Inauguration of President-elect Trump/ Washington, strict measures

2025-01-14 20:02:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

With forty-eight kilometers of temporary fencing, 25,000 police officers and security checkpoints set up to control hundreds of thousands of spectators, Washington is gearing up for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump next week.

The swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol and the parade to the White House will take place on Monday, after a weekend of protests by Mr. Trump's opponents and celebratory rallies by supporters of the Republican president.

The inauguration comes after a campaign that saw two assassination attempts on Mr. Trump, including one in which a bullet missed his ear, causing a minor wound, and New Year's Eve attacks in several cities. In one of those attacks, 14 people were killed and dozens were injured when a US Army veteran drove his car into a crowd celebrating New Year's Eve in New Orleans. On the same day, a US soldier blew up his Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing himself.

"We are operating in an environment of heightened threats," the agent in charge from the US Secret Service said on Monday.

The inauguration ceremony, when Mr. Trump is officially sworn in before Congressional lawmakers, members of the Supreme Court, officials of the new administration and tens of thousands of attendees, takes place on the steps of the Capitol, facing the Washington Monument.

This is the same place where, on January 6, 2021, thousands of Mr. Trump supporters smashed windows, clashed with police, and forced lawmakers to seek shelter, as they aimed to overturn Mr. Trump's 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.

Mr. Trump's rival in the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris, admitted defeat in the November 5 election, unlike Mr. Trump, who continues to make false claims that his loss was the result of fraud.

Fear of attackers acting alone

Security officials say they are not aware of any specific threats to the inauguration. They are concerned about lone attackers, such as the New Orleans shooter and two incidents last week. In one incident, a man was arrested after trying to enter the Capitol with a large knife. In the other incident, another person tried to start a fire near the Capitol, according to Capitol Police.

"The threat from lone perpetrators remains our primary reason for this heightened security posture over the next week," said Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned police nationwide about the risks of attacks that attempt to copy the incident in New Orleans.

A large section of downtown Washington — stretching about 2 miles from the White House to the Capitol — will be closed to cars. Key entry points into the area will be blocked with cement barricades, trucks and other heavy equipment.

The 30-mile (48 km) long, 6-foot (2 m) high fence, designed to deter climbing, will be the longest ever erected in Washington, officials said. About 7,800 National Guard members and 4,000 police officers from other departments have been deployed nationwide to bolster security.

Meanwhile, some residents of the capital, where 90 percent of voters supported Democratic candidate Harris, are preparing to spend the three-day weekend, which includes Monday, which is a holiday in the United States, outside the city, or at home to escape the crowds.

About 70 percent of Washington's 34,500 hotel rooms are booked for the night before and after the inauguration, according to data from last week. For Mr. Trump's inauguration in 2017, 95 percent of hotel rooms were booked, and about 78 percent for President Barack Obama's second-term inauguration in 2013.

Protests and rallies

Mr. Trump's inauguration ceremony in 2017 was characterized by massive protests and counter-protests.

The Women's March, the day after the ceremony, gathered hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of Washington – and even more, in other solidarity marches around the country.

A much smaller crowd, with 25,000 participants, is expected to gather at the People's March on Washington on Saturday, according to the capital's police chief, Pamela Smith.

Thousands of protesters are expected to take part in dozens of protests or other rallies that local officials have given permission to take place from Saturday through Monday, including a rally in support of Mr. Trump to be held on Sunday at a 20,000-seat arena.

Harvard professor Juliette Kayyem, who served as a security official during President Obama's administration, said officials appear to be following a standard practice of making plans for all situations.

"Planning is done with the worst-case scenario in mind, but I doubt there will be anything like that, which is good news," she says. "When it comes to planning, it's always better to do more than less."/VOA