Amid a heightened terror threat level, President-elect Donald Trump is holding “a victory rally you’ll never forget” for 20,000 supporters the day before his Inauguration in Washington, D.C.
The “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” will begin at 3 p. m. at Capital One Arena on Jan. 19, and the announcement came on Jan. 1, the day of the New Orleans and Trump Hotel bombings that are being investigated as terrorists. incident.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
Trump has not held a rally in D.C. since he delivered a speech on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, which proceeded the insurrection on the Capitol by his supporters. It also marks the first rally since his election victory. Prior to his 2016 Inauguration he held a “thank you tour” in several states leading up to it.
Doors will open at 11 a.m, and people are able to register for up to two tickets per phone number for the Make America Great Again Victory Rally which starts at 3 p.m. at Capital One Arena on January 19, according to the Trump Inauguration website.
“Join President Trump at Capital One Arena for a victory rally you’ll forget!” Read the website.
The stadium is the home of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. It has capacity for just over 20,000 people.
The occasion has already been called for security reasons. Former Department of Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson told MSNBC’s Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire that the short timeframe of the demonstration, in light of the recent attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, may pose a security issue.
The occasion will take place one day before Trump’s inauguration. On January 20, the inauguration will take place at the United States Capitol in Washington, D. C. , on the Western Front, facing the National Mall and overlooking the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. .
More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers have announced they will attend Trump’s inauguration. But President Joe Biden and his first daughter, Jill Biden, plan to attend, a White House spokesperson told Reuters in November. Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, also rejected Trump’s invitation to his inauguration.
Flags will be lowered to half-staff, however, during Trump’s Inauguration. Biden has ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days in honor of Jimmy Carter, the longest-lived American president who died at 100.
Jan. 20 marks Trump’s second inauguration, as the 47th president. Ohio Sen. J. D. Vance will be sworn in as vice president.
A new Gallup poll released Dec. 27 shows Trump has a positive approval score heading into the new year: 51 percent of Americans approve of how he is handling his transition to power, versus 44 percent disapprove.
Gallup reported that Trump’s 2016 approval score was on par with his disapproval score, making the most recent ballot an improvement on most fronts for him; The main exception was that the voter noted that “every single new president since Bill Clinton had transition approval scores of at least 61 percent” with a 30-point gap in their disapproval scores.
Jeh Johnson, former director of the Department of Homeland Security, told MSNBC: “A very gigantic presidential rally presents a significant security challenge in terms of resources and manpower, so it’s not as undeniable as throwing a big party at a short period of time. ” “We want to put a lot of security in position when there is someone about to be president in this existing risk environment. “
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies made a limited number of inauguration tickets available to the public through members of Congress, which will be available to the public in the weeks leading up to the event. Tickets are free.
Monica is a reporter for Newsweek founded in Boston. Su goal is to report on the latest developments. Monica joined Newsweek in 2024. Se graduated from Clark University and holds master’s degrees from Clark University and Northwestern University. She, part of the team, was named a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for research and winner of the George Polk Prize for her work revealing Phillips Respironics’ irregularities with his breathing machines. You can reach Monica by emailing m. sager@newsweek. com. Languages: English.