PARTY HARDLY
Lack of big names, low-key fetes for Trump to vie with star-studded protest
PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump, the mogul showman who as a businessman attached his name to myriad real estate properties, golf courses and even steaks, is opting for an understated inauguration ceremony.
But many of the week’s events — set to get underway Thursday — still appear to feature at least a smidgen of the outspoken billionaire’s flair.
Thomas Barrack, the chief of Trump’s inaugural committee, told reporters last week that his team had sought to “surround” Trump “with the soft sensuality of” the nation’s capital, rather than “with what people consider A-listers.”
On Thursday, following a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor U.S. veterans, Trump and Vice Presidentelect Mike Pence will hold a “Make America Great Again” welcome party at the Lincoln Memorial, where a “diverse group” of entertainers will perform.
They’ll include alt-rock band 3 Doors Down and country star Toby Keith.
Later Thursday, the inaugural gala, hosted by the Great America Alliance, a proTrump super PAC, will kick off with country music band Big & Rich.
The major events, however are Friday — Inauguration Day.
Entertainment will kick off around 9:30 a.m., with the best-known acts being the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 16-year-old former “America’s Got Talent” contestant Jackie Evancho and the Rockettes.
Trump’s inaugural planning group struggled to attract entertainment for the event, with more than a dozen acts — including Elton John, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli and Garth Brooks — having declined invitations to perform.
Meanwhile, Trump will join President Obama at the White House and the two men will then ride together, along with outgoing First Lady Michelle Obama and incoming First Lady Melania Trump, to the Capitol for the event.
Following remarks from religious leaders, including Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the leader of the New York Archdiocese; the Rev. Franklin Graham, and Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal
Center, Trump and Pence will be sworn in on the west front of the Capitol, with the First and Second families, President Obama, members of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, George W. and Laura Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton looking on. At least 500,000 more are expected to watch the ceremony from the National Mall. Trump will be sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, while Pence will be sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas, using a Bible that belonged to Ronald Reagan. Afterward, Trump and Pence will travel down Pennsylvania Ave. to the White House, as part of a parade that includes high school and college bands, police motorcycle and cavalry units and veterans and active members of the military. Then the fun starts. Three official inaugural balls have been planned, including a New Yorkthemed fest dubbed the Big Apple Ball.
The city-scented soiree will feature cutouts of iconic Manhattan landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, TMZ reported last week, and the fete’s theme will be entirely based on the line, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” from “Theme From New York, New York,” popularized by Frank Sinatra.
Saturday will see a national interfaith prayer service at Washington’s National Cathedral, marking the official end of festivities.
But anti-Trumpers will just be getting started.
The “Women’s March on Washington,” billed as a protest against Trump and his feared crackdown on issues important to women, could draw between 500,000 and 1 million people and will include among its biggest-name marchers Cher, Julianne Moore, Katy Perry, Amy Schumer and Scarlett Johansson.
More than 1,200 buses transporting participants have applied for permits to park at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington for the event. By comparison, only 200 have reportedly applied for parking on Inauguration Day.
Hotel bookings also indicate a smaller audience for the inauguration than in years past. Elliott Ferguson, the president of the Washington convention and tourism bureau, said that before Election Day, hotels had more events tentatively planned for a Hillary Clinton victory. When Trump won, he said, the “level of enthusiasm” and demand for rooms did not immediately reach that of past recent inaugurations.
Trump’s inauguration committee chief said the mogul prefers it that way.
“The focus will be for this President, since he is a celebrity, is really on the place, on the people,” Barrack said. “It’s a much more poetic cadence than having a circuslike celebration that’s a coronation.”