Anyone can do it: how to get to Trump's inauguration

Donald Trump. Photo: Twitter / TeamTrump

Every 4 years, the population of the US capital Washington at least doubles. The entire city center is blocked off, hotels are overcrowded, and security is increased to the maximum. The inauguration of the US President is an event of national scale, which is planned long before the elections: the stage near the Capitol began to be built at the end of September, and regular rehearsals for the parade began a little later.

January 20, 2017 is a day that will be planned minute by minute for Donald Trump and his allies. The main parts of the inauguration are a long-standing tradition that no one changes. The oath of office, an address to the people, a parade and numerous balls in honor of the new president. Ordinary Americans or tourists can attend most events; the main thing is to be prepared to stand for several hours in sub-zero temperatures.

How to get a ticket for the oath ceremony, how many hours in advance you need to take seats at the parade and what transport is best to use on this day - ForumDaily has already prepared detailed instructions.

Morning: the president is preparing to take an oath, people take seats near the Capitol

The president-elect's inauguration day begins early, since he and his family must already be at church service at 10 a.m. Since Roosevelt (1933), no president has changed this tradition. And while the future head of state is in the temple - near the Capitol, everything is already ready for the oath: scene, which will accommodate 1600 people, and a large open-air auditorium for guests. Anatoly Grishchenko from Donetsk spent the whole day wearing this as a guard of honor during the first inauguration of Barack Obama.

“There were several thousand chairs set up on the west lawn where the ceremony is taking place, and they were all divided into sections. One of them is VIP, where my colleagues and I were sent. Obama's relatives and celebrities were there. Our job was to show people their places and keep order in general,” says Anatoly.

Anatoly Grishchenko. Photo: from the personal archive

He and his mother moved to America at the age of 11, graduated from school here and went to the young fighter course, where he was chosen to serve in the honor guard. And literally 3 months later he already took part in the inauguration. He says they were brought to the Capitol at 6:00, and at 8:00 the first guests began to gather. “Actor Denzel Washington arrived exactly at eight. And he sat quietly and waited. Then Samuel L. Jackson came up with his family and children, the children were crying that it was cold. Oprah Winfrey came in a big fur coat, there was Dustin Hoffman, a bunch of Obama’s relatives,” he recalls.

In addition to celebrities, the whole sector is dedicated to foreign delegations. In the United States, it is not customary to invite the heads of other states to the inauguration. Therefore, countries are represented only by heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Washington. For example, the press service of the Ukrainian embassy in the United States told ForumDaily that the ambassador had already received an invitation to Donald Trump’s inauguration: “The note has already been received from the US Department of State. Ambassador Valery Chaly intends to take part in the events. ”

How to get to the oath ceremony

Ordinary Americans can see how the president swears allegiance to his country. And the tickets for this event are free. Despite numerous offers on the Internet to buy a ticket for $2, $3, or even $5 thousand, the only legal way to get a pass is to ask him senator or congressman from the state where you live. For example, a congressman from New York Tom Reed Requests to leave a request on his website, where you need to write personal data and address. Since there are a limited number of tickets, some representatives of the Congress simply hold a lottery. Some give priority to local activists and volunteers.

Dmitry from New York has already ordered tickets. He says he has many political acquaintances, and they promised that he and his friends would definitely attend the oath ceremony. In almost 30 years of living in the States, this will be the first inauguration that Dmitry will see with his own eyes. “This is one of those things that you have to do at least once in your life. We had a party on election day, a sufficient number of people gathered, and suddenly someone suggested: let's go to the inauguration? We first had the idea of ​​renting rooms at the new Trump Hotel, but it was completely sold out for the week. All we managed to rent—and we booked the hotel 3 days after the elections—was a hotel 30 kilometers from the city center,” says Dmitry.

On the day of the inauguration, hotel prices jumped significantly. There are no hotels left below $350 per night. On the left are the prices of hotels that can still be booked for the night from January 19 to 20, 2017. On the right are hotel prices in Washington a week after the inauguration. Screenshots from Booking.com

An acquaintance of his, who had been to previous inaugurations, immediately warned that although the inauguration was a historical event, one could forget about comfort on that day. “He even found seats - so what? Someone from the UN was sitting in front of him, with two bodyguards, each 2 meters tall, standing. So he just sat there the whole time and looked at the backs of the big men. I couldn’t even move much, because the guards could regard any movement as a threat,” says Dmitry.

Those who do not get tickets will be able to watch the oath of office on large screens that will be installed along the national mall. The vice president takes the oath first, then the president.

Anatoly Gryshchenko recalls how the crowd exploded with applause after Obama's oath:

“There were millions of people. It is very hard to imagine what a million people are, and here I first saw it. When all these people started shouting “Obama!” In one voice, the earth trembled, my chest vibrated at the sound. It seemed to me that I was standing in the middle of some kind of medieval battle. ”

The guy says that for a couple of minutes he even forgot about the cold. Although January is the coldest month in Washington, and standing in the cold for several hours, especially in dress uniform, was not easy. “The uniform of the honor guard is more for beauty than for comfort. What we did: under the dress uniform we put on ski pants, several layers of thin T-shirts and sweaters, and a hat with earflaps on our heads. And from outerwear - a large long coat. As for the hands and feet, it was necessary to wear the simplest shoes and not particularly warm, thin mittens. So we took warming pads with us - we filled our pockets full with them and warmed our hands,” says Anatoly.

Day: President's speech, farewell to the ex-presidential couple and inaugural lunch

After the oath of office, the new president makes an address to the people, in which he proclaims his vision of the future of America and the main goals as head of state. President Henry Harrison had the longest speech; at the inauguration he caught a bad cold and died of pneumonia a month later. His successors no longer took such risks: the texts are usually laconic, but bright - often phrases from inaugural speeches become catchphrases. For example: “Ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country,” which John Kennedy said after taking the oath of office in 1961.

As soon as the president finished his address and received his portion of applause, his predecessor and his wife immediately left the celebration, often by helicopter. And the head of state, vice president, their families and the country's political elite go to lunch.

Although events and closed, on site Inaugural Commission of the Congresswhich is engaged in the preparation of all the main events of the day, there is a detailed description of the dinner: from the menu to the gifts that were given to the new president.

Festive parade or transfer of the President from the Capitol to the White House

The two main political buildings in the United States are connected by one street - Pennsylvania Avenue. The parade will take place along it, which usually starts at 14:30. But to get good seats, you need to come much earlier - they will start letting you in at 6:30 in the morning.

Journalist Alexandra Lopata saw the festive procession during the first inauguration of George W. Bush in 2001 and came to cover the event for a Kyiv radio station. She says this was her first foreign business trip in her life, and the scale of the event amazed her. “I remember a huge crowd of people. What struck me then were the snipers on the roofs. I had never seen anything like this then. It’s not like there were 10 people on each roof, but they were noticeable. And there were a lot of protesters, there were posters saying “Bush - we don’t want you.” When the motorcade passed, they were all very noisy, indignant, waving these posters,” recalls Alexandra.

Alexandra Lopata at the inauguration of George W. Bush. Photo: from the personal archive

The girl says that she didn’t come to Pennsylvania Avenue from the very morning, but she managed to get through to the road and even take a picture of the presidential motorcade. Between the direct inclusions for the radio station, Alexandra ran to bask in the nearest cafes, and everywhere, wherever she went, TVs were broadcast.

“Back then I also bought souvenirs that were sold at every turn - from T-shirts to mugs with portraits of all presidents, including Bush. This was very surprising for me, since they didn’t make a special event out of the inauguration of the Ukrainian president, and certainly didn’t sell souvenirs in connection with it,” recalls Alexandra.

American troops and amateur groups from all over America traditionally take part in the parade. And if you don't like crowds, you can watch the procession on January 15 - the dress rehearsal of the parade is scheduled for this date.

Evening: balls in honor of the new president

There are usually several of them throughout the city. Some are official balls organized by the Inaugural Commission. The head of state will definitely be present at this. Some are just private parties. At Bill Clinton's inauguration there were as many as 14 balls, Obama's - 10.

The exact number of Trump holiday parties is still unknown. But tickets for some are already on sale - $200-500 per person and a mandatory dress code.

How to survive this day in Washington

Forget about the car and carefully check how it will work public transport on this day. On metropolitan inaugural site stay tuned and find out in advance where the security checkpoints are located and leave at home all prohibited items.

Americans at the inauguration of Barack Obama. Photo: Natasha Brain

Dress warmly and comfortably, as you will have to stand outside for hours, often without the opportunity to go to the toilet or warm up in the nearest cafe. For example, Dmitry from New York has already prepared himself for difficulties: “I know that I will freeze to death, I will curse my friend who suggested all this, but since we have decided, we have to go. This happens at least once in your life, but you have to see it.”

The inauguration of Barack Obama. Photo: Natasha Brain

Experienced viewers advise that it is better to think 100 times whether to go at all. If you decide, you won’t regret it, assures Anatoly Grishchenko. At this inauguration he will again be on the guard of honor, but if he had a day off, he would just go as a spectator. “It’s like the Olympics, which happen every 4 years: you don’t seem to be very keen on sports, but you definitely watch the competition of the Olympians.”

See also:

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Donald Trump: Everything You Need to Know About the New US President

Trump announced a plan for the first hundred days of the presidency. Video in Russian

Ivanka Trump: America's first daughter

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