FLASH
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With just over two days left until Donald Trump places his hand on the Bible and is sworn in for a second time as the 47th President of the United States, preparations in Washington are in full swing. Within a few days, both the ratification of the presidential election results and the funeral of former President Carter have taken place there. Federal authorities, although they have considerable experience in such events, have rarely organized three such events with the highest level of security in such a short period of time.
Cold weather changes the ritual
Trump's inauguration will be held indoors on Monday, according to sources cited by the ABC network. The reason is the polar temperatures that will prevail in Washington on Monday, which are predicted to be the lowest in the last 40 years. Meteorological models show that it will be cold and at the time of the oath in the open air it will be perhaps -15 . According to CNN, the traditional parade may be held at Capital One Stadium. This will be only the second inauguration behind closed doors since the second term of Ronald Reagan.
It is noteworthy that the last president to be sworn in indoors was Ronald Reagan in 1985 due to cold temperatures. Reagan was sworn in inside the Capitol rotunda and his inauguration parade was canceled.
“The Arctic wind is sweeping across the country. Therefore, I have decided to hold the speeches in the Capitol rotunda, as was done with Ronald Reagan in 1985,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The speeches, prayer and swearing-in will take place in the Capitol rotunda. “Different personalities and guests will be inside the Capitol,” Trump added. He also explained that, for the same reason, the presidential parade will be held in a nearby stadium, the Capital One Arena.
Security measures
Compared to Donald Trump's first inauguration in 2017, local authorities report that visitors will be 1 million fewer than the first time. Despite this, the streets around the Capitol and the White House are already closed and are being checked at least four times a day by special anti-terror units with dogs.
A total of 48 kilometers of barricades will block all access to this particular part of Washington, while more than 25,000 police officers have already been notified and moved to the capital to be stationed at key points.
The orders received by the security forces, which also include elements of the National Guard, are that no one is exempt from the protocol of checks that will be beyond comprehensive and time-consuming. The duration and procedure have been informed in detail to guests of all levels – even the leaders of the countries – and they have been asked to arrive in a specific order and at a specific time well before the start of the ceremony. The initial planning that the authorities of the American Capital have in hand includes more than 250 thousand people, a number that the data creates an additional operational “headache”.
It is noted that to date, Washington authorities have not canceled any of the requests they have received from groups to demonstrate on the streets around the area during the inauguration.
The city's infrastructure is also on alert, with hotels last week reporting that occupancy was at 70%, although that is expected to rise. However, that is down from the 92% that was recorded during Trump's first inauguration.
Many hotels have announced special prices for the inauguration, including the Watergate: For $73,500 you can sleep in the presidential suite and have a helicopter at your disposal.
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