Donald Trump will be adhering to some inauguration traditions while breaking others as he becomes the nation’s 45th president on Friday.
He plans to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, stay overnight at the historic Blair House, and have tea with the Obamas before the ceremony.
But Trump will have fewer inaugural balls, a new announcer and a shorter inaugural parade.
The festivities begin in earnest when Trump awakes on Friday at the presidential guest home near the White House.
He is expected to keep with tradition and attend a private family church service at nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church.
The Obamas will welcome the Trump family to the White House for a morning tea and the families will depart together to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony at noon.
But the inaugural parade is getting a reboot, with the benching of longtime announcer Charlie Brotman, 89, who had been the voice of the parade for the last 11 presidents. Trump’s team hired Steve Ray, a 58-year-old, Washington-based freelance announcer who volunteered for the mogul’s campaign.
And the parade will have fewer groups participating.
“The parade will be shorter than it’s been in the past, because this inauguration is about getting to work,” Boris Epshteyn, director of communications for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told the Washington Examiner.
There will also be fewer parties than in years past — two official balls and one gala for the armed services. President Obama’s first inauguration had 10 official balls.
Trump is shattering records for fundraising. The cost of the inaugural celebrations will be between $175 million and $200 million, according to the Washington Post. His inauguration committee has raised more than $90 million in private donations, surpassing Obama’s fundraising of $55 million in 2009 and $43 million in 2013. Any leftover costs will be covered by taxpayers.


