How does Inauguration Day work?

At noon on Jan. 20, Donald Trump will take the oath of office and become America's 47th president. Inauguration Day is a mix of traditions and Constitutional requirements that ensures the proper transfer of power.

There will be parties — some of them quite expensive — celebrating the inauguration. But "none of the pageantry" is required by the Constitution, said CNN. The only requirement is that the incoming president take the oath of office. (And take it precisely: Barack Obama took the oath of office a second time at the beginning of his first term in 2009 because a word got out of sequence during the first attempt.) The chief justice of the United States usually administers the oath, "but that's a custom, not a requirement," said CNN.

At the same time the new president takes power, the White House transitions from its former occupants to the next — and quickly. The process of making the building ready for a new family is "chaotic, but it's very coordinated," Matthew Costello of the White House Historical Association said to The Hill in 2021. White House staff work with presidential family members to make sure the living quarters — including "ideal room temperature, favorite snacks and preferred bath soap" — are up to snuff, right away, said The Hill. The whole process is "carried out in a matter of fewer than five hours."

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What is the schedule?

The day usually starts with a procession to the Capitol, during which the "outgoing president typically accompanies the president-elect," said USA Today. The vice president is typically sworn in first, followed by the new president at noon. After that, the "major beats of the day" include an inaugural luncheon, a review of the troops, a presidential parade and an array of inaugural balls. But it is not all fun and celebrations: After the swearing-in, the new president does a little work to "sign nominations, memorandums, proclamations or executive orders," said USA Today.

All this pageantry costs money. The price of the swearing-in ceremony is "borne by the taxpayers," said Reuters. Everything else will be "financed by Trump's inauguration committee." The committee raised $106.7 million — a record — for his 2017 inauguration. This year? Trump has raised a reported $170 million for the big day, said The New York Times. That number could eventually reach $200 million. Any cash left after the celebrations are over will probably be "transferred to a committee for the eventual Trump presidential library," said the Times.

How will Trump's inauguration be different?

This year's inauguration brings around a rare coincidence: It takes place on the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, said The Arizona Republic. That is because Jan. 20 in 2025 "just so happens to be the third Monday of January," when MLK Day is observed. (Both days are usually federal holidays, but federal workers will only get the one day off.) The last time the inauguration took place on the King holiday was 1997, when Bill Clinton was sworn in for his second term.

One other difference: Trump invited other world leaders — including Chinese leader Xi Jinping —to attend his inauguration. It is an "unorthodox move" that brings outside leaders "into a very American political tradition," said The Associated Press. It is not clear who, if anyone, will accept the invitations. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni "hopes to attend," said The Guardian. "If I can," she said, "I will gladly participate."