Why Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony is being held indoors

The Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to frigid temperatures in the nation’s capital. The news was announced on Jan. 17, and it marks the first time a presidential inauguration will be indoors since Ronald Reagan kicked off his second term in office in 1985, which was also due to frigid temperatures.
“The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, while noting the “dangerous conditions” for anyone on hand for the event.
“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” he continued. “The various Dignitaries and Guests will be brought into the Capitol. This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!”
Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump stand near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.
TODAY’s Al Roker said on Jan. 20 that temperatures during the inauguration will be in the 20s, noting that windchills will be “the big problem.”
While it is expected to be chilly in Washington, D.C., there should be no danger of setting the record for the coldest inauguration to date. That honor goes to Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, when temperatures plunged to 7 degrees. The warmest presidential inauguration also belongs to Reagan, with the temperatures at his 1981 inauguration at 55 degrees.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com