ACCESS UPDATE
The Inauguration
By Magne Dypedahl, Høgskolen i Sørøst-Norge, January 17, 2017
FINALLY, THE TRANSITION PERIOD BETWEEN ELECTION DAY IN NOVEMBER AND INAUGURATION DAY IS OVER. AT NOON ON
JANUARY 20, DONALD TRUMP WILL BE SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. IN ADDITION TO ALL THE ATTENTION
AROUND THE WORLD, CLOSE TO A MILLION PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO COME TO THE NATIONAL MALL IN WASHINGTON D.C. TO
BE PRESENT AT THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY. APART FROM TRUMP TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE, THE MAIN EVENT OF THE
CEREMONY IS THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
The inaugural ceremony
When George Washington (picture) was inaugurated as the first
president of the United States in 1789, the inauguration
ceremony took place in New York City. The next two
inaugurations took place in Philadelphia, which was used as a
temporary capital for ten years while the federal buildings in
Washington, D.C. were under construction. Finally, when
Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated in 1801, the inaugural
ceremony took place at the U.S. Capitol, the home of the U.S.
Congress in Washington, D.C.
Until 1981 (Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration), the Capitol’s eastern front was used for the
ceremony, but then it was moved to the western front. This makes it possible for people to follow
the ceremony from the National Mall, which is a park area stretching about two miles from the
U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.
In 2009, about 1.8 million people attended Barack Obama’s first inauguration. Fewer Trump
supporters are expected to come to Washington D.C. this year, but at the same time, several
hundred thousand protesters may come to town. This makes security more of a concern than ever.
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Presidents need to take the oath of office
on Inauguration Day, but apart from that,
Some inauguration facts:
they are not obliged to deliver a speech or
 James Buchanan's inauguration in 1857 was
the first to be photographed.
 William McKinley’s inauguration in 1897
was the first to be recorded by motion
picture cameras.
 Warren G. Harding’s was the first president
to take his oath and deliver his inaugural
address through loud speakers in 1921.
 Calvin Coolidge's inauguration in 1925 was
the first to be broadcast nationally by radio.
 Since 1937 Inauguration Day has been
January 20 (not March 4, as previously).
When January 20 is on a Sunday, the
president-elect usually takes the oath of
office privately and then repeats the
ceremony in public on Monday.
 Harry S Truman’s inauguration in 1949 was
the first to be televised.
 Ronald Reagan's second swearing-in
ceremony in 1985 had to be moved into the
Capitol because the temperature was –14
degrees Celsius.
 President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1997
was the first to be broadcast live over the
internet.
do much else. However, every president
since George Washington has given an
inaugural address and taken part in other
events that day. The average length of an
inaugural address today is about 2,000
words, but it can be shorter or longer.
George Washington’s second inaugural
address of 135 words in 1793 is the
shortest in history. William H. Harrison’s
inaugural address in 1841, on the other
hand, was the longest in history at 8,445
words. However, if you want to speak that
long, you need to be dressed for the
occasion. Washington, D.C. can be cold in
winter. Harrison skipped the overcoat,
caught pneumonia and died one month
later.
 Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009
set a record attendance (1.8 million) for any
event held in Washington, D.C.
Breaking with tradition
In some ways, Donald Trump’s inauguration is breaking with tradition. One case in point is that
fewer A-list artists and actors will take part in the inaugural events. At the inaugural concert at the
Lincoln Memorial on January 19, titled “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration”,
country singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood and actor Jon Voight will perform, but many artists
have turned down an offer to participate. The reason is probably that they do not want to be
associated with Trump. In contrast, Barack Obama’s inaugural concert in 2009 featured more than
30 artists and actors, such as Beyoncé, Jon Bon Jovi, John Legend, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, U2,
Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington. On the other hand, Trump does not want to
seem elitist in any way. Country music can serve that purpose.
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From Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony, 2013
Another break with tradition is a new announcer for the inaugural parade replacing 89-year-old
Charlie Brotman, who has had that job since 1957. The parade takes place after the inauguration
ceremony and lunch. Then the president makes his way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White
House, followed by a parade of military regiments, citizens' groups and marching bands. This time,
around, however, it will be without hearing Brotman’s famous voice in the background. Later on
Inauguration Day, it is custom that a president visits between eight and fourteen inaugural balls in
order to dance a few dance steps and perhaps say a few words. Supposedly, Donald Trump is going
to visit much fewer balls.
The purpose and style of the inaugural address
Inaugural addresses differ from typical political speeches. The primary aim of this type of speech is
not to persuade or focus on very concrete policies or actions. Rather, it is a ceremonial speech that
reflects more general political principles. Traditionally, some of the aims of an inaugural address
are:
1. To unify the American people by focusing on common values and aims.
2. To outline some political principles that will guide the president in his/her choices.
3. To show that the president is ready to take on the job as head of the executive branch by
recognizing the power, the challenges and the limitations of the job.
All first-term presidents have a job to do with regard to the first point here. After a long campaign,
arguing against the other party’s candidate and the opinions of about half of the population, it is
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time to speak on behalf of all the people. Unity becomes even more important after very heated
and divisive campaigns. Nonetheless, the style of speaking may not change dramatically. Even
during campaigns, most presidential candidates try to appeal to as many people as possible and
not push anybody away. One example is the use of a very inclusive “we”, such as Barack Obama’s
slogan during his campaigns, “Yes we can”. In this case, the pronoun “we” refers to the American
people, but in other cases, an inclusive “we” can also include various international alliances.
Trump, on the other hand, has a tendency to use very divisive language, creating a strong sense of
“we and they”, which has appealed to white, working class people who may have felt left behind
and ignored by the rest of the United States. Once elected, Trump said in his victory speech that
“it's time for America to bind the wounds of division”. Although this will also be the message in the
inaugural address, Trump continues to take to Twitter to mock people who disagree with him.
Furthermore, common values and aims are important to emphasize in an inaugural address. Part of
this ritual is to refer to historical
documents and former
presidents who represent
common values. It could be the
Constitution of the United
States, the Declaration of
Independence or the Founding
Fathers. Four of the Founding
Fathers (George Washington,
John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
and James Madison) also
became presidents, and both
Washington and Jefferson are often mentioned in political speeches. Other former presidents who
are likely to be honored in inaugural addresses are Abraham Lincoln (picture from his inauguration
above), Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Examples
of values that are likely to be referred to as part of the ritual, are freedom, democracy,
individualism, community spirit, hard work, competitiveness and the American dream.
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With regard to general political
principles, issues such as education,
Some of the most famous quotes from inaugural
defense and the power of the
addresses:
federal government are often
 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s in 1933, referring to the
mentioned, but only in very general
challenges of the Great Depression: “The only
terms. General terms are also used
thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
when presidents acknowledge the
power and limitations of the office
 John F. Kennedy in 1961, generally calling for
joint efforts:
of the president. Since George
Washington became the first
president of the United States, it
has been important to signal that a
president is not a king or someone
who can abuse his power in
relation to the other branches of
government or the people.
For that reason, references to the
Constitution do not only appeal to
 Ronald Reagan in 1981, referring to the aim of
a sense of unity, but also serve the
reducing the power of the federal government:
purpose of accepting the
“In this present crisis, government is not the
limitations of office of the
solution to our problem; government is the
president. In the same way, God is
problem.”
mentioned to appeal to religious
values, but also in acceptance of
powers beyond the president’s
power.
 Bill Clinton in 1993, generally calling for
optimism: “There is nothing wrong with
America that cannot be cured by what is right
with America.”
In addition, presidents can
acknowledge their own limitations
by referring to the power of the people or the need for their support. In his inaugural address in
1977, Jimmy Carter was very humble when he said: “Your strength can compensate for my
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weakness, and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes”.
Although Donald Trump is not very likely to talk about his weaknesses, he will probably follow the
ritual of referring to common values, outlining political principles and indirectly acknowledging
some limitations of power. Still, his inaugural address may turn out to be somewhat different from
previous addresses. It is even claimed that he is writing his own speech or at least downplaying the
role of advisors and speech writers. Not to rely on a team of professional speech writers would be
highly unusual, but if that is true, the purpose might be to show that he prepares speeches and
speaks like any other “regular guy”. In any case, there is a good chance that the speech will be on
the short side as far as inaugural addresses go, and without very formal language.
Tasks
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COMPREHENSION
Work in pairs and explain the following terms or expressions:
–
Election Day
–
Inauguration Day
–
Inaugural concert
–
Inaugural ceremony
–
Take the oath of the office
–
Inaugural address
–
Inaugural parade
–
Inaugural ball
–
Speech writer
–
The Declaration of the United States
–
The Constitution
–
The Founding Fathers
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2
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION (BEFORE AND AFTER THE INAUGURATION)
An inaugural address is in many ways a ritual, which means that it is quite predictable. Use Barack
Obama’s first inaugural address and answer the following questions:
a
How formal or informal is the language in the speech (compared to colloquial language)?
Give examples.
b
How long is the speech (number of words)?
c
On average, how many words are there in each sentence?
d
Identify uses of the pronouns “we” and “our”. Who are included in “we” and “our”, and
what is the effect of using these pronouns that way?
e
Which historical events or presidents does he refer to? What is the purpose of including this
in the speech?
f
Find examples of references to common values such as freedom and democracy in the
speech. For what purpose are these references used?
g
Which general principles for policies are outlined?
h
Are there references to God? If so, for what purpose are these references used?
After the inauguration:
i
Find a transcript of Donald Trump’s inaugural address at www.whitehouse.gov or
elsewhere. Then answer the same questions as above. Compare the speeches.
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WRITING/RESEARCH (AFTER THE INAUGURATION)
a
Make a summary of positive and negative reactions to Donald Trump’s inaugural address
around the world, including at least two American news sources.
One of these American news sources should be more conservative and the other more
liberal, for example The Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com) compared
to The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/), Fox News
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(http://www.foxnews.com/) compared to NBC News (http://www.nbcnews.com/) or the
Drudge Report (http://www.drudgereport.com/) compared to The Huffington Post
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/).
b
Then write your own comment on the inaugural address.
Will there be protests on Inauguration Day?
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