January will be a hectic month in Washington DC, ahead of Democrat Joe Biden moving out of the White House and Republican Donald Trump returning there. Here are some areas to keep a special eye on:
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Congress
The first week of January marks the opening of a new two-year congressional session, the country's 119th. Most members were elected in the congressional elections held alongside the presidential election in November, and it is clear that Donald Trump is in a strong position. This is because both chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives, are controlled by his party, the Republicans. This makes it easier for Trump to pass new laws and implement the policies he wants to see in the USA.
However, the margins are small and the Republicans are divided, not everyone loves the new president. Therefore, it is important for Trump to have a good relationship with - or hold onto - Speaker Mike Johnson and the new Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Ahead of the inauguration, Congress has a number of formal tasks. The Senate, the chamber that approves the president's ministerial candidates and other high-ranking officials, begins its hearings. And on January 6, the electoral votes will be counted and Trump will be formally declared the winner - a process that was marked by deadly chaos four years ago.
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The Inauguration
Donald Trump and the incoming Vice President JD Vance will be inaugurated on January 20 at 12 local time. The grand ceremony will be held outdoors on the west side of the Capitol building and is usually led by Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court.
When the oath of office is sworn and the new leader has formally promised to uphold the Constitution, they will deliver their inaugural address. In 2017, Trump shocked many by talking about the "bloodbath" in American cities, a violent epidemic he claimed he would stop.
Inauguration Day begins early in the morning, however. The incoming presidential family usually attends church and then has coffee with the outgoing president and their spouses at the White House before heading to the Capitol. This was skipped by the Trumps four years ago, among other things due to Trump's claims that Joe Biden had cheated his way to victory.
On the Capitol steps, there will also be musical performances, poetry, and prayers. After the ceremony, a lunch will be held in Congress and in the afternoon, a festive inaugural parade will take place along Pennsylvania Avenue towards the White House. In the evening, several glittering balls will be held in the American capital, which the Trumps are likely to attend.
The outgoing presidential couple, Joe and Jill Biden, plan to attend the inauguration, according to the White House. A number of Democratic congressmen, however, intend to boycott the ceremony in protest of Trump's expected policies.
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The Artists and the Audience
When Democrat Biden was inaugurated four years ago, Lady Gaga sang the national anthem, Jennifer Lopez performed "America the Beautiful", and Garth Brooks sang "Amazing Grace". Donald Trump has had a harder time attracting star performers, and it is currently unclear who will perform. Speculation suggests that rock singer Kid Rock and rapper Kanye West, both of whom have expressed support for Trump, may appear. At the Republican's inauguration in 2017, the choir The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and parts of the dance troupe Rockettes performed.
The ceremony is expected to be followed by hundreds of thousands on site in Washington DC (large screens will be set up in National Mall Park) and millions via TV. After Trump's first inauguration, a public dispute broke out over the audience figures. The then-president accused the media of dishonest behavior after, among others, The Washington Post reported, with supporting images, that the audience was larger at Democrat Barack Obama's first inauguration.
The security apparatus will be enormous at the Capitol. A stage will be built where Congress members and invited guests will sit. The Washington diplomatic corps usually participates, but this year Trump has done something unusual: he has invited several foreign heads of state. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Argentine President Javier Milei may attend, according to media reports. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also reportedly received an invitation, but is not expected to attend, according to AP and BBC.
The inauguration will cost hundreds of millions of dollars - a bill that is usually split between Congress and the incoming president's inauguration committee. This year, several wealthy tech entrepreneurs have also made contributions. Among them are Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who have each donated one million dollars - possibly inspired by X-owner and super-entrepreneur Elon Musk and his significant influence on Donald Trump.
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Politics
Preparations are underway to implement Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (Maga) agenda in Washington DC. Trump has promised a strong start with a series of presidential decrees and has made several promises about what to expect on the first day. These include high tariffs on Chinese goods, the start of the promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in the USA (although it is unclear how this will be practically implemented), tax cuts, and peace in Ukraine. High on the president's to-do list are also new oil drilling projects at home, withdrawing the USA from the global Paris Agreement on climate change, and pardoning a large number of supporters who have been sentenced to prison terms for storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The US system of government is based on the principle of separation of powers between the judiciary (the Supreme Court), the legislature (Congress), and the executive (the President). The idea is that the three should control each other. The system, which is described in the US Constitution, has a certain built-in inertia: each actor has certain opportunities to review and limit the others. In the US, this is called "checks and balances".
The President is both head of state and head of government and does not form a government dependent on the majority in Congress.
The President appoints judges to the Supreme Court and is the commander-in-chief of the military.
The Supreme Court can, among other things, strike down laws passed by Congress.
Congress passes federal laws, decides on taxes and appropriations, and approves ministers and other high-ranking officials. It can also impeach federal officials, including the President and judges, through impeachment.
Source: The US Constitution
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20. The 78-year-old Republican was also President between 2017 and 2021, but failed to be re-elected in 2020.
Unlike other presidents, Trump did not have previous experience as an elected politician or military officer when he moved into the White House. He was a businessman.
Born in Queens, New York, Donald Trump has a degree in economics with a focus on real estate from the University of Pennsylvania. He inherited properties from his father and built an empire with a focus on, among other things, hotels and golf courses.
Donald Trump is the father of five children: Donald Jr, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron.
In 2005, he married for the third time after divorces from Ivana Trump and Marla Maples. His current wife is Slovenian-American Melania Trump.
