WASHINGTON — Presidential inaugurations are deeply rooted in American history. The customs and festivities, such as the parade and galas, provide a spectacle in the country’s capital. But the date and oath of office are prescribed in the Constitution.
In this episode of “The Story Behind the AP Story,” hear from AP Washington radio correspondent Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville as they share their past inauguration experiences and pull back the curtain on what we can expect during the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. Monday.
Haya Panjwani, host: Every four years, on January 20, Washington DC prepares for the start of a new presidency.
Sagar Meghani, AP Washington radio correspondent: What’s fascinating to me is that the Constitution requires only two things for an inauguration: it’s the date and the oath the new president must take.
PANJWANI: President-elect Donald Trump is expected to take the oath of office for his second presidential term in 2025. I am Haya Panjwani. Today I speak with AP Washington radio correspondent Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville. They will help us pull back the curtain and share what to expect at a presidential inauguration.
Darlene Superville, AP White House Correspondent: For people watching from home and even for people who are on the (National) Mall or in the Capitol for the ceremony itself, it’s probably one of the oldest traditions in the United States. It’s symbolic of the peaceful transfer of power that we’ve heard so much about in the last few years, four or five years or so. There is a lot of pomp and circumstance associated with inaugurations, where a president leaves and ends his term and a new president comes in and takes the reins of government.
MEGHANI: The presidents might ride together to the Capitol to watch former presidents watch one of their successors take the oath of office, the lunch they have, and then the parade. And presidents get out and walk from the Capitol to the White House. It’s been so steeped in tradition since George Washington first took that oath in 1789. We complain that it’s cold and it’s a very long day with a lot of security in Washington. I’ve been to four of them. It remains fascinating to see how it all turns out.
PANJWANI: Darlene and Sager have covered their fair share of inaugurations, and one thing is consistent: the cold.
SUPERVILLE: The one inauguration that I remember most vividly was 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated president. He became the country’s very first black president. It was super cold outside that January day, and my assignment was to be on the Capitol lawn, the west side of the Capitol, where all the guests traditionally sit to watch the ceremony, which takes place on the west side. . And so you wander around looking for color, looking for celebrities, looking for faces that you recognize you can, and all the interesting things that happen that you can contribute to the reporting. I just remember it being so cold. I don’t normally wear a hat. So if you see me wearing a hat, you know it’s cold.
MEGHANI: Yeah, I was there with Darlene on the Western Front too. It was the first time the AP did a live video show, a streaming show at the inauguration. So I was one of two co-hosts. I stood on metal bleachers for several hours with a professor from the local government, just watching. And in anticipation of the spectacle, it’s fun, as Darlene said, to look down on that whole Western Front and see the dignitaries coming in, whether they’re former presidents, whether they’re Supreme Court justices or notable legislators . And like Darlene said, very, very, very cold and windy that day, especially if you’re standing on metal bleachers for several hours at a time.
PANJWANI: This is not the first time Donald Trump has been inaugurated.
Donald Trump: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will…
MEGHANI: Donald Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 started like so many of the others. He went to the White House, where he was greeted by the departing first family. Barack and Michelle Obama were there. They drove to the Capitol, and from there it all took a different turn.
It was just a darker mood, if you will. And Donald Trump’s speech, which became known as the American Carnage speech, in which he talked about mothers and children in inner-city poverty and rusted factories dotting the American landscape that looked like tombstones. That’s why it was remembered. The Trump team wanted this to be remembered for its core message, which was that that was the day power was taken away from the ruling class in Washington and given back to the American people.
PANJWANI: The inauguration Americans saw four years ago was different from inaugurations in the past as the world was still in the midst of a pandemic.
SUPERVILLE — There were no people on the National Mall or on the Capitol lawn to watch the ceremony itself. Instead of real people, President Biden’s inaugural team had many American flags stuck on the lawn to signify the people’s presence. The parade was shortened. There were no inaugural balls, and this all played into the COVID situation and the fear of people getting too close to each other and making people sick.
MEGHANI: The other thing we didn’t see four years ago was the tradition of the outgoing president greeting the new president. Donald Trump had already left the White House and was on his way back to Florida. So he wasn’t at the White House with Melania Trump to greet Joe and Jill Biden, and he became the first sitting president since Andrew Johnson in 1869, who left town before US Grant was inaugurated.
PANJWANI: This time we can expect a return to normalcy.
SUPERVILLE: The mall, full of people coming out to see this transfer of power. The president and the first lady, the new president and the new first lady, dance the night away with at least a dozen balls. We might even see President Trump walking a short distance along the parade route between the Capitol on his way to the White House. So there’s a lot of pageantry and showmanship and coming together, if you will, that I would expect this time, which we didn’t get to see four years ago because of the COVID situation. President Joe Biden has already said he plans to attend the inauguration, which is a courtesy Donald Trump has not extended to him in 2021. And I would fully expect President-elect Trump to participate in the traditions this time, since he will be the winner in November.
SUPERVILLE: And some people might wonder, how can they appoint one president and leave another president? And so a lot of that happens behind the White House on the South Lawn. There are moving vans for both families. The permanent staff quickly brings out the outgoing president’s belongings and quickly brings in all the incoming president’s belongings so that when they finally leave the assessment booth, they come in to freshen up before they have to go out in the evening . Most, if not all, of their belongings are in drawers, in rooms where they have indicated they should go.
MEGHANI: Another fun part is trying to anticipate exactly when the limo will stop and the Secret Service will surround him again. And the new president and the new first lady will actually step onto Pennsylvania Avenue and walk along and wave to the crowd. At the first inauguration I covered in 2005, I was one of the reporters who sat in a flatbed truck right behind the presidential limousine so you could have that view and kind of tell what the crowd was like. In this case it was in the middle of the Iraq war. There were many protesters and a lot of yelling at the limousine as President (George W.) Bush drove by for his second inauguration. And that, again, that moment where they actually step out and wave to the crowd and walk, that moment didn’t happen with Jimmy Carter because he decided to walk the entire route from the Capitol all the way to the White House. for. That hasn’t happened since.
PANJWANI: Darlene and Sager, whether working from the AP office or on Capitol Hill, plan to be prepared.
SUPERVILLE: One of the ways we cover a lot of this is we sit at the desk, all the TVs are tuned to the ceremony and we watch and take notes and write down colors and write our stories based on what we’re doing. on TV, as well as the incoming feeds that our people on site send to us. So I’m going to do one of those things, but I just don’t know yet. But the other thing I would say is that as a reporter going there, I probably wouldn’t have a purse or a bag with me. I would probably just fill my pockets with all the things I need. My hand warmers, my pens, my external battery, my cords, my phone, earmuffs. You have it because having a bag can slow you down in some ways. It can slow you down with security and all the safety measures that will be in place in the city.
MEGHANI: You end up looking a bit like when you see a little kid wearing a puffy winter coat and it looks like they’re just rolling along like the Michelin Man. You try to cram in as much as possible. Like Darlene said: things to keep you warm, a bottle of water, some snacks, pens, notebooks, chargers, batteries. Precisely. So whatever you think you need for seven, eight, nine, ten o’clock because of all the security and how early we have to be for something. You want to make sure you are self-sufficient.
This has been “The Story Behind the AP Story.” For more information about the AP’s inauguration coverage, visit APNews.com.