elect may choose to take this oath or another version of it. Both the president-elect and vice president-elect put their hand on a Bible while taking their oath. The president-elect is usually sworn in by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, but the vice president-elect may be sworn in by an official of his or her choosing. During the 2025 presidential inauguration, president-elect Donald Trump was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, and vice president-elect JD Vance was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The location where the president-elect and vice president-elect are sworn in has changed over time. In 1789, George Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, then the nation’s capital. In 1793, Washington’s inauguration for his second term was held at Congressional Hall in Philadelphia, also the nation’s capital at the time.

In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president-elect to be inaugurated at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Since then, presidential inaugurations have been held at the Capitol although the specific location within it has not always been the same. In 1829, Andrew Jackson became the first president-elect to take the presidential oath on the East Portico of the Capitol. Subsequent presidents took the oath in the same place until Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in 1981. His inauguration was held at the west front of the Capitol facing the National Mall. At this location, spectators have a view of the Washington Monument and the more distant Lincoln Memorial. Most presidential inaugurations since then have taken place at this location. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration was held there despite the damage to the Capitol caused by the riot on January 6. President-elect Trump's inauguration was held in the Rotunda due to weather concerns.

Presidential inaugurations are usually outdoor public ceremonies, but three have been held indoors due to bad weather. The first was William Taft’s inauguration in 1909, which was held in the Senate Chamber because of a blizzard. The second was Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985. It was held in the Capitol Rotunda because of poor weather conditions. Trump's second inaguration in 2025 was the third to be held inside, also in the Capitol Rotunda, because of poor weather conditions.

Presidential inaugurations are not public events when they are held after a seated president dies. Then the vice president takes the presidential oath in private. After President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, Vice President Andrew Johnson took the presidential oath in his home in Washington, DC. After John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath aboard Air Force One while it sat at an airport in Dallas, Texas.

Overview

A number of traditional events take place during presidential inaugurations. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president-elect to attend church services before being sworn in. Since then, all subsequent presidents-elect have done the same. After services, the president-elect, the vice president-elect, their families, and the outgoing president and vice president head to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.

Immediately after the new president is sworn in, the US Marine Band performs four “ruffles and flourishes” (drum and bugle salutes) and then plays “Hail to the Chief.” Simultaneously, a twenty-one-gun salute is fired.

The new president then delivers the inaugural address, which describes the goals and challenges of the new administration. Some lines from presidents’ inaugural addresses have become famous. For example, in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and in 1961, John F. Kennedy said “And so my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

Some presidents have held poetry readings during their inauguration. During Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration, the famous poet Maya Angelou read her poem “On the Pulse of Morning.” During Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration, the twenty-two-year-old poet Amanda Gorman read her poem “The Hill We Climb,” becoming the youngest poet ever to recite a poem at an inauguration.

Since 1953, after the inaugural address, the new president and vice president have attended a luncheon hosted by the leadership of the US Congress. The luncheon is held in Statuary Hall. Leadership from both houses of Congress attends as well as guests of the new president and vice president. The outgoing president and vice president usually do not attend the luncheon.

When the president and vice president and their families arrive at the White House, they traditionally go into an enclosed stand at the edge of the North Lawn to watch the inaugural parade, which proceeds more than one mile along Pennsylvania Avenue. Participants in the parade come from all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

In the evening, the new president and vice president attend at least a few inaugural balls, which are large social gatherings where music is played. Official inaugural balls are formal and sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC). These balls are invitation-only, which means they are not open to the public. Former president Bill Clinton holds the record for having the most official inaugural balls—fourteen—during his 1997 inauguration.

Unofficial inaugural balls are usually sponsored by state societies, which are groups that are in Washington, DC to represent their home state. These balls are usually less formal and held in ballrooms.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deadly Capitol riot, Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration was an anomaly, with both public health and security as major concerns. The Pentagon authorized 25,000 armed National Guard troops for security at the inauguration. A seven-foot-high non-scalable fence topped with razor wire was erected around the Capitol Building. The National Mall was temporarily closed.

The 2025 inauguration followed more of the traditional events of an inauguration. However, the change in venue did mean fewer people could view the swearing-in. The traditional parade was held indoors. Celebrity performances at the event included country music star Carrie Underwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio.

The outgoing president, Joe Biden, and his vice president, Kamala Harris, attended Donald Trump's inauguration in 2025, along with their spouses. This was after Trump had broken tradition in 2021 by refusing to attend the presidential inauguration for his successor, Joe Biden. Only three other presidents in US history have skipped their successor’s inauguration: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson.

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