What to know about Trump taking office

President-elect Donald Trump will move back into the White House later on Monday after he officially becomes the 47th president of the United States.

Inauguration day will include a formal swearing-in ceremony, musical performances and a number of formal balls.

But freezing temperatures have prompted events to be moved indoors, with Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance set to take the oath of office in the US Capitol Rotunda building.

This is the formal ceremony that marks the end of one president’s time in office and the start of the successor’s administration.

It includes the president-elect reciting the oath of office: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Though he won the election in November, Trump will officially become the 47th president once he says those words. He previously served as the 45th president between 2017 and 2021.

Vance will also take an oath of office before he formally becomes vice-president.

Trump’s second inauguration day begins with a service at St John’s Church, Lafayette Square, a historic Washington DC church, followed by tea at the White House.

Musical performances and opening remarks are set to begin at 09:30 EST (14:30 GMT).

That will be followed by the swearing-in of Trump and Vance inside the Capitol’s rotunda at the precise time of 11:47 EST (16:47 GMT). Each man will place their hand on a book – usually, but not always, a Bible – and recite the oath of office.

This year, Trump will use a personal Bible given to him by his mother in 1955 and the historic Lincoln Bible, a velvet-bound volume used at President Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861.

The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee has said that Vance will also swear on a personal Bible, a family copy that belonged to his maternal great-grandmother.

Next, Trump will give the inaugural address in which the president will set out his goals for the next four years. He will call for a “revolution of common sense” according to extracts released in advance.

Trump will afterwards head to the President’s Room – near the Senate chamber – to sign key documents.

He will then attend a lunch hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

This is usually followed by a parade that goes from the Capitol building down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. However, this is essentially cancelled, due to the weather.

Later in the evening, Trump will appear at three inaugural balls throughout the city – the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball and the Starlight Ball.

He is expected to speak at all three.

During his first day of power, Trump is expected to sign more than 200 executive actions. This would include executive orders, which are legally-binding, and other presidential directives like proclamations, which are usually not.

An executive order is a written order issued by the president to the federal government which does not require congressional approval.

The inauguration proceedings traditionally take place outside the US Capitol building, with viewing areas extending down the National Mall.

This year, however, Washington DC is in the grip of brutally cold winds – with the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasting temperatures of 23F (-5C).

On Friday, Trump announced via social media that he had requested a venue change due to weather, as he did not “want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way”.

The inaugural address, speeches and other proceedings will move inside the Capitol, as will viewing areas for guests, lawmakers and dignitaries.

Other attendees can watch the proceedings on a livestream inside the nearby Capital One Arena, which can hold 20,000 people. Trump says he will visit the crowd at the sports arena after his swearing-in.

It is not the first time extreme weather has moved the ceremony. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration was moved indoors and the traditional parade was cancelled due to unusually cold weather.

Local and federal officials are expecting about 200,000 people to show up in Washington DC – who could include Trump supporters and protesters.

Many US senators and House members also will attend, as well as guests of the incoming administration.

After Trump, Vance and their families, the next most important attendees are the outgoing president and vice-president. This means we will see President Joe Biden, and Vice-President Kamala Harris – who lost the November election to Trump – with their respective spouses Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff.

Former presidents and first ladies are often on the guest list, but former first lady Michelle Obama will skip this year’s inauguration, according to her office.

Mrs Obama was noticeably absent from a recent memorial for former President Jimmy Carter, remaining instead in Hawaii. She has attended every inauguration since her husband’s in 2009, including Trump’s first swearing-in in 2017.

Mrs Obama’s husband Barack is expected to be there, though, along with another former president, George W Bush, and his wife Laura Bush. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another Democrat, will not attend.

Billionaire tech chiefs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are expected to attend the ceremony, US media report.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will also reportedly be there, just one day after a potential ban of the social media platform could go into effect in the US.

China’s Vice President Han Zheng will also be in attendance, along with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentina’s President Javier Milei.

Country singer and former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is due to perform America the Beautiful during the ceremony.

“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement.

Country singer Lee Greenwood – Trump’s long-time friend and collaborator – will also perform at the inauguration ceremony, as will opera singer Christopher Macchio.

American disco group The Village People performed at Trump’s victory rally on Sunday, and are expected again at one of the inaugural balls on Monday.

During the campaign, Trump frequently played the group’s songs – YMCA and Macho Man – at his rallies.

“We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear, however, we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” the band said in a post on its Facebook page.

“Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”

Other performers are set to appear at Trump’s Sunday rally and the evening balls. Many of them are country acts, including Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts. Singer Gavin DeGraw and rapper Nelly will also perform.

There is typically high demand to watch the inauguration in person, and tickets are highly prized.

Members of Congress have received a certain number of tickets to the ceremony, which they have been distributing to their constituents for free.

It is also possible to watch remotely. The White House will livestream the inauguration. The BBC will cover it live on our TV news channel.

Viewers in the UK will also be able to see coverage at 15:30 GMT on BBC One.

You can also watch a stream of the inauguration on our website and follow our live page, where we will bring you updates, analysis and key moments as they happen.

Listeners will be able to hear a radio special on the BBC World Service and, in the UK, on BBC Radio 4. Special episodes of Americast and The Coming Storm will be among the podcast offer.