WASHINGTON – The US Secret Service has pledged that President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration will be its largest and best-protected event in history, coming after an unprecedented election year that saw two assassination attempts against the Republican.
More than 25,000 law enforcement officers will descend on Washington, D.C., for the 60th Presidential Inauguration, and nearly 30 miles of fencing have been erected to prepare for the national security event, CBS News reported.
“The size of the fence and the number of staff we are bringing to this inauguration exceeds all the other inaugurations we have,” Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Thomas told the newspaper in an exclusive interview.
The D.C. Metro Police Department will be out in force, along with 4,000 police officers from departments across the country and an additional 7,800 National Guard troops — but the tens of thousands of chairs set up on the National Mall will not be occupied after Trump, 78, moves the headquarters. Concert indoors for the first time in 40 years.
The heavy law enforcement presence will also include at least 25 Coast Guard vessels patrolling the Potomac Glacier, as well as Department of Energy helicopters circling the airspace in the nation's capital to pick up any “radiological or nuclear violations.”
“We have an exceptional team that is unparalleled in its commitment and focus on ensuring the success and security of Monday’s presidential transition,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on X.
“From radiation threats to flat tires, the Secret Service spent more than a year preparing for Monday's inauguration, working with top law enforcement and public safety partners to ensure a safe and successful event,” he said.
There is no credible intelligence about any foreign terrorist threats against the former and future president on Inauguration Day after Iran foiled a previous assassination plot against Trump during the 2024 campaign, sources told The Washington Post.
It is unlikely that Tehran will again try to protect a prominent figure amid the inauguration, according to the sources, but precautions are being taken to ensure that planned demonstrations do not provide cover for other potentially violent extremists.
The sources added that more than two dozen separate protests were expected to target Trump's inauguration, including those who opposed the 2024 election results and pro-Palestinian demonstrations after the start of a ceasefire on Sunday in the war between Israel and Hamas.
On Friday, Trump requested that the presidential inauguration be moved indoors for the first time since 1985, citing the frigid temperatures expected to reach Capitol Hill within three days.
“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the country. I don't want to see people hurt or injured in any way.
“These are dangerous conditions for tens of thousands of law enforcement, first responders, police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters who will be outside for several hours on the 20th (anyway, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).”
Temperatures will drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday with high winds. Snow is also expected to fall on Sunday.
Reagan entered his second term in the Capitol Rotunda in 1985. The National Weather Service recorded a temperature on January 21 of that year of 7 degrees, with wind chills below zero.
The Associated Press reported that at least 250,000 attendees have already purchased tickets to Trump's historic inauguration, and are eager to see the first swearing-in of a president who will serve two non-consecutive terms since Democrat Grover Cleveland.
“The ticketed areas outside, on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, will now be closed to ticketed guests,” Capitol Police representatives said in a statement, vowing that officers “will continue to have a heightened security status with an increased law enforcement presence.” And layers of physical security.
Trump has designated Capital One Arena downtown as the main site for the viewing party, but the stadium has a capacity of only 20,000 spectators.
“The vast majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremony in person,” the Joint Congressional Committee on the Inauguration said in a statement on Friday. “Although we know this is difficult for many attendees, we strongly suggest that people who are in Washington for this event attend other indoor events at indoor locations of their choice to view the inauguration.”
Before the ceremony moved indoors, Secret Service agents were relentlessly digging in preparation for Monday's grand opening parade — which will also be Martin Luther King Jr. Day — and black and gold cars were expected to be rolled out for the first time in the presidential motorcade. , according to NBC 4.
“I think the greatest threat to all of us remains the single actor,” US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told Fox 5.
The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, shot Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, hitting the former commander-in-chief in the right ear.
He was identified as a suspicious person after he wandered the grounds with a rangefinder – and evaded detection with a magnetometer by slipping through gates that only zipped shut.
The Butler Farm Fair Grounds security footprint lacked a unified command center, but D.C. plans included two command posts at the FBI's Washington Field Office and the bureau's headquarters in Quantico, Va., according to Assistant Director in Charge David Sandberg.
On September 15, another would-be assassin, Ryan Wesley Roth, set up a sniper's nest at the fence line at the Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida, but was unable to fire in front of a Secret Service agent. They opened fire, causing the 58-year-old man to flee before he was arrested.
In addition to the President-elect, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and their immediate families, President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, former President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush, former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton will attend.
A few foreign leaders – such as Argentine President Javier Miley – are attending the ceremony for the first time.
Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath to Trump and Vance during the swearing-in.
The soon-to-be 47th president will also likely be accompanied by a longtime member of his personal security staff, Sean Curran, who protected Trump in the Butler incident and whom MAGA power brokers — including Don Jr. — claimed on Friday would succeed Secret. Acting Service Manager Ronald Rowe.
The Post has reached out to the Secret Service and the D.C. government's Joint Editorial Information Center for comment.
