U.S. president-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office and return to the White House in a ceremony next week to begin his new term.
The event is scheduled to take place at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. and will be livestreamed on CTV News' digital platforms and broadcast on CTV News Channel.
Here’s what you need to know to follow the historic event:
When is Inauguration Day 2025?
The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place on Monday, Jan. 20.
What time is the inauguration?
Trump’s swearing-in is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. EST.
How to watch the inauguration
“The Inauguration of Donald J. Trump” – a live special hosted by Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor of CTV National News Omar Sachedina and CTV News Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos who will both be in Washington – will being at 9 a.m. EST. You can watch it on CTV News Channel, and online at CTVNews.ca, CP24.com, BNNBloomberg.ca and the CTV News app.
The special will also be broadcast on the CTV main network and on CP24 starting at 10 a.m. EST.
Guests during the special who will lend their expertise include:
- Dr. David Eisenbach -- historian and political expert, and a lecturer at Columbia University.
- Jeanne Meserve -- international security analyst, host of the NatSec Tech podcast and an award-winning journalist with CNN and ABC News.
- Eric Ham -- CTV News political analyst, best-selling author and former U.S. congressional staffer.
CTVNews.ca will also host -- on this page -- a live blog during the inauguration special where you can read posts from our journalists and analysts on the ground as well as any breaking news details.
What’s the inauguration schedule?
Church service
The day will start with a pre-inauguration church service at the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church across from Lafayette Square, following a long-held tradition. The church is known as the Church of Presidents and has been visited at least once by every U.S. president since 1816. It’s also where Trump infamously posed with a Bible after declaring himself “your president of law and order” during the George Floyd protests.
Tea at White House
President-elect Trump and his wife, Melania, are then expected to attend a morning tea at the White House with President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. The tea is part of a tradition where the outgoing president hosts the incoming president and their spouse to tea or coffee -- although Trump did not extend that courtesy to the Bidens in 2020 when Trump lost the election.
The Trumps were extended that invitation by Barack and Michelle Obama in January 2017, the start of Donald Trump’s first administration.
Swearing-in ceremony
If they stick to tradition, Trump and Biden are then expected to ride together to the U.S. Capitol by limousine, cruising by thousands of onlookers.
At 12 p.m. EST, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be officially sworn in. This will be followed by a farewell for President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Trump is then expected to head to the ornate President’s Room in the U.S. Capitol’s Senate wing for the signing ceremony -- considered the first official action to be taken by a newly sworn-in president.
Parade on Pennsylvania Avenue
About 7,500 participants are expected to take part in the parade that will happen after Trump is sworn in. The participants will include everyone from first responders (including those from Butler County, Pennsylvania, where Trump survived an assassination attempt) to members of school marching bands.
Below is the expected route of the parade from the Capitol to the White House.
Trio of balls
The presidential inaugural balls will include a Commander in Chief ball which will focus on military service members; a Liberty Inaugural Ball that will focus on supporters; and the Starlight Ball which will focus on donors.
Who is performing at the inauguration?
Country music singer Carrie Underwood is expected to perform “America the Beautiful” shortly before Trump takes the oath of office, according to the Associate Press, which was provided a copy of the program for Monday’s events.
The Village People, whose hit songs “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man” were regularly played at Trump’s rallies, will also perform at one of the balls as well as a rally that’s being held a day before the inauguration on Sunday. “We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” the band said in a recent post on its Facebook page. “Our song Y.M.C.A. is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”
Opera singer Christopher Macchio and country music singer Lee Greenwood are also expected to perform at the inauguration ceremony.
According to the Associated Press, other celebrities expected to be at the Legacy of Freedom Ball include rappers Waka Flocka and Fivio Foreign, former NFL player Antonio Brown, and YouTube personalities Anton Daniels and The Cartier Family.
With files from The Associated Press