Washington [US], January 18: President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony will take place inside the Capitol Hill lobby instead of outdoors as usual due to dangerously cold weather.
"There is a cold Arctic wind sweeping across the country. I do not want to see anyone affected in any way. Therefore, I have requested that the inaugural address, prayer, and other speeches take place inside the Capitol Rotunda," Trump wrote on the Truth Social social network on January 17.
Weather experts predict that the Arctic storm could cause temperatures to drop to minus 6 degrees Celsius on inauguration day, January 20, and snowfall could also occur the day before, CNN reported.
Dignitaries and VIPs will also be invited inside the Capitol dome, but the space inside will be much more limited than when held outdoors.
The Congressional Commission on Inaugural Ceremonies , which is in charge of planning the event, said many ticket holders may not be able to attend the ceremony in person after the latest update. The commission also recommended that those traveling to Washington DC to watch the inauguration choose indoor viewing locations.
CBS News, citing a source familiar with the matter, said that the decision to move the inauguration venue was made by the president-elect. In addition, the plan to move the ceremony to the Capitol Rotunda has been in the works for months as a backup plan.
Mr Trump said the Capital One Arena indoor stadium would be open to the public for live viewing. The inaugural parade would also be moved to the stadium, which can hold 20,000 people, instead of going down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House as usual.
This is the first time a US presidential inauguration has been held indoors in 40 years. In 1985, former President Ronald Reagan held his second inauguration ceremony inside the Capitol dome, when the wind chill outside was as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius.
In 1841, President William Henry Harrison reportedly caught a cold after delivering his inaugural address for two hours in cold weather without a coat or hat. He later contracted pneumonia and died a month after his inauguration, becoming the shortest-serving president in U.S. history.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
