The swearing-in of President Donald Trump is only a few weeks away.
Inauguration Day occurs every four years on Jan. 20, or on Jan. 21 if the 20th falls on a Sunday. Trump, the nation’s 45th and soon-to-be 47th president, will take the oath of office on Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Vice-president elect JD Vance will take the oath of office repeating the same oath of office used in 1884 for senators, representatives and other federal employees:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
Trump will take the oath after that, typically around noon. His oath comes from Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The swearing-in is followed by a parade and ball later that night.
Is Inauguration Day a holiday?
Inauguration Day isn’t a federal holiday in a typical year, though government employees in Washington, D.C. do get the day off. This year, however, Inauguration Day falls on the federal holiday that recognizes civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. so federal and state and most municipal offices, as well as schools, will be closed.
U.S. Post Offices will be closed and no mail will run that day.