Trump moves inauguration indoors amid forecast of extreme cold

President-elect Donald J. Trump said Friday that his inauguration will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda due to the frigid weather forecast. This is the first time in 40 years that a presidential swearing-in will take place indoors.

The change to Monday’s inauguration means far fewer people will be able to attend in person as Mr. Trump officially becomes the 47th president. This also avoids the risk of small crowds due to the weather. Mr Trump was furious at reports that he had fewer people in 2017 than President Obama had at his 2009 inauguration.

“The weather forecast for Washington, DC, with the wind chill factor, could bring temperatures to extremely low levels,” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social.

“I don’t want to see people hurt or hurt under any circumstances,” he added. “These are dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, first responders, police K9s and even horses, and the hundreds of thousands of fans who will be out for many hours on the 20th ( in any case, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).”

Trump officials had been discussing what to do about the weather long before Mr. Trump decided to move the inauguration indoors.

Temperatures in Washington are expected to drop Monday to a low of 11 degrees, with a high of 23 degrees. The last time a swearing-in ceremony was held indoors was in 1985, for President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration, also due to cold weather.