What time is Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony?

The Republican won the US election in November, comprehensively defeating Kamala Harris, but did not take office immediately as per convention.
For now, Mr Trump is the president-elect and his running mate, JD Vance, is the vice president-elect.
Here is your guide to when the inauguration takes place.
When is Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration and what will happen on the day
When is the inauguration?
Mr Trump is set to be sworn in on Monday, January 20, 2025, before a crowd as the first part of a full day of activities to mark the commencement of his second stint in office.
Ivanka and Melania Trump watch on
Getty Images
Inauguration day timetable
Crowds will gather in the morning with musical performances set to commence from 2.30pm GMT.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held from midday, which is 5pm GMT. During this, Mr Trump will address Americans from the Capitol steps as the new president.
After the ceremony, Mr Trump will head to the President’s Room near the Senate chamber to sign key documents and have lunch with Senate and House of Representatives leaders.
From 3pm (8pm GMT), he will be part of a parade from the Capitol building down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.
In the evening, Mr Trump is set to appear at three inaugural balls across the city: the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball, and the Starlight Ball, where he is expected to deliver speeches at each.
Barack Obama was sworn in a day after he formally became president in 2013
REUTERS
Why does Inauguration Day fall on January 20?
US Inauguration Day is typically scheduled for January 20, as mandated by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. However, if January 20 falls on a Sunday, the public ceremony is usually postponed to the following day, Monday, January 21, to accommodate broader public participation.
The president’s term officially begins at noon on January 20, regardless of the day of the week. When January 20 falls on a Sunday, a private swearing-in ceremony is held on that day, fulfilling the constitutional requirement. The public inauguration ceremony and festivities are then moved to Monday – which happened with Barack Obama in 2013.
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Barack Obama’s 2008 crowd compared to the one that turned up for Donald Trump in 2017
Reuters
Why the crowd size matters
After Mr Trump tried to argue the camera did lie, his press secretary Sean Spicer gave figures to the media that suggested his crowd was larger than for Mr Obama’s in 2013.
However, data from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority suggested this was not the case.