Donald Trump inauguration: Schedule, events, global leaders in attendance and all you need to know

US President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office Monday in a scaled-back ceremony moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda due to frigid temperatures forecast for Washington.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, led by Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, oversees the event, themed “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise.” The inauguration ceremony is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. EST, with Trump’s swearing-in by Chief Justice John Roberts scheduled for around noon.

Originally planned for the West Front of the US Capitol, the ceremony was relocated to the Rotunda, which can hold only about 600 people.

This limits attendance for military leaders, Supreme Court justices, former presidents, and members of Congress. The president-elect has invited several high-profile guests, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Trump inauguration schedule

Trump will begin the day with a traditional service at St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House. Following the service, Trump and incoming First Lady Melania Trump will join outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for tea at the White House.

The ceremony will include musical performances by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Combined Choirs and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. Opera singer Christopher Macchio will perform “Oh, America!” while country star Carrie Underwood will sing “America the Beautiful.”

The vice-presidential oath will be administered by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, followed by the presidential oath. Trump’s inaugural address will be capped with the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club performing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

After the ceremony, Trump will head to the President’s Room in the Capitol for a signing ceremony, followed by a luncheon in Statuary Hall. The day’s festivities will also include a military review and a parade, relocated to Capitol One Arena due to the cold.

The evening will feature three inaugural balls. Country stars Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, and Parker McCollum will headline the Commander in Chief Ball. Rapper Nelly, Jason Aldean, and disco group Village People will perform at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, where Trump is expected to address supporters. Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will headline the Starlight Ball for the administration’s top donors.

Christopher Macchio, who performed at Trump’s rallies and was handpicked to sing the national anthem, expressed excitement about performing indoors. “It’s an honour, and from a musical perspective, it’s actually beneficial,” Macchio said.

Breaking tradition, Trump extended invitations to several world leaders.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was the first foreign leader whose invitation to the inauguration became public in December. Trump described a recent phone call with Xi as “very good,” touching on trade, fentanyl, and TikTok.

Xi, however, will not attend and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng will represent Beijing at the event.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei confirmed their attendance. Milei, a self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist, praised Trump’s economic policies and called for stronger US-Latin America ties during a Hispanic ball event earlier in the week.