BRET BAIER: Inauguration Day spotlights America's perpetual promise
On January 20, 2025, at noon, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. He will be only the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland being the first. Cleveland’s fate was the result of buyer’s remorse from the public. First elected in 1884, he was defeated in 1888 by Benjamin Harrison, whose economic policies turned out to be a disaster. Harrison was so weak that Cleveland saw an opportunity to regain the White House. He was re-elected in 1892.
On Monday, Trump will repeat Cleveland’s rare act as he stands for inauguration on one of the coldest days of the year in Washington, D.C. Trump announced that the ceremony would be moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, with live viewing for up to 20,000 at the Capital One Arena. Although over 200,000 people have tickets for the inauguration, most of them will be watching on screens with the rest of America. Harsh weather has driven the ceremonies inside on only a handful of occasions, most recently for Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, when the temperature was seven degrees at noon.
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Inauguration Day is the performance of a Constitutionally mandated ritual, our way of keeping the promise of democracy every four years. Its traditions, largely devoid of politics, are beloved by the public no matter who is placing their hand on the Bible. Every four years, this occasion is a celebratory acknowledgment of what unites us. Americans mostly set aside their differences and focus on our enduring democracy. Hard feelings may linger from the election, but the inaugural celebration transcends those divisions, if only for a day.
It begins in the late morning when it is tradition for the incoming president and his spouse to be hosted at the White House for tea by the outgoing president and his spouse. The Bidens will host the Trumps on January 20. This tea, another example of the peaceful transition of power, can be awkward when winners and losers come together in those final moments. The Trumps skipped it altogether in 2021, but photos from various transitions show a lot of stiff smiles. Everyone studies the photos for body language clues, but the bottom line is that it usually happens. Americans love to see leaders from different parties getting along, even superficially. Note the explosive response in the press and on social media over Trump and Obama smiling and chatting at Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
It is also traditional for the outgoing and incoming presidents to ride to the Capitol together. Trump and Obama rode together on Trump’s first inauguration day in 2017. It is unknown whether Biden and Trump will share a car this time.
The inauguration ceremony itself will follow tradition, with all four living presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden present. Holding places of honor along with Cabinet appointees and high-ranking guests will be some new faces for this occasion—a collection of the nation’s most powerful tech leaders, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
Everyone looks forward to the inauguration speech, which sets the tone for the new administration. Over the centuries, signature lines have become memorable long after a president has come and gone. What makes a statement memorable is how well it reflects the enduring spirit of America. For example, Thomas Jefferson’s declaration that "every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle." Or Abraham Lincoln in 1865, when the Civil War was in its final, most bloody period, offering this remarkable olive branch: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
Franklin Roosevelt stood before a nation shattered by the Great Depression and sought to instill a new resolve with these words: "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." John F. Kennedy uttered what was perhaps the most famous inaugural line of all: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
In Reagan’s first inaugural address, he staked out the guiding principle of American greatness in the world: "Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."
Reports from the Trump transition are that Trump will set an upbeat tone for his second inauguration, and if he does that, he will receive a positive public response. On this hallowed day, Americans like their leaders to speak about what is right with America.
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After the ceremony there will be a parade, which has also been moved to the Capital One Arena. The inaugural parade, which has been a custom since the earliest days of the nation, is an opportunity to combine celebration with a showcase of the best of American life, with marching bands, floats and exhibits representing the states. American sacrifice and courage will be on display with military units, police, and fire departments.
This year’s parade will also feature the first responders of Butler County, Pennsylvania, the location of a July assassination attempt on Donald Trump. They will pay homage to fallen Buffalo Township fire chief Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed that day.
Finally, it is customary for the outgoing president to slip a personal note to his successor into a drawer of the Oval Office desk. The tradition began with Ronald Reagan, who left a personal note for George H.W. Bush. Bush then did the same for Bill Clinton, writing, "Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you."
When President Trump entered the White House for his first term, he found a note written by Barack Obama: "Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure."
Trump left a note for Joe Biden in 2021, which Biden said was "a very generous letter." Now Joe Biden will leave a note for Trump. And the great cycle of American life continues.