JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson stand behind Donald Trump as he speaks at his inauguration. Photo courtesy of CNN.
MOLLY DURM I STAFF REPORTER | mdurm@butler.edu
Donald Trump was sworn into the White House for the second time at his Inauguration Ceremony on Jan. 20. Trump is officially the first convicted felon to become a U.S. president and the second president in U.S. history to have been elected two non-consecutive terms. The ceremony coincidentally took place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the third Monday of January.
In Washington D.C. inaugural events spanned from Saturday, Jan. 18 through Tuesday, Jan. 21. Key traditions include the inaugural parade, an inaugural reception, a wreath-laying at Arlington cemetery, a military review, three inaugural balls, a national prayer service, the presidential address, ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol and the swearing-in ceremony. Straying from tradition Trump also hosted a “Make America Great Again (MAGA) Victory Rally” the day before the inauguration.
Performances throughout the weekend featured Carrie Underwood, The Village People, Lee Greenwood, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Kid Rock, Gavin Degraw, Parker McCollum, Billy Ray Cyrus, Christopher Macchio and Snoop Dogg.
Along with celebrations of Trump’s inauguration, peaceful protests also took place throughout the weekend. The People’s March — formerly known as The Women’s March — has occurred every year since 2017 when Trump was inaugurated for his first presidential term. The march took place on Saturday, Jan. 18 and consisted of thousands of mostly female protestors walking the streets of D.C.
Junior political science major Brady Stinson worked in the U.S. Capitol as a congressional intern for Indiana’s District 7 Congressman Andre Carson.
Through his internship, he experienced the extensive behind-the-scenes work and setup process that goes into a presidential inauguration.
“The inauguration is a very robust thing, it takes the entire city,” Stinson said. “I know we had staff that were going to volunteer and they did a lot of training. The first or second week I was there [late August 2024] the first nail for the bleachers was laid down. The entire process takes months.”
Due to extremely cold weather, Trump decided on Jan. 18 to move the inauguration ceremony indoors to the Capitol Rotunda. It was the first time in 40 years the swearing-in did not take place on the Capitol steps. This location change caused the vast majority of ticketed guests not to be able to attend the ceremony in person. Viewers could watch the inauguration live through most television networks and streaming services such as NBC, CNN, Fox News and more.
Adjunct professor of journalism Benton Ives previously worked in Washington D.C. as a political journalist.
As someone who used to work on Capitol Hill, he shared his thoughts on the importance of the inauguration ceremony.
“Inaugurations are supposed to be a time for both political parties to gather, acknowledge the victorious party, and do it in a way that says, ‘We disagree during campaigns and while we’re fighting over legislation or policy, we can still come together and recognize this is an important event,’” Ives said.
Sticking to tradition, the four living presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden — were all present at the inauguration ceremony, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris. The former first-ladies attended besides Michelle Obama who was absent from the ceremony. Multiple CEOs of billion-dollar tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, Tesla, Apple, Google and TikTok were in attendance. Additionally, many members of Trump’s proposed cabinet attended.
Inaugurations, though largely traditional and ceremonial, serve as a representation of political change.
Ives highlights how this event marks the beginning of a new political era, reflecting shifts in leadership and national direction.
“His second election to the presidency is an example of this political movement that people thought was perhaps a brief period or transition for the Republican Party; but it appears to be here to stay, at least for the next four years,” Ives said. “So I think the inauguration is really a time to mark that and think about that.”
Presidential inaugurations are historically known to represent the peaceful transfer of power from the outgoing president to the incoming president. Many students view this as a crucial element of the ceremony.
“I think the peaceful transfer of power [is important], you’re not really able to bring in a new administration effectively without it,” Stinson said. “Without it, you can’t really call yourself a democracy.”
The act of transferring power is significant in itself, but the peaceful nature of this transition is especially crucial to signifying the strength of American democracy.
Lauren Stubbs, a senior history-political science major, questioned whether this ceremony would uphold that tradition, given the political climate surrounding the incoming administration.
“I believe the peaceful transfer of power is really the base of our democracy,” Stubbs said. “I think it’s really important, but given that this person claims that the 2020 election was rigged it makes me question how that’ll go, but given that this is in his favor, I don’t think there should be any issues.”
The ceremonial weekend remained peaceful. The diverse group of supporters, protestors and political figures that gathered in D.C. for this historic event showcased the essence of American democracy.
The inaugural address
A well-known element of inauguration ceremonies is the presidential address, a speech delivered by the incoming president. This ceremony marked Trump’s second inaugural address, following his first in 2017.
“In his 2017 inauguration address, he said a lot of stuff that I don’t think people expected,” Ives said. “I think a lot of people felt it was a very unusual speech from the incoming president. I think it’d be hard to top that in terms of a break from tradition”.
This speech was similar in tone and content as Trump expressed his goal to be known as a “peacemaker and unifier”. He noted his priority is making America a “proud, prosperous and free” country that will “flourish and be respected again”.
Stinson emphasizes the significance of this inaugural address stating that the speech will serve as a reference point in the future to evaluate Trump’s progress on the goals he outlined throughout the address.
“An inaugural speech is not like a rally speech,” Stinson said. “It’s gonna be on national television and in the news for months to come. They’ll always look back to his inauguration speech to see, ‘Has he accomplished things that he set out to do?’”
Stubbs tuned in to the inaugural address in hopes of hearing what Trump intends to act on once officially in the Oval Office and how his early actions will set the tone for his presidency.
“When I’m listening to this inauguration speech I’m listening to what he plans to do especially within the next three-ish months,” Stubbs said. “Anything referring back to Project 2025, if he says that he had anything to do with it or not, seeing if he holds up to those promises knowing that there’s a lot of correlation between his administration and that document.”
In his address Trump promised to immediately act on many issues he had spoken about throughout his campaign starting with the push for the mass deportation of immigrants.
“All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said.
Trump’s statement also highlighted his controversial stance on gender issues, declaring it would be the “official policy of the United States government” that there are henceforth “only two genders, male and female.”
Towards the end of his speech, Trump discussed his assassination attempt and declared he believed he was saved by God for a reason.
“Just a few months ago, in that beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear,” Trump said. “But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to Make America Great Again.”
To read the full transcript of Trump’s inaugural address visit The New York Times website.
The inaugural events, ceremony and address reflected the traditions of American democracy even amidst a polarized political climate. As Donald Trump embarks on his second term with ambitious promises and a controversial agenda, the nation will watch how this administration shapes the country’s future.