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'I do solemnly swear ...' A guide to Friday's 58th Presidential Inauguration
The Gazette
Jan. 19, 2017 3:09 pm, Updated: Jan. 19, 2017 4:22 pm
The 58th Presidential Inauguration takes place Friday on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Inauguration weekend is expected to draw more than 1 million people, with millions more watching on television and through live streams.
The Constitution's 20th Amendment, passed in 1933, set Inauguration Day for Jan. 20. The second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to be held on that date. Here is a guide to help get you ready for this historic day:
Watch
Watch a live stream of the inauguration at thegazette.com. We'll be streaming live the Bloomberg coverage of the event.
Schedule of Events
All times CST
• Morning Worship Service — Families of Donald Trump and Mike Pence attend a service at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House.
• 8:30 a.m. — Inauguration Day Ceremonies begin.
• 10:30 a.m. — Opening remarks, the invovation and readings.
• 11 a.m. — President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President-elect Michael R. Pence take the Oath of Office. That is followed by Trump's Inaugural Address.
• 2 to 4 p.m. — Inaugural Parade along Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. More than 8,000 people, representing 40 organizations, are expected to proceed along the 1.5-mile route. The parade tradition began with Thomas Jefferson in 1801.
• 6-10 p.m. — Three inaugural balls — a tradition since 1809 — are scheduled. 'Liberty and Freedom: The Official Presidential Inaugural Balls' take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and are open to the public. Sam Moore, The Rockettes and Erin Boheme are scheduled to perform. The 'Salute to Our Armed Services Ball' takes place at the National Building Museum and is open to invited guests. Tony Orlando and Josh Weathers are to perform. The Trumps and Pences plan to attend all three balls.
Oath of Office
Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts is to administer the Oath of Office to Trump. It reads as follows:
'I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.'
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas is to administer a slightly different oath to Pence. It reads:
'I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.'
About the Bibles
Trump will be sworn in using his Bible and the Lincoln Bible, which was used at President Lincoln's first inauguration.
Trump's Bible was presented to him by his mother upon his graduation from Sunday Church Primary School at First Presbyterian Church in New York in 1955. It is a revised standard version published by Thomas Nelson and Sons and is embossed with his name on the front cover.
The Lincoln Bible was purchased for the first inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln by William Thomas Carroll, Clerk of the Supreme Court. The Bible is bound in burgundy velvet with a gold-washed white metal rim along the edges of the covers. It is part of the collections of the Library of Congress and has been used at three inaugurals: 1861, 2009, and 2013.
Pence will be sworn in with the Reagan Family Bible used by President Ronald Reagan for his gubernatorial and presidential inaugurations. Pence plans to place his hand on 2 Chronicles 7:14, which reads: 'If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'
Faith Readings
Six faith leaders are participating in the swearing-in ceremony.
Those offering readings and giving the invocation at the ceremony are Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and the Rev. Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center.
Additionally, Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International will offer readings and give the benediction.
Inauguration Music
Jackie Evancho, 16, who rose to fame as a contestant on 'America's Got Talent,' is to sing the 'Star Spangled Banner' at the inauguration ceremony. In 2010, Evancho sang at the National Christmas Tree Lighting attended by President Barack Obama.
Also set to perform are the Missouri State University Chorale and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which also performed at the inauguration of George H.W. Bush, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.
Who's Going?
Several Iowa political leaders plan to attend the Inauguration, including: U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, U.S. Reps. Rod Blum, Dave Loebsack, David Young and Steve King, Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake.
Source: Presidential Inaugural Committee
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Vice President-elect Mike Pence (C) participate in a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, U.S., January 19, 2017, one day before Trump's inauguration as the nation's 45th president. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Abraham Lincoln swore the oath upon this Bible. President-elect Donald Trump has selected it as his swearing-in Bible. MUST CREDIT: Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
U.S. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses for an official picture with other justices at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, in this file photo taken October 31, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo
Tony Orlando is bringing nearly four decades of hits on the road to the Riverside Casino Event Center on April 30, 2011. (Tony Orlando photo)
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings at the first session of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' 185th Annual General Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah April 4, 2015. REUTERS/George Frey
Someday at Christmas by Jackie Evancho
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, talks during an interview with the Associated Press at the Pontifical North American College, in Rome, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. Dolan spoke shortly before he watched Pope Benedict XVI leave the Vatican in a helicopter taking the Pope to Castel Gandolfo. Benedict XVI greeted the faithful for the last time as pope on Thursday, telling tearful well-wishers that he is beginning the final stage of his life as 'simply a pilgrim,' hours before he becomes the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Angelo Carconi)
FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2008, file photo, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., is seen in Providence, R.I. Turned away at the Supreme Court, congressional Republicans sketch a filibuster-proof strategy to repeal the nation's health care law in 2013. But it hinges on two uncertainties _ Mitt Romney capturing the White House and the party seizing even narrow control of the Senate. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)
President-elect Donald Trump's view from his podium, where he will deliver his inaugural address on January 20, is seen during a dress rehearsal for the inauguration on the west front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 15, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence addresses the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 85th Winter Meeting in Washington, U.S., January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence smiles as he addresses the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 85th Winter Meeting in Washington, U.S., January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump delivered brief remarks to reporters at the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 28, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
President-elect Donald Trump during a news conference on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, at Trump Tower in New York. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives aboard a U.S. Air Force jet at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst