Next week, temperatures around the country are going to be extremely cold because of a polar vortex.

America is about to get very very cold.

Some are describing it as an unusual double Polar Vortex. pic.twitter.com/p6BOZumzSr

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) January 16, 2025

Temperatures in Washington, DC on Monday are expected to reach a high of 20 degrees and a low of 7 degrees. Strong winds up to 35 mph will make it feel even colder and there's a possibility of fresh snow the day before. All in all, it would be a frigid mess for people expected to sit outside for several hours. 

So President-elect Trump just made a last-minute change of plans. He announced on Truth Social that the inauguration would be moving inside to the Capitol's Rotunda.

"I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather," Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social. "The various Dignitaries and Guests will be brought into the Capitol. This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!"

"There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way," he added. "It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!)."

Obviously you can't fit tens of thousands of people inside the Rotunda so Trump has arranged a backup plan. People will be able to watch a live feed from inside a nearby arena (home to the Capitals hockey team and the Wizards basketball team).

"We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade," he posted. "I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In."

Trump had already planned to hold a pre-inauguration rally at the same arena on Sunday.

No doubt people will be disappointed at effectively having to watch the ceremony on a big video screen but there is precedent for this. The last time it was done was in 1985 when the high temperature was 7 degrees. Ronald Reagan's 2nd inauguration took place in the Capitol Rotunda as well.

Trump’s upcoming inauguration — while frigid — will not be as cold as Reagan’s on Jan. 21, 1985, which was the coldest on record. The temperature in D.C. that morning dropped to minus-4 degrees (a record for the date) and climbed to only 7 degrees at noon. It was so cold that it forced Reagan to take the oath of office indoors, and the inaugural parade was canceled.

CNN reports this will create a last minute mess for law enforcement who have been working on the outdoor security plan for months.

Agencies now have just three days to put together a new security plan that previously took months to plan. The agencies have worked since early 2024 planning for the inauguration — designated by the Department of Homeland Security as a National Special Security Event, which triggers a multi-pronged federal approach.

Trump’s inauguration was expected to be attended by hundreds of thousands of ticketed guests and involve roughly 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel.

As of Friday morning, more than 30 miles of fencing — more than has ever erected for such an event — was still being set up and was meant to filter crowds through security checkpoints in anticipation for Trump’s now-scrapped outdoor inauguration and parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.

Officials are worried about the low temperatures being a health risk to attendees and guests — a concern Trump voiced on Friday.

Freezing inauguration temperatures are believed to have led to the death of one US president:

President William Henry Harrison is widely believed to have caught a cold during his 1841 inaugural ceremony, during which he gave a two-hour speech and wore no coat or hat, according to the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. He later contracted pneumonia and died one month after his inauguration.

Again, people will be disappointed but under the circumstances this is the right choice. Here's the full statement from President-elect Trump.

🚨 Statement from President Donald J. Trump on the Presidential Inauguration pic.twitter.com/cJBBhDkWCU

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 17, 2025