When Donald Trump takes oath as only the second president in US history to enter the White House after losing re-election, in an indoor ceremony that will be a first in 40 years, he will have another milestone to his name - the only president whose inauguration will take place in an area ransacked by his supporters four years ago.
On January 6, 2021, the Capitol was attacked by supporters of the billionaire - who had lost the 2020 election - in an attempt to stop the Congress from certifying the electoral votes and prevent Joe Biden from being declared president.
Convinced by claims from Trump and others that the election had been "stolen", thousands barged into the Capitol in Washington DC, shattering windows, kicking open doors and swarming through the Rotunda where the inauguration will be held.
As then vice-president Mike Pence and senior members of the Congress, including then speaker Nancy Pelosi were evacuated, the rioters began spreading through the buildings. Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell texted his wife: "I love you and the babies. Please hug them for me".
The rioters left faeces and urine in hallways of the Capitol and one protester also allegedly defecated on Nancy Pelosi's desk, leading to her later remark of having to "clean up the poo poo" left by the attackers.
It is in those same hallowed halls that Trump will take oath in the presence of three of the world's richest men - Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg - and leaders like External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentinian President Javier Milei and China's Vice-President Han Zheng.
Trump has indicated that he will pardon the January 6 rioters, who he was previously called "patriots", while Biden, in an extraordinary move in his last hours in office issued pre-emptive pardons to members, staff and witnesses of a US House committee probing the violent January 6, 2021 US Capitol attack by Trump's supporters.
Indoor Inauguration
The inauguration was moved indoors due to expected freezing weather. "There is an Arctic blast sweeping the country. Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda," Trump had written on his social media outlet Truth Social.
Speaking at a pre-inauguration rally, Trump said, "I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every single crisis facing our country". He has also said he would "stop the invasion of our borders" and reverse "woke" policies, including "transgender insanity" in US schools.
As the 47th President of the United States, he has also promised to sign around 100 executive orders within hours of taking office. They include orders targeting illegal immigration, declaring a national emergency on the southern US border with Mexico, and undoing Biden's directives on diversity and oil drilling.
(With inputs from AFP)
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