The pomp, pageantry and circumstance of presidential inaugurations in the words of AP reporters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidential inaugurations are deeply rooted in American history. The customs and festivities, like the parade and galas, bring spectacle to the nation’s capital. But the date and oath of office are prescribed in the Constitution.

In this episode of “The Story Behind the AP Story,” hear from AP Washington radio correspondent Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville as they share their past inauguration experiences and peel back the curtain on what we can expect during Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday.

Haya Panjwani, Host: Every four years on January 20th, Washington, D.C., braces for the start of a new presidency.

Sagar Meghani, AP Washington radio correspondent: The part that’s fascinating to me is that the Constitution only prescribes two things for an inauguration: It’s the date and it’s the oath that the incoming president has to recite.

PANJWANI: President-elect Donald Trump is expected to take the oath of office in 2025 for his second presidential term. I’m Haya Panjwani. Today I’ll be speaking with AP Washington radio correspondent Sagar Meghani and White House correspondent Darlene Superville. They’ll help us peel back the curtain and share what we can expect during a presidential inauguration.

Darlene Superville, AP White House correspondent: For people watching from home and even for people who are on the (National) Mall or at the Capitol for the ceremony itself, it’s probably one of the oldest traditions in the United States. It’s symbolic of the peaceful transfer of power, which we’ve been hearing so much about these last couple of years, four or five years or so. There’s a lot of pomp and pageantry associated with inaugurations, seeing one president depart and end his term and a new president coming in and taking over the reins of government.

MEGHANI: The presidents perhaps riding together to the Capitol, to seeing former presidents there watching one of their successors take the oath of office, the luncheon that they have, and then the parade after that. And, presidents getting out and walking down from the Capitol toward the White House. It’s so steeped in tradition from when George Washington first took that oath in 1789. We complain about it being cold and a very long day with a lot of security in Washington. I’ve gotten to be at four of them. It remains fascinating to watch how it all plays out.

PANJWANI: Darlene and Sager have covered their fair share of inaugurations, and one thing is consistent: the cold.

SUPERVILLE: The one inauguration that sticks most vividly in my mind was 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated president. He became the country’s first ever Black president. It was super cold outside that January day, and my assignment was to be up on the lawn of the Capitol, the west front of the Capitol, which is where all the guests traditionally sit to watch the ceremony, which takes place on the west front. And so, you’re out there kind of roaming around looking for color, looking for celebrities, looking for faces that you recognize that you can, and any interesting things that are happening that you can contribute to the reporting. I just remember it being so cold. I usually don’t wear a hat. So when you do see me wearing a hat, you know it’s cold.

MEGHANI: Yeah, I was right there with Darlene on the west front as well. It was the first time that the AP did a live video show, a streaming show with the inauguration. So I was one of the two co-hosts. I was standing on metal bleachers with a local government professor for several hours just kind of watching. And in the awaiting the pageantry, as Darlene said, it’s fun to look down on to that set-up on the west front and watch the dignitaries come in, whether it’s the former presidents, whether it’s Supreme Court justices or notable lawmakers. And as Darlene said, very, very, very cold and windy that day, especially when you’re standing on metal bleachers for several hours at a time.

PANJWANI: This isn’t Donald Trump’s first time being inaugurated.

Donald Trump: I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will … .

MEGHANI: The first Donald Trump inauguration back in 2017, it started out like so many of the others have. He went to the White House, where he was greeted by the outgoing first family. Barack and Michelle Obama were there. They rode to the Capitol, and from there, it all took a bit of a turn.

It was just, it was a darker mood, if you will. And Donald Trump’s speech, what became known as the American Carnage speech, talking about moms and kids in inner-city poverty and rusted-out factories around the American landscape looking like tombstones. That’s what it became remembered for. The Trump team wanted it to be remembered for his main message, which was that that was the day that power was taken from the ruling class in Washington and was given back to the American people.

PANJWANI: The inauguration Americans watched four years ago was different to inaugurations in the past, since the world was still in the midst of a pandemic.

SUPERVILLE: There were no people on the National Mall or sitting on the lawn of the Capitol to watch the ceremony itself. In place of real people, President Biden’s inaugural team had stuck many American flags into the lawn, and that was supposed to signify the people’s presence. The parade was truncated. There were no inaugural balls, and all of this was playing to the COVID situation and the fears of people being too close to one another and getting people sick.

MEGHANI: The other thing we did not see four years ago was that tradition of the outgoing president greeting the incoming president. Donald Trump had already left the White House and was heading back to Florida. So he was not at the White House with Melania Trump to greet Joe and Jill Biden, and he became the first sitting president since Andrew Johnson back in 1869, who skipped town before U.S. Grant was inaugurated.

PANJWANI: This time, we can expect some return to normalcy.

SUPERVILLE: The mall, packed with people coming out to watch this transfer of power. The president and first lady, the new president and the new first lady dancing the night away at a minimum of a dozen or so balls. We might even see President Trump walking a little bit of the parade route between the Capitol on the way to the White House. So there is lots of pageantry and showmanship and coming together, if you will, that I would expect to see this time around that we didn’t, we didn’t get to see four years ago because of the COVID situation. President Joe Biden has already said that he intends to attend the inauguration, which is a courtesy that Donald Trump did not extend to him in 2021. And I would fully expect that incoming President Trump to participate in the traditions this time around because he was the victor in November.

SUPERVILLE: And some people may wonder, how do they move in one president and move out the other president. And so a lot of that happens behind the White House on the South Lawn. There are moving trucks for both families. The resident staff is quickly moving out the belongings of the outgoing president and quickly moving in all the belongings of the incoming president so that when they finally do leave the reviewing stand and they come in to freshen up before they have to go out for the evening, most, if not all, of their belongings are in place in drawers, in rooms where they have directed that those things go.

MEGHANI: Another fun part is trying to anticipate when exactly the limo will stop and the Secret Service will once again surround it. And the new president and the new first lady will actually step out onto Pennsylvania Avenue and walk along and wave to the crowd. The first inaugural that I covered in 2005, I was one of the reporters who was on a flatbed truck directly behind the presidential limousine, just so you could have that view and kind of narrate what the crowds were like. In this case, it was smack in the middle of the Iraq war. There were a lot of protesters, a lot of yelling at the limousine as President (George W.) Bush drove by for his second inauguration. And that, again, that moment when they actually step out and wave to the public and walk, that moment did not happen with Jimmy Carter because he decided to walk the entire route from the Capitol all the way to the White House, had not happened before. That has not happened since.

PANJWANI: Darlene and Sager, whether they working out of the AP office or on Capitol Hill, plan to be prepared.

SUPERVILLE: One of the ways that we cover this a lot is we’re in the bureau, all the TVs are tuned to the ceremony and we’re watching and taking notes and writing down color and writing our stories based off what we’re seeing on TV, as well as the incoming feeds that our people on the ground are sending in to us. So I’ll be doing one of those things, but I just don’t know yet. But the other thing I would say is that as a reporter going out there, I probably would not have a purse or a bag with me. I would probably just stuff my pockets with all the things that I need. My hand warmers, my pens, my external battery, my cords, my phone, earmuffs. You have it because having a bag can delay in some ways. It can delay you with security and all the security precautions that are going to be in town.

MEGHANI: You end up looking a bit like when you see a little kid wearing a puffy winter coat and they look like they’re just kind of rolling along like the Michelin man. You’re trying to cram as much as you can. Like Darlene said, things to keep you warm, a bottle of water, some snacks, pens, notebooks, chargers, batteries. Exactly. So whatever you think you’re going to need for seven, eight, nine, 10 hours because of all that security and how early we would have to be in place for something. You want to make sure you’re self-sufficient.

This has been “The Story Behind The AP Story.” For more on the AP’s inauguration coverage, visit APNews.com.

Haya Panjwani, The Associated Press