The decision of the newly elected US President Donald Trump to move the January 20 inauguration ceremony to the Capitol Rotunda because of the cold in Washington came as a surprise to the organizers of the inauguration, as well as to the guests of the event and law enforcement agencies, reported The Washington Post.
It is noted that Trump's decision forced hundreds of thousands of people to change their plans. Thus, law enforcement officers have already called emergency meetings. Members of the US Congress learned of the postponement of the swearing-in ceremony from the media and were forced to answer questions from "hundreds of confused voters who had bought tickets to the events" dedicated to Trump's inauguration. Capitol workers also began hastily building a new podium where Trump will take the oath.
Meanwhile, protesters opposing Trump's possible immigration policy have already said that the cold temperatures will not be a reason to cancel protests and demonstrations. "This is not the first time something like this has happened, where the government goes indoors or cancels events, and the progressive movement stays outside," the publication quoted one of the disgruntled people as saying.
On Friday, Trump said that due to sub-zero temperatures in Washington, his inauguration speech and the swearing-in ceremony on January 20 will be held in the Capitol Rotunda. Temperatures in Washington on January 20 are expected to drop to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
The inauguration will be broadcast live from the Capital One Arena, where the parade will also take place. After the swearing-in, Trump promised to join those gathered at the arena. The rest of the events will go ahead as scheduled.