Trump's swearing-in: An unconventional celebration awaits a unique President
The day that few around the globe expected to arrive will finally be here.
Donald Trump will take oath as the 45th president for the United States of America tomorrow. The ceremony is set to begin at 9 pm IST.
With his unusual and controversial election campaign, the US President-elect ensured that there was no dearth of spectacle as he broke several barriers of political correctness.
As a divided US prepares to both celebrate and protest his inauguration, Donald Trump is all set to break a few more traditions.
First, the inaugural parade is expected to be considerably shorter, only around 60-90 minutes, in comparison to Barack Obama’s three-hour parade. The much-awaited event will also be low on start-power in contrast to the previous versions of the gala. Several celebrities including Jennifer Holiday, Moby, and Sir Elton John have refused to perform for Trump’s big day. Beyonce had performed at an inaugural ball for Obama in 2008 and also sang the national anthem for the outgoing president four years later.
In another deviation from long-standing convention, it won’t be the voice of Charles Brotman announcing the parade this year. The 89-year-old Brotman has been the announcer for all inaugural parades since Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency in 1953.
This year, the octogenarian has been replaced by a local 58-year-old freelance announcer and Trump supporter Steve Ray. Notably, the team has given no reason for the shift though they stated that Brotman will be honoured as ‘announcer chairman emeritus.’
The parade would also miss the presence of school marching bands. While generally, at least one school band from the capital takes part in the inauguration celebrations, no school had applied for the same this year.
The President-elect will also not be dancing as much as his predecessors, as he has cut down the number of inaugural balls hosted in celebration. In a drastic step-down, Trump will host only three balls including one traditional military ball. On the other hand, Obama attended around 10 balls and former president George W Bush attended eight to celebrate their first inaugurations.
"This is not a coronation ... This President wants to get to work," Boris Epshteyn, inaugural committee spokesman was quoted as saying.
Even though the inauguration committee might not have been successful in getting stars to perform, they have set the bar for raising funds for the event. According to media reports, the committee has raised more than $90 million in private donations. The event is also pegged to cost around $175 million to $200 million. The amount considerably outshines the $55 million raised by Obama’s committee in 2008.
Trump’s big day will also be unique in terms of food, as it is unlikely that Legal Sea Foods will be serving its trademark New England clam chowder at the gala. A convention started by former President Ronald Reagan in 1981, media reports state that the company might not have been chosen due to its advertisements about Trump’s wall idea. The company also ran an ad that allegedly made references to Trump’s hands.
In another first, Trump might become the first president in 150 years to not have a pet in the White House as the idea to get him a golden doodle did not materialise. The first family has always owned a pet except during the term of James K Polk (1845-1849).
The list of deviations from the norm does not leave out transportation either. The limousines used by the President-elect and the vice-president-elect will not have their special number plates, a custom that has been followed since Herbert Hoover (1929-1933).
For the uninitiated, the vehicles carrying the president-elect and the vice-president-elect during the parade have a number plate saying No.1 and No. 2, respectively. The only exception was in 1945, where an inaugural parade was not held due to World War II. By declining to have special plates made for him, Trump is all set to become the first President-elect in decades to not have the trademark number plates.
