With President-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration one week away, law enforcement in Washington, D.C., is prepared for the ceremony after two other high-profile events in the district this month.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and various federal and local law enforcement officials provided updates on the latest for inauguration security in downtown Washington on Monday. Since the inauguration is a designated National Special Security Event, its security is led by the Secret Service, marking the third NSSE in Washington this month after the certification of the 2024 election and former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.
Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, said the inauguration will occur under a “higher threat environment” than the last inauguration and that there is a “slightly more robust security plan.”
McCool said all attendees of the inauguration will undergo security screenings, and other procedures will include road closures, temporary flight restrictions, 30 miles of fencing to protect the ceremony, and the use of drones.
FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg said Monday that the FBI will have two command posts and that it is “not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural ceremony.” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the “lone actor” remains the largest possible threat to the event.
“Just in the past week, while President Carter was lying in state, we had two lone actors show up at the Capitol, one trying to bring in knives and a machete, another one who was trying to — what I believe was — to disrupt the proceedings by setting their car on fire down in the Peace Circle area,” Manger said.
“U.S. Capitol police were able to interdict these folks before they had a chance to do any harm, but that threat of the lone actor remains the biggest justification for us being on at this heightened stage state of alert,” he added.
Bowser encouraged residents and visitors to take public transportation due to the various road closures throughout the district. A full list of the road closures can be found on the district’s inauguration website.
“Most of the impact of the inauguration will be felt in the area directly around the National Mall, the United States Capitol, the convention center, and around Union Station,” Bowser said. “So if you live, work, or need to travel through those areas that are shown on the map in this coming week and weekend, make sure to plan ahead and give yourself extra time.”
The D.C. Metro will open an hour earlier than normal on Inauguration Day, at 4 a.m., and five stations will be closed from 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, through 5 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21. The stations will be McPherson Square, Federal Triangle, and Smithsonian on the silver, orange, and blue lines, and Mt. Vernon Square and Archives on the yellow and green lines.
WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke also said some entrances at open stations will be closed on Inauguration Day and an increased law enforcement presence will be seen on the system for the ceremony. Additional information on WMATA’s station closures and service modifications can be found on the transit agency’s website.
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The D.C. Metro will also offer a commemorative SmarTrip card featuring Trump at select stations beginning on Wednesday.
The inauguration festivities begin on Sunday with Trump laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and a victory rally in downtown Washington. Trump will be sworn into office on the West Front of the Capitol Building at noon next Monday.
