Donald Trump uses eve of inauguration to celebrate return to power
The US president-elect will attend a series of events on Sunday and give speeches to fire up his core support.
US President-elect Donald Trump is spending the eve of his inauguration at a series of Washington events that celebrate his return to power and his “Make America Great Again” movement as he prepares to move back into the White House at a time of deep national political divisions.
Washington has prepared in unprecedented ways to keep the unfolding events safe and secure. But unlike when Mr Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol and tried to retain power in 2021 after his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, officials are not expecting massive protests, unrest and violence this time.
Instead, the city is braced for crowds celebrating his second term and MAGA’s total control of the Republican Party.
It is a remarkable turnaround after Mr Trump left the nation’s capital four years ago in disgrace and skipped the inauguration of his successor.
He blasted his way through the 2024 GOP presidential primary and won November’s election by an Electoral College margin unseen since Democrat Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012.
Yet even with that comfortable victory and his party in full, albeit narrow, control of Congress, the incoming president remains one of the most polarising figures in US history, with nearly as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters.
That means it could be difficult to fulfil post-election pledges about promoting bipartisanship while healing political differences. He told NBC News on Saturday that unity would be a theme of his inauguration speech on Monday at the Capitol, along with strength and fairness.
“January 20th cannot come fast enough!,” he posted on his social media site. “Everybody, even those that initially opposed a Victory by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen.”
Keeping to tradition, Mr Trump spent Saturday night at Blair House, the president’s official guest 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, that illuminated the night sky.
He addressed the crowd there, giving shout-outs to Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and declaring his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff a “great negotiator” after his role in helping to negotiate a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Soon after his remarks, Mr Trump stepped out on to a clubhouse balcony while guests gathered on the patio below him for a fireworks display and performance by tenor Christopher Macchio.
He arrived in Washington as organisers of Monday’s Inauguration Day ceremony were scrambling to move most of the outdoor events, including the swearing-in of the president and vice-president that traditionally takes place on the steps of the US Capitol, inside due to forecast sub-zero temperatures.
Sunday is Mr Trump’s first full day back in the capital since the election. It gives him a chance to enjoy the moment and fire up his core supporters before Inauguration Day’s heavy dose of official pomp, including the swearing-in at noon.
Mr Trump plans to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery before addressing a rally at Capital One Arena.
He is also expected to attend a candlelight dinner where he was expected to speak.
On his final full day in office, Mr Biden has scheduled a trip to South Carolina, a state that holds special meaning after his commanding win in the 2020 Democratic primary there set him up to achieve his life’s goal of being elected president.
Accompanied by his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, Mr Biden will visit a church in North Charleston to worship and speak on the legacy of the Rev Martin Luther King Jr, the White House said. Monday is also the federal holiday honouring the civil rights leader.
The president used his farewell address earlier in the week to warn of a growing “oligarchy” of ultra-rich interests gaining power and threatening the nation’s very democracy.
