Washington — Monday’s inauguration ceremony for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance may be moved indoors due to dangerously freezing temperatures, according to a senior Trump source directly familiar with inauguration planning.
The source said moving the swearing-in ceremony indoors is under consideration, but not finalized. The president-elect is reviewing his options, this person said.
It would be a rare move for an inauguration, and one that hasn’t been done since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration ceremony in 1985, which was also moved inside due to harsh weather conditions. Temperatures are expected to be in the teens and low 20s on Monday, and weather forecasters are predicting snow the day before.
A senior inaugural official in Washington told CBS News that “this is the president-elect’s call and we will honor that.” The official still doesn’t know what he has decided, and as of shortly before noon, “they haven’t told us a final decision.”
CNN first reported that the inauguration would be moved indoors, saying the swearing-in would take place in the Rotunda of the Capitol.
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that a “Rotunda plan” for the swearing-in is “under consideration.” Law enforcement has been planning for this contingency for months.
Moving indoors would be a disappointment to many of the thousands of Trump supporters who have forked over money for airfare and hotels to brave both the crowds and the cold and see the ceremony in person. An indoor swearing-in would entail more restricted access and fewer viewers. The inaugural outdoor stage, on the West Front of the Capitol, has already been completed.
Ed O’Keefe and
contributed to this report.
