Mary Ann Ranieri

Today, Monday, January 20, 2025, marks Inauguration Day in the United States. Donald J. Trump is being sworn in as the 47th President, becoming the second individual after Grover Cleveland to serve non-consecutive presidential terms.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled at noon, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath of office. Due to severe cold weather conditions, the event will be held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C..

Local Event: Inauguration Watch Party

The Bull Run Republican Women’s Club is hosting an Inauguration Watch Party today at Giuseppe’s Ristorante, located at 15120 Washington Street in Haymarket. Doors open at 11 a.m. The event will feature a celebratory atmosphere as attendees watch the inaugural proceedings together.

If you’re planning to attend outdoor festivities or events this Inauguration Day, bundle up! The National Weather Service has issued a frigid forecast for the day, with Arctic air making its presence known across the region.

The day will start mostly sunny but bitterly cold, with high temperatures struggling to reach 27 degrees. Adding to the chill, northwest winds of 13 to 18 mph will bring gusts up to 30 mph, creating wind chills in the single digits to teens east of the mountains and well below zero in higher elevations.

By Monday night, clouds will begin to increase, and temperatures will drop even further to a low of around 11 degrees. Winds will calm slightly, but the Arctic air will linger.

Prince William County School Board member Richard Jessie and his wife, former school board member Lillie Jessie, are urging the community to boycott the upcoming presidential inauguration by turning off their televisions at noon on January 20. They believe that lower viewership will send a strong message to the new administration.

In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump secured a historic return to the White House, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump won 312 electoral votes to Harris’s 226, marking a significant political comeback.

Comparatively, during Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, approximately 30.6 million people tuned in to watch the ceremony on television. This was the second-highest viewership for an inauguration in 36 years, surpassed only by Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, which drew 37.8 million viewers.

On Monday, January 13, 2025, the Manassas City Council received the Electoral Board’s annual report, presented by Pamela Kincheloe, who is secretary of the city’s electoral board. The report highlighted voter participation trends, the logistics of the 2024 election, and the city’s electoral outcomes. The 2024 voter turnout was 65.46%, down from 72.6% in 2020 and 66.7% in 2016. Early voting continued to grow, accounting for 44.73% of total votes, surpassing in-person voting on Election Day (43.22%), while mail-in voting made up 12.05%. Sunday voting also saw an increase, with 131 voters participating compared to previous years. Turnout by precinct ranged from 61% at Dean Elementary to 73.71% at Rand Elementary. Same-day registration presented logistical challenges, particularly at Weems Elementary, where wait times were extended due to high demand and the additional burden of curbside voting. Same-day voter registration, which began in Virginia with the 2022 General Election, allows individuals to register and vote provisionally after the traditional registration deadline.