A peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to another took place on Monday amid extremely cold temperatures in the country’s capital.
The inauguration ceremony, beginning with a church service and ending with the oath of office and inaugural address at the Capitol Building, was attended by former presidents and their families, foreign dignitaries, and tech billionaires.
Members of the “press pool” – a group of reporters, photographers and video journalists – were on hand to capture the day’s events for media outlets making up the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Through the press pool, accredited journalists take turns covering the President’s daily activities to ensure 24-7 coverage of the American leader. VOA White House correspondent Misha Komadovsky was assigned to Monday morning’s inaugural events.
“Today, I will be your eyes and ears during the first leg of Donald Trump’s inauguration,” Komadowski emailed at about 8 a.m. local time as part of his assignment.
The pool report said that the inauguration event was to follow a traditional course: a morning church service and a meeting between the outgoing and incoming first families before traveling to the inauguration.
The service at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Park across from the White House has been part of inaugural events since 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt attended a service before being sworn in as the 32nd president.
As the 47th US President, Trump followed in the footsteps of his predecessors. He and First Lady Melania Trump sat in the front row of the church along with his Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance.
Melania Trump wore a navy suit by New York-based designer Adam Lippes, paired with a wide-brimmed hat by American designer Eric Javits.
Javits said it was an honor to dress the First Lady, adding that her background in art informed her ability to bring “harmony and balance to the face” with her designs.
In Melania Trump’s case, he told the AP, designing was not difficult because the first lady is “blessed with great bone structure, beauty and an amazing sense of style.”
Also attending Monday’s service – which happened to be the same day the US celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day – were members of the Trump family, including his children Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron Trump. Individuals whom the President has nominated to prominent roles in his administration have also filled the position, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Marco Rubio.
Foreign dignitaries were also present. Leaders seen in the press pool included Argentina’s President Javier Meili, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and former Britain’s Conservative Party Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Some of the world’s richest people were also there, including Elon Musk of Tesla, social media platform X and SpaceX; Apple CEO Tim Cook; and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.
TikTok CEO Shaw Zi Chew and media personality Tucker Carlson attended the service.
TikTok went offline briefly on Saturday evening following a US Supreme Court ruling upholding a law ordering the Chinese social media platform to be sold to an American owner. Trump indicated that he planned a “joint venture” to allow TikTok to operate.
The service was restored on Sunday, with a message telling users that “as a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US”.
Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was twice convicted of contempt of court earlier this month in a defamation case stemming from Trump’s failed 2020 election, was also seen at the service.
Giuliani last Thursday settled a $148 million defamation judgment awarded to two election workers in the US state of Georgia.
During Monday’s 25-minute church service, the choir sang “America the Beautiful.” After the service ended, Trump walked down the aisle and greeted guests along the way. He was seen patting Argentina’s Miley on the shoulder.
Subsequently, in keeping with tradition, outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden met the incoming President and First Lady at the White House.
The First Families shared tea in the White House Blue Room before departing together for the US Capitol.
Due to extremely cold weather, the inauguration was held inside the Capitol Rotunda with music from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Joint Choir and the U.S. Marine Band. Opera singer Christopher D. Macchio sang “Oh, America!” Sang. and singer Carrie Underwood performing “America the Beautiful” with the Armed Forces Chorus and the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club.
Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were present for the inauguration, along with the church service congregation and several members of the Trump family, as faith leaders led prayers.
Tech billionaires including Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai were seen at the inauguration along with supporters of the president and US lawmakers.
Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to the 47th president on a Bible held by Melania Trump. His children were also present with the President.
After the oath of office, there was lunch, followed by a troop review and parade.
As the formal swearing in took place, new staff at the White House were seen moving into their new offices and opening photographs of the President and the First Lady.