Three U.S. ex-presidents will attend the inauguration, two Democrats and a Republican. They are 39th President Jimmy Carter (1977-81), 42nd President Bill Clinton (1993-2001), and 43rd President George W. Bush (2001-09).
A fourth, 41st President George H.W. Bush (1989-93), fell ill this month and wrote a warm letter to Trump excusing himself. (Reports early on January 20 said the 92-year-old Bush Senior remains in intensive care in a Houston, Texas, hospital where doctors are treating him for pneumonia. He has also suffered from vascular Parkinsonism.)
Trump's rival in the presidential race, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will also be in attendance in Washington.
Trump Thanks Supporters At Preinaugural Concert
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump paid tribute last night to voters who helped elect him. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Trump called his election "something special" that was being talked about "all over the world."
Here are some of Trump's remarks from that post-concert appearance last night:
"I think a lot of us knew the first week of the campaign. But that last month of the campaign, we knew that something special was happening."
"So this journey began 18 months ago. I had something to do with it, but you had much more to do with it than I did. I am the messenger. I am just the messenger. (A person from the audience calling: 'We love you!') And we were tired -- and I love you. Believe me, I love you. We all got tired of seeing what was happening. And we wanted change, but we wanted real change. And I look so forward to tomorrow (January 20). We are going to see something that is going to be so amazing. So many people have poured into Washington, D.C."
"It is a movement that began, it is a movement that started, and it is a movement like we have never seen anywhere in the world, they say. There has never been a movement like this. And it is something very, very special. And we are going to unify our country. And our phrase [is] -- you all know it, half of you are wearing the hat [with the slogan] -- 'make America great again.' But we are going to make America great for all of our people -- everybody."
(via AP)
A breakdown of Trump's agenda categorized by WSJ into domestic affairs, economics, and global relations/national security.
The Economist's look ahead on Trump's term, with a nod to the Founding Fathers.
Via AP, on one of the protest groups trying to organize a disruption of events today:
A coalition calling itself DisruptJ20, after the date of the inauguration, says people participating in its actions will attempt to shut down or cause delays at security checkpoints going in to the inauguration ceremony. They intend to block checkpoints and in some cases risk arrest.
"Our goals are to have to have massive protests and to shut down the inauguration if at all possible, and if not possible — if we can't shut the inauguration down — then make it as difficult as possible for Trump to act as if he has a mandate," organizer David Thurston told reporters last week.
But not everyone plans to be disruptive. One DisruptJ20 event is a march that will begin at Columbus Circle, outside Union Station. Participants are being asked to gather at noon, the same time Trump is being sworn in as the nation's 45th president. The march, which organizers are calling a "Festival of Resistance," will travel about 1.5 miles to McPherson Square, a park about three blocks from the White House, where a rally including filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore is planned.
"We're going to throw a party in the streets for our side," Thurston said, adding that drummers, musicians and a float of dancers were planned for the march.
A protest last night resulted in minor skirmishes and police used chemical spray on some demonstrators who turned up outside the pro-Trump "DeploraBall" at the National Press Club in Washington.
Commenting on Trump's inauguration speech, which reports have suggested the president-elect wrote himself and which is around 5 1/2 hours away, adviser Kellyanne Conway said: "He is done with the speech. It is an elegant, beautiful, powerful speech. It is beautifully written and powerfully delivered."
VIDEO: Thousands Protest In New York On Eve Of Trump's Inauguration
Thousands of people demonstrated outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City on January 19 to express their opposition to the policies of Donald Trump on the eve of his inauguration as U.S. president. The speakers included well-known actors, singers, and the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. (Reuters/AFP)
AP has reported these as the "10 Promises Trump Made For His First Day":
—Introduce a constitutional amendment for congressional term limits.
—Freeze hiring for the federal government to reduce payrolls, although the military, public safety and public health agencies would be exempt.
—Ban White House and congressional officials from becoming lobbyists for five years after they leave the government.
—Announce plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico or withdraw from the deal.
—Formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
—Lift restrictions on mining coal and drilling for oil and natural gas.
—Remove any Obama-era roadblocks to energy projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline.
—Cancel U.S. payments to U.N. climate change programs and redirect the money to U.S. water and environmental infrastructure.
—Stop all federal funding to “sanctuary cities,” places where local officials don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally for federal authorities.
—Suspend immigration from regions associated with terrorism where vetting is difficult.
Trump has suggested that by "first day," however, he doesn't necessarily mean today.
Earlier this month he told The Times: "Day one -- which I will consider to be Monday as opposed to Friday or Saturday, right? I mean, my day one is going to be Monday because I don't want to be signing and get it mixed up with lots of celebration."
But Trump's team has suggested executive orders and other action could come sooner than January 23. On January 19, incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, "I think you'll see some activity on both tomorrow, over the weekend and then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday."
Trump himself said on January 19, "We will be signing some papers that will be very meaningful tomorrow right after the speech to get the show going."