President-elect Donald Trump‘s decision to move his inauguration ceremony indoors because of cold weather has prompted comparisons to similarly cold weather during President Barack Obama‘s 2008 outdoor inauguration.
Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump’s office via email on Friday.
Why It Matters
Trump’s inauguration is set to take place on Monday while Washington, D.C., is experiencing the coldest weather during a presidential swearing-in ceremony since President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985.
The president-elect announced in a Truth Social post on Friday that he was moving the inauguration indoors to the “United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather.”
What To Know
Trump’s decision to take his inauguration indoors has been mocked by some as an indication that the president-elect is weak or “soft,” with many comparing the expected conditions on Monday to those at Obama’s first inauguration in 2009.
Obama was inaugurated outdoors despite a temperature of 28 degrees, with “wind chill values in the mid teens,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS). About 1.8 million people attended Obama’s inauguration despite the cold weather, according to The Washington Post.
Temperatures in Washington are forecast to be about 21 degrees during Trump’s second inauguration on Monday, although wind chill could make it feel more like 11 degrees at around noon, when the ceremony begins.
Former President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump during the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C., on January 9. Comparisons have been made between the expected weather conditions during Trump’s second… Former President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump during the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C., on January 9. Comparisons have been made between the expected weather conditions during Trump’s second inauguration ceremony on January 20, which will now be held indoors, and conditions during Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, which was held outdoors. MANDEL NGAN/AFP
Reagan was sworn in at the White House for his second term on January 20, 1985, when the temperature outside was 7 degrees with a wind chill factor as cold as minus-20, according to NWS. A public inauguration ceremony was held for Reagan in the Capitol rotunda the following day.
Former President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration, which was held outside, may have featured the weather most comparable to outside conditions expected during Trump’s second ceremony.
Kennedy “made his first statement by not wearing an overcoat” despite a temperature of just 22 degrees during his inauguration, according to The New York Times.
What People Are Saying
Beth Willon, press secretary for Democratic California state Senator Dave Cortese, in a post to X, formerly Twitter: “#WimpBehavior It was 24 degrees during @BarackObama’s first inauguration in 2009. I was there with 3 layers of clothes on & thousands showed up.”
Ken Barnes, a writer and consultant, on X: “The wind chill at the 2009 inauguration for Barack Obama was about 14°F. He, his wife, and young daughters didn’t run inside the Capitol Rotunda, they just wore coats.”
Computer scientist Dr. Jen Golbeck, on X: “The forecast temperature is just a few degrees colder than Obama’s 2008 inauguration (28º) which was held outside. It would make the MAGA crowd really mad if the narrative around this becomes that Trump is too weak to handle the cold.”
Susan Rice, who served in key roles in the Obama and Biden administrations, on X: “SNOWFLAKES”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, while sharing a picture of himself outdoors during winter on X: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”
Democratic strategist Andy Suchorski, on X: “Soft and old Trump can’t handle a little cold.”
Former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, on X: “Trump’s inauguration is being moved indoors due to the dangerously cold weather. At this point let’s just move it to Mar-A-Lago!”
What Happens Next
Trump’s inauguration is expected to move forward indoors at the Capitol rotunda at noon on Monday. While the forecast could change to some degree, freezing conditions are nearly certain outside. Obama, President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush are expected to be in attendance.
