President-elect Donald Trump is spending the day before his inauguration in a series of events in Washington celebrating his return to power and his “Make America Great Again” movement, as he prepares to reenter the White House at a time of profound national political crisis. divisions.
The nation’s capital has prepared in unprecedented ways to ensure the safety of unfolding events. But unlike when Trump helped unleash a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol and tried to hold on to power in 2021 after his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, officials don’t expect protests this time massive attacks, unrest and violence. Instead, the city is preparing to welcome crowds celebrating Trump’s second term and total MAGA control of the Republican Party.
It’s a remarkable turnaround after Trump left the nation’s capital in disgrace for four years and missed his successor’s inauguration. Trump fought his way into the 2024 GOP presidential primary and won the November election by an Electoral College margin not seen since Democrat Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012.
Yet even with this comfortable victory and his party in full, if narrow, control of Congress, the new president remains one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history, with almost as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters.
That means it could be difficult to deliver on post-election commitments to promote bipartisanship while easing political differences. He told NBC News on Saturday that unity would be a theme of his inauguration speech Monday at the Capitol, alongside strength and fairness.
Get the latest national news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts sent directly to you as they happen.
“January 20th can’t come soon enough!” “, Trump also posted this week on his social media site. “Everyone, even those who initially opposed a victory for President Donald J. Trump and the Trump administration, just want it to happen. »
National and world events captured some of his attention on Sunday as he commented on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the US ban on TikTok.
“The hostages are starting to come out today!” Three wonderful young women will be the first,” Trump wrote on his social network.
Overnight, millions of US TikTok users were unable to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the app took effect. The company posted a message making a personal appeal to Trump.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office,” the message said. Trump’s online response: “SAVE TIKTOK!” »
True to tradition, Trump spent Saturday evening at Blair House, the president’s official residence on Pennsylvania Avenue, across from the White House. He arrived there after a party at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, about 30 miles west of the city, at which fireworks lit up the night sky.
Trump arrived in Washington from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, aboard a C-32, the military variant of the Boeing 757, painted in the iconic presidential powder blue and white colors. The plane that would be known as Air Force One if the president were on board carried the president-elect as Special Air Mission 47.
Sunday will be Trump’s first full day back in the capital since the election. That gives him a chance to seize the moment and enthuse his core supporters before the heavy dose of official pomp on Inauguration Day, including the noon swearing-in.
Trump planned to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery before speaking at a downtown rally at the Capital One Arena, home of the U.S. professional basketball and hockey teams. Washington.
With freezing temperatures expected Monday, Trump ordered his oath of office — now set at the Capitol Rotunda — and most of Monday’s outdoor events to be moved indoors. The traditional parade will take place, in one form or another, at Capital One Arena.
Trump was also scheduled to attend a candlelight dinner on Sunday where he was scheduled to speak.
Biden, on his last full day in office, scheduled a trip to South Carolina, a state that takes on special significance after his landslide victory in the 2020 Democratic primary, which prepared him to achieve the goal of his life of being elected president.
Biden, accompanied by his wife, first lady Jill Biden, was scheduled to visit a North Charleston church to worship and speak about the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the White House said. Monday is also the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader.
The president used his farewell address earlier in the week to warn of a growing “oligarchy” of ultra-wealthy interests taking over and threatening the country’s very democracy.
© 2025 The Canadian Press