Washington, D.C. [US], January 20 : Outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the White House for a pre-inauguration tea ahead of today’s swearing-in ceremony. Also in attendance were Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, who were greeted by outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Craig Emhoff.
The Bidens warmly received the Trumps following a service at St. John's Episcopal Church. During the traditional gathering, the two couples enjoyed tea together before the formal transition of power. As part of the tradition, the outgoing president typically accompanies the president-elect to the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration, as confirmed by CNN.
In contrast to this year’s event, the 2021 inauguration saw President Trump break from tradition by not attending the swearing-in ceremony and not inviting President-elect Joe Biden to the White House.
The ceremonial proceedings today will start with Vice President-elect JD Vance taking the oath of office, followed by Donald Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th president. The event will take place at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, two weeks after Congress officially certified Trump’s electoral college victory.
Following the swearing-in, President Trump will sign various nominations and proclamations in a ceremony in the President’s Room, a tradition that began with President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The day’s events will continue with a luncheon, a military review, and the inaugural parade before Trump and Melania head to the White House for a signing ceremony. Later in the evening, they will deliver remarks at the Convention Centre and participate in several inaugural balls, including the Liberty Ball, the Commander-in-Chief Ball, and the United Station Ball, before returning to the White House.
Earlier on Sunday, President-elect Trump shared his plans to take swift action upon taking office. Speaking at a candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum, he vowed to immediately revoke what he called "destructive and radical" executive orders issued by the Biden administration, declaring them "null and void" by the end of the day Monday. In his remarks, Trump emphasized, “With the stroke of my pen, I will revoke dozens of destructive and radical executive orders and actions of the Biden administration. And by this time tomorrow, they will all be null and void,” as quoted in a video posted by Trump War Room on X.
