When does Donald Trump take office? Inauguration 2025 explained

Donald Trump will soon return to the White House and Washington is preparing for the inauguration of the new administration. Here, The National explains everything you need to know about the coming inauguration. The inauguration will take place on January 20. All presidents are inaugurated on this date. January 20 is also when the US marks Martin Luther King, Jr , Day. It will be the second time Inauguration Day falls on the same day, with the first being Bill Clinton 's second inauguration in 1997. Mr Trump is expected to take the oath of office at 12pm, as is stipulated in the 20th Amendment of the US Constitution. Security screening gates open at 6am, followed by possible performances at about 9.30am and opening remarks at 11.30am, according to Washington's official tourism site. The inauguration will take place at the “west front” of the Capitol building in Washington. Many places have been the site of previous inaugurations, including George Washington's at Federal Hall in New York City in 1789. Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1981 was the first to take place on the west front of the Capitol, which has been the customary site since. Thousands of ticket-holding spectators are expected to attend the event, while thousands more are expected to fill the National Mall and watch the ceremony on large video screens. The event is planned by the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies. According to tradition, the president-elect first arrives at the White House and then proceeds to the Capitol building alongside the sitting president. During the event, the president-elect is sworn in, usually by the chief justice of the Supreme Court , and then delivers the inaugural address. Then there will be a lunch at the Capitol, and then the newly sworn-in president and vice president will make their way to the East Front steps of the Capitol, where they will review military troops before leading a procession, according to the National Parks Services. As is tradition, the sitting president, in this case Joe Biden , will attend the inauguration to ensure a smooth transfer of power. Other living presidents will also be in attendance. Mr Trump declined to attend Mr Biden's inauguration in 2021. The Trump team has extended invitations to leaders and officials from around the world. In a rare move, China's President Xi Jinping has been invited, as has France's Emmanuel Macron and Argentina's Javier Milei . El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – both supporters of Mr Trump – have also been invited. Supporters including billionaire Elon Musk and former wrestler Hulk Hogan are expected to attend, in addition to other celebrities. Also likely to be there are Mr Trump's Republican allies in Congress. A number of Democratic politicians have said they will boycott the inauguration, as many Republicans did during Mr Biden's. But according to Politico , at least a handful of Democratic members who boycotted Mr Trump's 2017 ceremony plan to attend this year and several more are still undecided. After lunch at the Capitol, Mr Trump will proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue in a motorcade to the White House. He will be accompanied by a procession of military regiments and school marching bands, floats and citizens' groups. This year, groups taking part in the parade include a high school marching band from Tennessee and an Indian-American dhol band. After reaching the White House, Mr Trump and his guests will observe the rest of the parade from a stand. The joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies makes a limited number of inauguration tickets available to the public through members of Congress. Tickets are free of charge, but those wishing to attend in person must apply through a local representative or senator's office. Security will be tight, and ticket-holders should expect their persons and their belongings to be thoroughly searched. For those unable to get tickets, giant video screens and audio systems will stream the proceedings to the thousands of spectators on the National Mall. Public viewing areas for the parade begin at 3rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, near the Canadian embassy, according to the National Parks Service. In arriving at the inauguration and the parade, those attending are discouraged from driving due to limited parking and blocked roads.