President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office on Monday, exactly eight years after his first inauguration.
Much has changed since Trump last stood on the Capitol grounds. He ran a presidential campaign and lost; faced an unprecedented criminal conviction; survived two assassination attempts; and launched his third campaign, winning this time with the popular vote plus all seven battleground states.
Changes have seeped their way into Trump’s second and final inauguration as well.
The location
Trump’s inauguration will be held indoors on Monday, earning him the distinction of being one of the only presidents in U.S. history to take the oath of office in the Capitol Rotunda.
Trump made the announcement on Friday, explaining that due to severe cold weather, his inauguration would be held inside the Capitol instead of in its expected outdoor location.
Given the Rotunda’s soaring dome, elegant neoclassical design, and exquisite masterpieces of historic American paintings, the historic location switch will make for a visually stunning, unforgettable event.
The news marks only the third time in history the ceremony has not been held under the skies on the Capitol’s East Portico since the tradition began in 1829. The last time the inauguration was held inside the Rotunda was in 1985 when Ronald Reagan was sworn into his second term and temperatures dipped to 7 degrees.
Inaugural fundraising
Trump raised $106.7 million for his first inauguration in 2017, with the funds going to finance opening ceremonies, the parade, galas, and balls. At the time, the number set a record, far surpassing funds raised by the previous administrations.
But eight years later, Trump shattered his own record. The Trump team raised at least $170 million for the 2025 inaugural festivities with the fund on pace to reach $200 million.
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The historic fundraising signals a pattern of changes in how the mainstream narrative has shifted since Trump’s first inauguration.
In 2017, “people were very reticent to socially and publicly align themselves [with Trump]. That stigma is gone,” Republican lobbyist Ozzie Palomo told CBC.
World leaders
The 2025 inauguration marks the first time foreign heads of state are slated to attend the high-profile ceremony, with Trump’s team citing the move to invite world leaders as an avenue to “create a dialogue with leaders of countries that are not only allies but also our adversaries and competitors.”
With the ceremony being moved indoors, it’s unclear where the expected world leaders will view the event from.
Argentine President Javier Milei is planning to be at the inauguration after Trump personally invited him. El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele accepted an invitation to the ceremony, as will Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed during a recent news conference that she’d been invited to the inauguration and would be “happy to be there” if her schedule permits.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has also indicated he is considering making the trip, according to CBS News.
China is sending Vice President Han Zheng to represent the country at Trump’s inauguration.
New MAGA allies
Trump has formed what some would consider to be a surprising coalition of friends since he first stepped foot in the White House.
After leaving office four years ago, the president-elect’s closest allies have become longtime Democrats, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, whom he nominated to serve in top cabinet positions. On Monday, they’ll be watching closely as Trump takes the oath of office.
Big Tech’s burgeoning relationship with Trump in recent months has also attracted attention. Now, X CEO Elon Musk is one of Trump’s best buddies. Other tech titans, such as Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg have signaled an increasing warmth to Trump, after previously criticizing him.
Both of those leaders were planning for front-row seats to Trump’s inauguration, along with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. With the change of venue, it’s unclear how close they will be to the action.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is also expected to be present, as well as TikTok CEO Shou Chew, in response to Trump’s invitation.
That’s a big shift from 2017, when GoDaddy.com founder Robert Parsons was one of the few industry leaders who donated funds to Trump’s inaugural fund.
The dynamic couldn’t be more different for the 2025 inauguration. Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Apple CEO Tim Cook are among the tech titans who have each given $1 million to Trump’s inauguration.
Even companies that donated to Trump’s first inaugural fund have raised the stakes. After giving $285,000 in 2017, Google more than tripled its inaugural offering this year to $1 million.
Celebrity performers
In 2017, Trump struggled to find A-list talent to perform at his inauguration. Jackie Evancho, a 16-year-old “America’s Got Talent” singer, was ultimately tapped to provide the keynote performance at the event.
This time around, Carrie Underwood, one of the nation’s biggest country music stars, will perform, marking a notable upgrade from eight years ago. Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful,” while 1970s hitmakers Village People will perform at two inaugural events.
Country singer Lee Greenwood will also perform as Trump walks out to take the oath. Opera singer Christopher Macchio will sing the national anthem at the ceremony.
Inaugural committee
Real estate investor Thomas Barrack Jr. was the chairman of Trump’s first inaugural committee. He was aided by co-chairs Lewis Eisenberg, a businessman and former U.S. ambassador to Italy, and Dallas investor Roy Bailey.
This time around, Trump has tapped Florida real estate investor Steve Witkoff and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who is also Trump’s nominee to head the Small Business Administration, to head the committee.
Witkoff is particularly close with the president-elect and was notably with Trump when he was the target of a second attempted assassination in Florida last September.
Protests
Giant protests broke out in D.C. when Trump took office eight years ago. Thousands upon thousands of demonstrators marched the capitol’s streets evoking anti-Trump platitudes and warning that hard times were coming under his leadership.
But the resistance to Trump is remarkably muted this year as exhausted Democrats rethink their strategies after the president-elect won not one, but two national elections.
They aren’t the only ones who are adjusting.
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As he heads to his final inaugural on Monday, Trump himself is viewed as being a changed man in some respects since he first upset the establishment with his initial presidential victory back in 2016.
“I think just having gone through eight years of ups and downs in politics, having gone through all these legal challenges, having run three times now, it does feel like maybe there’s a sense of ‘I did it and I’m back and nothing can get me’ and almost being at peace,” journalist Eli Stokols told Politico.
