Everyone Wants to "Attend Trump's Inauguration"... Turns Out 220,000 General Admission Tickets Only

General Admission Available to All Ticket Holders
Inauguration Can Be Viewed from the National Mall Lawn Without a Ticket

On the 20th (local time), the second inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, will be held, and political, business, and religious figures from Korea are also reporting their attendance one after another. However, even if they attend the inauguration, it is highly likely that they will not be able to meet President-elect Trump.

Only 1,400 seats are officially prepared for the presidential inauguration ceremony. Most attendees will be seated in places arranged with 220,000 general admission tickets issued by the U.S. Congress, not at the official presidential inauguration venue.

The general admission seats are located more than 100 meters away from the event stage and are mainly distributed by members of the House and Senate to their close acquaintances. Standing tickets are also distributed free of charge to local residents who apply in advance. Inauguration tickets can even be purchased through secondhand transactions, currently trading on eBay for $100 to $500. Even without a ticket, anyone can watch the inauguration from the National Mall lawn on the west side of the Capitol.

President-elect Trump arriving in Washington. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The only person representing our government attending President-elect Trump's inauguration is Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong to the United States. Among the domestic figures who have announced their attendance at Trump's inauguration so far, those who clearly stated the invitation source include Chung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, who was invited by Trump's eldest son, and lawmakers Cho Jung-hoon and Kim Dae-sik of the People Power Party, who were invited by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. Other political figures attending the inauguration include Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu; Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province; Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon; and Kwon Seong-dong, Floor Leader of the People Power Party. In addition, a delegation of seven members from the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee also departed for the U.S. to attend the inauguration. From the People Power Party, lawmakers Na Kyung-won, Kang Min-guk, Cho Jung-hoon, and Kim Dae-sik formed a party-level diplomatic delegation to the U.S. Lawmaker Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party individually boarded a flight to the U.S. on the 17th to attend the inauguration.

Meanwhile, unlike President Joe Biden's inauguration four years ago, which was scaled down due to COVID-19 and Trump's refusal to concede the election, this inauguration of President-elect Trump is expected to return to a more traditional format.

Ahead of the inauguration of Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, on the 20th (local time), police are patrolling the pond in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC with police dogs on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), the U.S. presidential inauguration proceeds in the order of the outgoing and incoming presidents' statements, movement to the inauguration venue, oath-taking, inaugural address, seeing off the outgoing president, the new president's signing ceremony, luncheon, military review, and parade. The oath-taking is conducted on a podium set up in the west yard of the U.S. Capitol. Around the podium, 1,400 VIPs including the president-elect and vice president-elect and their families, President Biden and Vice President Harris, members of the House and Senate, federal Supreme Court justices, and former presidents are seated. After the inaugural address, it is customary to see off the outgoing president and spouse, and then the president-elect performs their first official act after inauguration in the 'President's Room' prepared in the U.S. Capitol.

After the signing ceremony, there is an inaugural luncheon at the Capitol, followed by a celebratory parade and ball. Attendance at events such as the ball, organized by President-elect Trump's inaugural committee, is determined separately by the committee.

The New York Times (NYT) reported that Trump's inaugural committee planned to give VIP tickets to six events, six tickets per event, to those who donated $1 million (about 1.46 billion KRW) or raised $2 million (about 2.92 billion KRW) for the committee. These events include the oath-taking, a 'candlelight dinner' with President-elect Trump and his spouse on the 19th, and a dinner with Vice President-elect Pence and his spouse on the 18th. However, due to the enormous demand for these tickets, they sold out early, and some donors who contributed $1 million did not receive tickets, according to the NYT. It is reported that Hyundai Motor Group donated $1 million domestically.