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What happens on Inauguration Day?

President-elect Donald Trump will officially become president Monday.
donald trump first 1st inauguration politics political politician melania trump oath of office
Donald Trump is sworn in for his first term as president at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017.Mark Ralston / AFP via Getty Images file
By Megan Lebowitz

Donald Trump will be sworn into office Monday, making him the first convicted felon to serve as president and the second president to serve two nonconsecutive terms.

President Joe Biden is expected to attend the inauguration, watching his predecessor also become his successor.

When is the inauguration?

The ceremony takes place at midday in the Capitol rotunda. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will take their oaths of office at around noon ET. The ceremony traditionally marks the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.

Biden's and Vice President Kamala Harris' terms end at noon, as directed by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.

Inauguration festivities, though, will continue throughout the day.

Follow live coverage

The ceremony was originally supposed to be held outside the Capitol, but it was moved indoors because of the cold weather forecast.

Where can I watch?

Tune in to live coverage on NBC News, MSNBC and NBC News Now. An NBC News Special Report will begin at 10 a.m. on NBC and NBC News Now.

You can read the latest coverage on NBCNews.com's live blog.

Who is attending?

Former presidents, members of Trump’s family and high-level technology executives will attend the inauguration.

So will Biden, as is customary, even though Trump bucked tradition by not attending his inauguration in 2021.

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will attend, according to their teams. First lady Jill Biden, former first lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — who lost the 2016 election to Trump — will also be there. Former first lady Michelle Obama does not plan to attend, according to her office.

Several prominent tech moguls were planning to attend the inauguration before it was moved indoors, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk (a close Trump adviser), according to an official involved with inauguration planning. It is unclear how the move indoors affects the high-profile guests originally expected to attend, including tech executives and foreign dignitaries.

All five of Trump's children are also expected to be there.

Several musical guests will perform, including Carrie Underwood, the Village People, Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood and Nelly.

What happens?

On Monday morning, Trump will head to the White House for a customary tea with the Bidens.

Traditionally, members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies meet at the White House to escort the president-elect and the vice president-elect, along with their spouses, to the Capitol, where the ceremony takes place, according to the committee's website.

The outgoing president usually attends the inauguration, as well, though Trump bucked tradition by not attending Biden's in 2021.

Trump and Vance will be sworn in inside the Capitol. Trump said Washington's Capitol One Arena would be opened for spectators to watch from afar, adding that he would join the crowd after he is sworn in.

The new president then delivers an inaugural address during the ceremony. In his 2017 address, Trump recalled scenes of "American carnage," saying the "American carnage stops right here and stops right now."

Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in an interview Saturday that his inaugural address' theme would be "unity and strength, and also the word 'fairness.'"

"Because you have to be treating people fairly. You can’t just say, 'Oh, everything’s going to be wonderful.' You know, we went through hell for four years with these people. And so, you know, something has to be done about it," he said.

After the inaugural ceremony, the outgoing president typically leaves the area by helicopter, a tradition that began when Gerald Ford left the presidency in 1977, according to the joint committee's website.

The committee will also host an inaugural luncheon, which the newly sworn-in president and vice president typically attend. This year, Obama, Clinton and Bush will not attend, according to their offices.

A parade typically marches from the Capitol to the White House during inaugurations, but because of the cold, there will instead be an indoor march in Capitol One Arena in downtown Washington.

Trump will have an Oval Office signing ceremony, during which he may enact executive actions. Trump intends to sign more than 50 executive orders after he takes the oath, including some that he may sign publicly, a person in his transition operation said.

Trump made a series of promises on the campaign trail about what he would do on day one, from starting a mass deportation program to pardoning Jan. 6 defendants.

In 2017, Trump ended the day by attending multiple balls. This year, he is set to speak at three balls.

Who plans the inauguration?

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has been responsible for planning inaugurations since 1901, when William McKinley took the oath of office to begin his second term, according to the committee’s website.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., chairs the committee, which is made up of three members from each congressional chamber, split evenly between the two parties.

Separately, Trump has a presidential inaugural committee, which handles inaugural events that are held outside the Capitol.


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Megan Lebowitz

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Kelly O'Donnell, Jake Traylor, Sarah Dean and Vaughn Hillyard contributed.