Inauguration of Donald Trump

The swearing-in ceremony and the inaugural luncheon for President-elect Trump and Vice President–elect Pence were planned by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, a committee composed of Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the committee chair, and Senate party leaders Sen. Mitch McConnell Kentucky and Chuck Schumer of New York, and House speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and House party leaders Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California.[16] The committee was overseen by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies chose the inaugural theme "Uniquely American" to highlight the inaugural ceremony as "a uniquely American expression of our Constitutional system" and stress the peaceful transition of power.[17]

The Inauguration Committee released the full schedule of the January 20 inaugural events on December 21, 2016.[18] Military support to the 58th inauguration was coordinated by Joint Task Force National Capital Region, providing musical military units, marching bands, color guards, ushers, firing details, and salute batteries.[19]

Rick Gates was Deputy Chairman of the inauguration.[20]

The 2017 Presidential Inaugural Committee[21] organized several other inauguration-related events at the direction of the president‑elect and vice president–elect of the United States, such as the concerts, parade, balls, and prayer service. The chairman of the committee was Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a real estate investor and longtime Trump friend and ally, and the founder of Colony Capital. The co-chairs of the committee were Lewis M. Eisenberg and Roy Bailey.[22] Committee members included casino magnates Sheldon Adelson and Miriam Adelson, Steve Wynn, and Phil Ruffin, oil and gas entrepreneur Harold Hamm, businesswoman and film producer Diane Hendricks, coal businessman and philanthropist Joe Craft, Gail Icahn (wife of Carl Icahn), Dallasites Ray Washburne, Gentry Beach, Roy Bailey, and Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets.[23]

The inaugural committee raised an unprecedented $107 million "from wealthy donors who gave $1 million or more."[24] This was twice the amount raised by any previous inauguration committee.[25] Observers agree that the actual inauguration expenses would have been a fraction of that amount, and the advocacy group Public Citizen has been seeking to know what happened to the remaining funds.[25] Committee officials said they were evaluating charities to give the remaining funds to.[26] In September 2017, the committee said it had given $3 million to three separate hurricane rescue organizations.[27] An unspecified amount had also been used for redecorating the White House and Vice President Mike Pence's Washington residence.[25] Thomas Barrack, the committee chair, said that further information about charitable donations would be released in November 2017, but no such announcement was made.[25] The inauguration committee reported having $2.8 million in the bank as of October 2017.[28]

According to a tax filing released on February 15, 2018, the committee donated $5 million to charity in 2017 — namely, the previously announced donations to hurricane relief, the White House Historical Association, and the Vice President's Residence Foundation. The majority of the committee's outlay — $57 million — went to four event-planning companies.[28] The largest amount, $26 million, went to a California firm called WIS Media Partners, which was created in December 2016 by a close friend and advisor to Melania Trump, named Stephanie Winston Wolkoff,[28] whose staff stayed at the Trump International Hotel during the planning of the inauguration.[29] Wolkoff was personally paid about $500,000 for the inauguration.[30] Twenty-four million dollars went to an independent organization created by television producer Mark Burnett, "Inaugural Productions", for the staging of several events.[31] The committee reported nearly $15 million in administrative expenses, including $9.4 million for travel and $4.6 million for salaries and benefits for 208 employees.[28] The committee spent more than $1.5 million at the Trump International Hotel.[29] Ivanka Trump helped negotiate a rate of $175,000 per day for the committee's use of the hotel's Presidential Ballroom and meeting rooms after Gates and Wolkoff complained that Trump International Hotel managing director Mickael Damelincourt attempted to charge them above-market rates.[32]

Then-President-elect Trump and his wife, Melania, arriving at Joint Base Andrews in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration.

On Tuesday, January 17, then-President-elect Trump arrived in Washington, D.C., to attend what was titled the "Chairman's Global Dinner," a high-profile dinner that was intended to serve as an introduction between foreign diplomats and the incoming Trump administration officials and appointees.[33] The dinner was black tie and invitation-only, and was described by The Wall Street Journal as the most high-profile event preceding the inauguration,[34] with both Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence addressing the gathering.[33] The event was held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.[33]

Rex Tillerson, Trump's choice to succeed John Kerry as secretary of state, was in attendance, as well as former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and National Security Advisor-designate Michael T. Flynn, and Israeli ambassador Ron Dermer, according to reporters in attendance at the event.[33] More than 200 foreign diplomats attended the event out of 500 total guests.[33] During his speech to the group, Trump praised his choices thus far for Cabinet positions as well as his choice of Pence as his vice president.[35] According to The Boston Globe and the Associated Press, the menu included mustard black cod and filet mignon as entrees, and baked Alaska for dessert.[35]

On the morning and afternoon of January 19, a day-long "Voices of the People" public concert was held at the Lincoln Memorial. The concert featured The King's Academy (West Palm Beach, Florida) Honor Choir, the Republican Hindu Coalition, the Montgomery Area High School Marching Band, Marlana Van Hoose, the Maury NJROTC Color Guard, the Pride of Madawaska, Webelos Troop 177, the Northern Middle School Honors Choir, the American Tap Company, the Everett High School Viking Marching Band, the TwirlTasTix Baton Twirling group, and three bagpipe groups.[36]

Donald Trump and Mike Pence at the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

After returning home to New York City, Trump returned to Washington, D.C., on Thursday, January 19, arriving at Joint Base Andrews on a plane flown by the U.S. Air Force.[37][38]

Trump and Vice President–elect Pence attended a luncheon at Trump's hotel at the Old Post Office Pavilion,[39] and afterwards, the official wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, accompanied by his wife and family.[40] Trump and Pence were escorted by Major General Bradley Becker at the ceremony.[39] The Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 400,000, mostly members of the armed forces, Medal of Honor recipients, and high ranking political officials.[41]

On the evening of January 19, Trump hosted the "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration," a concert for his supporters that were attending his inauguration the following day. The concert, held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, featured performances by Lee Greenwood (who performed "God Bless the USA"), Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, DJ Ravidrums,[42] The Piano Guys,[43] and The Frontmen of Country (Tim Rushlow, Larry Stewart, and Richie McDonald).[44] Trump addressed his supporters at the end of the festivities, saying that the "forgotten man and the forgotten woman will not be forgotten anymore".[42] Actor Jon Voight also spoke at the event, stating, "We have been witness to a barrage of propaganda that left us all breathless with anticipation, not knowing if God could reverse all the negative lies against Mr. Trump, whose only desire was to make America great again."[42] The concert concluded with a fireworks celebration, accompanied by a U.S. military choir and band performing the Battle Hymn of the Republic.[42]

Preparations at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. as the sun begins to rise on the morning of the inauguration

On the morning of the inauguration, on January 20, after staying the night at the Blair House, the traditional house used by the incoming president-elect due to its proximity to the White House,[45] Trump and his wife, Melania, and Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, attended a church service at St. John's Episcopal Church.[46] The tradition dates back to James Madison, with every president since then attending the church service the morning of their inauguration.[47] The service was led by Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist minister who campaigned for Trump during the election.[46]

After the church service, Trump and his wife went to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The Obamas greeted the Trumps, and Melania presented the couple with a gift.[48] They then posed for photos in front of the White House press corps.[48] The presentation of a gift was a tradition started by Michelle Obama when she presented George W. Bush and Laura Bush with a gift on the day of her husband's inauguration in 2009.[49] Afterward, they held a tea reception inside the White House, along with Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, and Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence.[48] As per tradition, following the meeting between the president and the president-elect, they shared the presidential motorcade limousine, and made their way to the Capitol for the inaugural ceremony.[48]

President Trump delivering his inauguration speech following his swearing-in ceremony

Donald Trump gave his first speech as the new 45th President of the United States for 16 minutes

Roy Blunt commenced the inauguration ceremony at 11:41 a.m. with welcoming remarks about the nation's "commonplace and miraculous" tradition of a peaceful transition of power. Courtney Williams, Senior Chief Musician and concert moderator for the U.S. Navy Concert Band, returned as the platform announcer for his 3rd consecutive inauguration.[50] Three religious figures delivered invocations, followed by the Missouri State University chorale performing an original work, "Now We Belong". After short remarks, Chuck Schumer ended his speech by asking everyone to stand for the swearing-in ceremony.[51][52][53][54]

Outgoing President Barack Obama, outgoing Vice President Joe Biden (future president), former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, and former vice presidents Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney, along with their respective wives, attended the inauguration,[55] including Hillary Clinton, who had been Trump's main opponent in the general election (Clinton was attending as a former first lady, not as the losing candidate[56]). Former president George H. W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush did not attend the inauguration due to health issues.[57]

Pence being sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on January 20, 2017.

At 11:54 a.m., Associate Justice Clarence Thomas swore in Mike Pence as the 48th vice president of the United States, with Pence's hand on his personal Bible as well as the Bible of Ronald Reagan, the politician who inspired Pence to join the Republican Party. A performance of "America the Beautiful" by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square followed. At noon, Trump became the 45th president of the United States, taking the oath of office with Chief Justice John Roberts. Trump was also sworn in using two Bibles, a Bible his mother gifted him and the historic Lincoln Bible. After the swearing-in, the Marine Band performed "Hail to the Chief" and Trump received the traditional 21-gun salute in his honor.[58][59][60][61]

President Trump then delivered his 16-minute inaugural address of 1,433 words.[62] The speech was the shortest inaugural address since Jimmy Carter's in 1977.[63]

In late December 2016, Trump told visitors that he was writing the first draft of his inaugural address, citing previous inauguration speeches by John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan as inspirations.[64] Trump "insisted publicly that he wrote his own speech,"[65] although The Wall Street Journal and others reported that it had been written by Trump senior aides Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon.[65][66][67][68]

The speech struck a tone that was both nationalist and populist,[63][66] with suggestions of absolutism[69] and distrust of democracy.[70] The Los Angeles Times described the address as "a truncated version of Trump's campaign rally addresses, absent specific policy and big on a sense of anger at what he defined as a ruling class that has raided America for its own benefit."[63] Historians and speechwriters termed the inaugural address as "one of the most ominous" in U.S. history,[66] striking an unusually dark and bleak note.[71][72][73][74][75] Former president George W. Bush reportedly referred to the speech as "some weird shit" after the ceremony concluded.[76][77]

Trump pledged to end what he referred to as "American carnage,"[78][79][80] depicting the United States in a dystopian light—as a "land of abandoned factories, economic angst, rising crime"—while pledging "a new era in American politics."[71][81]

Barack Obama with Donald Trump on Inauguration Day. Joe Biden stands behind Trump.

Fact-checking organizations, such as FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post's Fact Checker claimed that Trump's portrayal of the United States in decline "did not always match reality."[82][83][84] The fact-checking organizations noted, among other things, that the U.S. violent crime rate was far below its 1991 peak; that the U.S. economy had gained jobs for 75 consecutive months and that unemployment was significantly below its historical average; and participation in U.S. welfare programs had declined.[82][83][84]

In the speech, Trump repeated his campaign-trail "America First" slogan in reference to economic[79][85] and foreign policy issues.[86] Trump's use of the phrase was controversial because of the slogan's association with U.S. isolationists who had opposed American entry in World War II.[73][79] Trump's decision "not to make a strong case for the role of American power in shaping the outside world was a departure from the inaugural addresses of recent Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush," and represented "a sharp break with the internationalist vision of nearly every U.S. president of the past 100 years that troubled veteran foreign policy experts."[87] Nevertheless, Trump's themes on foreign policy appealed "to many Americans as well as to critics of Washington's bipartisan foreign policy establishment."[87]

Three religious leaders delivered benedictions following Trump's speech, bringing the total number of prayers during the ceremony to six, a record number. Reverend Franklin Graham; Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York; Reverend Dr. Samuel Rodriguez; Pastor Paula White; Rabbi Marvin Hier; and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson gave the benedictions.[52][88] Jackie Evancho concluded the ceremony with a performance of the U.S. national anthem.[89]

After the inaugural ceremony, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence escorted former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama to a departure ceremony on the east side of the U.S. Capitol. The Trumps exchanged remarks and bid farewell to the Obamas at the base of the helicopter that would transport them to Joint Base Andrews, and then returned to the steps of the Capitol building where they waved as the Obamas' helicopter took off. Meanwhile, the Bidens took a limousine to Union Station where they boarded a train for Wilmington, Delaware.[90] Before the luncheon and in keeping with tradition, President Trump signed his first presidential orders in the President's Room at the Capitol,[91] and then signed the guest book for the luncheon.

President and Mrs. Trump bidding farewell to former president and Mrs. Obama on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol

Next, Trump signed orders to officially present the nominations for his Cabinet and several sub‑Cabinet officials to the Senate for confirmation.[92] His first bill that he signed into law was a waiver of the National Security Act of 1947 granted to him that allowed the nomination of retired general James Mattis to be nominated for the position of United States secretary of defense.[93] The National Security Act of 1947 requires a seven-year waiting period before retired military personnel can assume the role of Secretary of Defense.[93] Mattis became only the second secretary of defense to receive such a waiver, following George Marshall, who served under President Harry S. Truman.[93] Following in tradition, Trump used various commemorative pens to sign the Cabinet nominations, and distributed them among the lawmakers and guests that had gathered. The pens are traditionally given as a gift to politicians or individuals touched by the action, or were instrumental in its implementation.[92]

Trump also signed a proclamation declaring his inauguration a National Day of Patriotic Devotion.[94][95][96] In this he followed Barack Obama, who declared his a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation,[97] and previous declarations of periods of patriotism by such former presidents as Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.[98]

Trump was accompanied at the signing ceremony by his wife, and children, and several of his grandchildren, as well as the chairs of the Joint Congressional Inauguration Committee, including senators Roy Blunt, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, and Congressional leaders Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.[98] During the ceremony, the lawmakers joked with President Trump, he handed pens to participants (e.g. Elaine Chao's nomination pen to Nancy Pelosi, Trump stating, because "they were both women") and then traded pens in an offer to give, not as an ask to receive (Nancy Pelosi gave Elaine Chao's nomination pen to Chao's husband, Mitch McConnell).[98][99] The Trumps and Pences then attended an inaugural luncheon at the U.S. Capitol before traveling from there to the presidential reviewing stand at the White House to watch the parade.[100][101]

President Trump signing his first official orders as president, including nominating his Cabinet

The Trumps and Pences joined several congressional guests for the inaugural luncheon in National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Guests included top Washington lawmakers as well as former presidents and vice presidents. During his formal address at the lunch, Trump asked those in attendance to give Hillary Clinton, one of his opponents during the 2016 election, a standing ovation.[102][103][104]

A luncheon at the U.S. Capitol has been part of the inaugural program since 1953 (before that time, the luncheon was usually held at the White House and hosted by the outgoing president and first lady). The menu for the 2017 inaugural luncheon, which in the past has often featured dishes representative of the home states of the new president and vice president, included more traditional dishes from around the country.[100] The first course consisted of Maine lobster and Gulf shrimp with saffron sauce and peanut crumble, accompanied by a J. Lohr 2013 Arroyo Vista Chardonnay.[100] The second dish contained Seven Hills Angus beef in dark chocolate and juniper jus with potato gratin, served with a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and dessert included a chocolate soufflé and cherry vanilla ice cream with Korbel California champagne.[100] Since 1985, a painting has served as a backdrop for the head table. For the 2017 inaugural luncheon, the featured painting was George Caleb Bingham's The Verdict of the People, which depicts a Missouri town and its citizens both celebrating and mourning the election victory of what historians say was a likely proslavery candidate.[105]

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walking the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue

Following the luncheon, Trump, Pence, and their wives reviewed an honor guard of troops at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol before beginning the parade.[106][107] The inaugural parade route ran along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW from the U.S. Capitol, ending at the north face of the White House.[108] During most of the parade, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled in the armored limousine used by the president because of potential security threats. The president and first lady exited their limousine twice, walking on Pennsylvania Avenue for portions of the parade,[101][109][110] a longstanding custom.[111] Vice President Pence and his wife Karen walked the parade route at several points with their children as well.[112]

The parade lasted approximately two hours during the afternoon and early evening following the inaugural ceremony.[113] Parade participants included more than 8,000 people,[114] "representing forty organizations including high school and university marching bands, equestrian corps, first responders, and veterans groups," according to the Joint Congressional Inauguration Committee.[115] Each branch of the United States military was also represented.[115]

Vice President Mike Pence invited several groups from Indiana to march in the parade in the Indiana section, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Drill Team, the Culver Military Academy, and the Columbus North High School marching band from Pence's native Columbus, Indiana.[116] Shortly after the parade, Trump went to the Oval Office to sign his first executive orders as president, including an order to start the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act.[117][118]

The President and First Lady at the Liberty Ball on the evening of the inauguration

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended three official inaugural balls during the evening of January 20, 2017,[60][119] titled "Liberty and Freedom: The Official Presidential Inaugural Balls."[120] Donald Trump wore a classic black tuxedo, with a white button up shirt, and a black bow tie, in keeping with tradition.[121] Melania Trump wore a white, off-the-shoulder, sleeveless gown designed by French-American fashion designer Hervé Pierre.[122] Pierre has also designed dresses for first ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, and he has been styling for Melania Trump for several years.[122] The dress featured a front slit, a ruffled accent and a thin red belt to cinch the waist.[121]

The Liberty Ball, one of two official balls held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, was the first stop of the evening for the president and first lady. The Trumps danced to their first song, which was chosen to be "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, and was performed by Erin Boheme, an American jazz singer.[120][121] In an attempt to allow more access to the inaugural balls, the Presidential Inauguration Committee announced that they intended to make the inaugural balls the most affordable in recent history, offering $50 tickets to either the Liberty or Freedom Balls.[123] The second ball that the Trumps attended was the Freedom Ball, also held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and also featured a first dance to "My Way", as with the Liberty Ball.[121]

The President, First Lady, Vice President and Second Lady dancing with service members at the Armed Services Ball

The third ball that the president and first lady attended was the Salute To Our Armed Services Ball, which took place at the National Building Museum. The ball was by invitation only, with free tickets being provided to "active duty and reserve military, Medal of Honor recipients, wounded warriors, military families, veterans, and first responders," according to the Presidential Inauguration Committee.[123] At the beginning of the ball, Trump and his wife, Melania, addressed the crowd of gathered service members, and then spoke via satellite with active duty soldiers in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.[124] Trump thanked the active duty soldiers for the congratulations on his inauguration as Commander-in-chief.[124] Tony Orlando and the Josh Weathers Band performed at the Armed Services Ball.[124]

It is tradition for the president and first lady, and the vice president and second lady, to dance with military service members during the Armed Services Ball. Sgt. Angel Rodriguez, who danced with Second Lady Karen Pence, drew attention for his dancing style, spinning the Second Lady, which provoked playful laughter from Tiffany and Eric Trump.[125]

President and Mrs. Trump arriving at Washington National Cathedral for the national prayer service

On January 21, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence gathered at the Washington National Cathedral for a national day of prayer,[126] a tradition dating back to the first president, George Washington.[127] Among the parishioners were more than two dozen religious leaders from a variety of different faiths.[128] Marlana VanHoose, a 20-year-old vocalist who was born with cytomegalovirus, performed at the ceremony, singing "How Great Thou Art".[129] Melania Trump was visibly emotional during the performance, and led a standing ovation for her after she finished performing.[129] The service began with call to prayer by the Reverend Rosemarie Duncan, Mikhail Manevich, a Jewish cantor, and Mohamed Magid, a Muslim imam.[127] The clergy spoke of both compassion and diversity.[127]

In a press conference on January 21, Sean Spicer, Trump's White House press secretary, stated that the crowd "was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe", and accused the media of reporting false crowd estimates to "lessen the enthusiasm of the inauguration".[149][150][151] Spicer also stated that 420,000 people rode the Metro on the day of Trump's inauguration, and that only 317,000 rode on the day of Obama's.[149][151] In fact, 570,557 Metro trips were taken on the day of Trump's inauguration, compared to 1.1 million on Obama's 2009 inauguration day and 782,000 on Obama's 2013 inauguration day.[152] Ridership at 11 a.m. was 193,000, 513,000 and 317,000 respectively.[152]

Numerous sources highlighted the fact that Spicer's statements were incorrect, and many accused him of intentionally misstating the figures.[149][153][154] In response, Donald Trump's counselor and spokesperson, Kellyanne Conway, in an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, stated that Spicer merely presented "alternative facts".[155] Todd responded by saying "alternative facts are not facts. They're falsehoods."[156]

On January 23, Spicer admitted his error concerning WMATA ridership levels, stating that he was relying on statistics given to him, but he stood by his claim that the inauguration was the most-viewed, stating he also included online viewership in addition to in-person and television in his estimates.[157][158] Spicer's claim of the largest audience ever was still shown inaccurate as Nielsen reported 30.6 million viewers across 12 networks while Obama had 37.8 million and Ronald Reagan 41.8 million.[159] As for online viewership, Spicer himself cited a figure of 16.9 million livestreams provided by CNN. However, CNN served nearly 27 million streams in 2009 for Obama's inauguration.[160] CNN reported in 2009 that 7.7 million people watched the inauguration online, while nearly 27 million watched streaming video of any sort on CNN's website on that day.[161] NBC's livestream on YouTube of Trump's inauguration in 2017 accumulated over 8 million views within a day.[162][163]

The incoming administration briefly shut down the Interior Department's Twitter accounts.[164] The National Park Service's official Twitter account had re-tweeted two Tweets on "omissions on policy areas" on the White House website and Trump's and Obama's crowd sizes.[164] An NPS spokesman issued an apology for "mistaken RTs".[164]

On the morning following the inauguration, Trump telephoned acting National Park Service director Michael T. Reynolds and personally directed him to produce additional aerial photographs of the Inauguration Day crowds.[165][166] Reynolds and the Park Service complied with the directive; the additional photos, however, "did not prove Trump's contention that the crowd size was upward of 1 million."[165] In September 2018, documents released from a Freedom of Information Act request showed that Reynolds and the National Park Service cropped photos of the inauguration, at the direction of the President, in an attempt to make the crowd size seem larger.[167]

In September 2018, a government photographer admitted that he, at Trump's request,[168] edited pictures of the inauguration to make the crowd appear larger: "The photographer cropped out empty space 'where the crowd ended' for a new set of pictures requested by Trump on the first morning of his presidency, after he was angered by images showing his audience was smaller than Barack Obama's in 2009."[167][169]

News reports surfaced in April 2018 that the Special Counsel investigation is looking into the inaugural committee's finances. Prosecutors have questioned several Russian oligarchs, upon their arrival at a U.S. airport, about whether any Russian money was illegally funneled into the inauguration committee or the Trump campaign itself.[187] Robert Mueller's team has questioned Barrack and other witnesses, reportedly asking about "donors with connections to Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar."[188] Counterintelligence agents with the FBI began investigating this possibility immediately after the inauguration itself, their interest sparked by the large number of wealthy Russians who attended the inauguration and the special events that attended it.[189]

Samuel Patten plea agreement

In August 2018, American political consultant W. Samuel Patten, an associate of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, pleaded guilty in federal court to failure to register as a foreign agent in connection with the illegal funneling of foreign funds to the presidential inauguration committee. Patten admitted to arranging a "straw donation" in which $50,000 was funneled from a Ukrainian businessman to a U.S. citizen to donate to the committee in exchange for four tickets to the inauguration. Patten also admitted to giving misleading testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about the matter.[190] In exchange for a recommendation of a lenient sentence, Patten pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller.[190]

In court documents, prosecutors wrote that Patten formed a lobbying and consulting firm with a Russian national identified as "Foreigner A"; the firm was paid for work advising the Ukrainian Opposition Bloc party and some Bloc members, including "a prominent Ukraine businessman identified only as 'Foreigner B.'"[190] The Washington Post and The New York Times identified Konstantin Kilimnik (a Manafort associate whom prosecutors allege is a Russian intelligence operative) as "Foreigner A" and Serhiy Lovochkin (a former aide to Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian former president of Ukraine) as "Foreigner B."[190][191] Kilimnik attended Trump's inauguration.[192]

The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported in December 2018 that federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn are investigating whether Middle Eastern foreigners sought to buy influence over American policies by using straw donors to illegally funnel donations to Trump's inaugural committee and a pro-Trump Super PAC.[193][194]

The Trump inaugural committee received a subpoena from federal prosecutors on February 4, 2019. The SDNY subpoena demanded a comprehensive array of documents involving the committee's donors, finances, attendees and activities. The subpoena named one person of interest: fundraiser Imaad Zuberi.[195] The subpoena reportedly covered allegations of conspiracy to defraud the United States government, money laundering, false statements, mail and wire fraud, disclosure violations and prohibitions against contributions by foreign nations.[196][197]

The attorney general of New Jersey issued subpoenas for documents to the inaugural committee in February 2019.[198]

The office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia Karl Racine served a subpoena to the inaugural committee in February 2019 as part of an investigation.[199] In 2020, the office sued the inaugural committee, accusing it of violating D.C. laws governing nonprofits by improperly paying more than $1 million to Trump International Hotel during inauguration week.[200] Racine said that the inaugural committee had paid in excess of market rates for the Trump hotel space as part of scheme to enrich the Trump family.[200][201] Records were subpoenaed from Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump, and Trump associate Thomas Barrack Jr.[201] Ivanka Trump gave five hours of deposition testimony in December 2020 as part of the suit.[201] In May 2020, Trump settled the lawsuit for $750,000; according to a lawyer for Trump's inaugural committee, half of the settlement payment was paid by the inaugural committee, and the other half by Trump family companies.[200]

• whitehouse.gov (January 20, 2017). "The Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States". Retrieved February 2, 2017 – via YouTube.
• Guardian Wires (January 21, 2017). "Donald Trump inauguration day". Retrieved February 2, 2017 – via YouTube. (Press Pool feed)
• Inaugural coverage by C-SPAN