Rita Odafe
The president-elect, Donald Trump, arrived in the Washington area on Saturday evening to mark his return to leadership, as his inauguration ceremony faced unusual cold weather.
Trump boarded an Air Force plane sent by Biden to reach Palm Beach, Florida, where he got ready for his transition after defeating Kamala Harris. Accompanying him were his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Upon reaching Dulles Airport in Virginia, Trump proceeded to his golf club in Sterling, located near Washington.
An Elvis Presley impersonator, Leo Days, performed for the incoming president and first lady during a reception for around 500 guests, which also featured a fireworks display. A video shared on social media showed Days singing while the Trumps looked on.
At age 78, Trump plans to host a rally with supporters at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington on Sunday, right before the inauguration, along with another event following the inauguration on Monday afternoon.
Due to the severe cold expected on Monday, Trump decided to relocate the inauguration ceremonies from the traditional west front of the U.S. Capitol to the Capitol Rotunda, and the parade will now take place inside Capital One Arena.
During the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, Trump will be sworn in at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) and will deliver an inaugural address that typically outlines the president’s goals for their term. He indicated to NBC News that his theme would revolve around “unity and strength, along with the word ‘fairness.’”
This will be the first instance of the main event being held indoors since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in January 1985.
