On January 21, 2025, in the United States, President Trump narrowly escaped death twice during the campaign last year, and now he has officially taken office in the White House. The security agencies are not taking any chances. At 7 o’clock in the morning, a large number of police forces were already present at the inauguration site in the Capitol building. A security perimeter surrounded by a record-breaking 48-kilometer-long, 2.4-meter-high anti-climbing fence has been erected to ensure tight security.
An arctic vortex is hitting the United States, prompting Trump’s inauguration ceremony to move indoors for the first time in 40 years. Law enforcement agencies have upgraded security measures to prevent lone wolf-style attacks, with police forces from around the country pouring into Washington DC to provide support.
A journalist from the Central News Agency witnessed outside the U.S. Capitol building that helicopters patrolled at least five times within half an hour. Those without the latest permits were blocked from entering the perimeter of the Capitol building, and couldn’t proceed past the nearest subway station. Journalists were repeatedly stopped and not allowed to approach certain entrances, having to turn around.
Washington DC is no stranger to high political sensitivity events, and today’s presidential inauguration will be the third highest-level “National Special Security Event” in the past two weeks. The previous two occasions were the certification of the November election results on January 6 and the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
Pamela Smith, the chief of the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, stated in a press conference on the 13th that about 4,000 police officers would be deployed to reinforce local law enforcement. The Capitol Police will also receive support from nearly 1,000 officers. The U.S. Secret Service pointed out that approximately 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel are on-site to ensure the smooth running of the inauguration.
In addition, sniper teams will be deployed on the rooftops, and tactical teams will be present on the ground.
During the last election, there were two assassination attempts targeting Trump that shocked the entire country. Recently, there have been incidents such as a vehicle ramming into a crowd in New Orleans and an explosion in Las Vegas, keeping the security teams on high alert for months.
Law enforcement officials are also concerned that protests during the inauguration may become chaotic. Many groups have applied for protest permits, with some organizations having held protest rallies in the past and were subsequently arrested. As of 10 o’clock this morning, the atmosphere outside the Capitol building remained peaceful with no visible protest groups. The sporadic crowds consisted mostly of Trump supporters.