WASHINGTON — Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration will look different for several reasons.
The crowd will be significantly smaller as no tickets are being offered to the public. There will be no parade from the Capitol building to the White House. And, still, the country is coming off of an unprecedented insurrection in the middle of a pandemic.
The guest list will look different, too, as some of the people we can usually expect to see won’t be traveling Wednesday to D.C.
For starters, President Donald Trump already announced via Twitter that he won’t be attending the inauguration.
Typically, the outgoing president sits behind the incoming president as a symbol of a peaceful transfer of power. However, Trump plans to leave the White House early Wednesday for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
This comes after Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time during his presidency.
President-elect Joe Biden said Trump’s decision not to attend is "one of the few things he and I have ever agreed on."
Vice President Mike Pence will, however, be attending the inauguration on Wednesday.
We can also count on seeing former President George W. Bush along with former first lady Laura Bush at the Capitol steps, Bush’s Chief of Staff Freddy Ford confirmed.
"Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country," Bush said in a statement.
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to attend, along with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The oldest living former leader, President Jimmy Carter, and his wife, Rosalynn, will not be attending. This will be the first presidential inauguration Carter will miss since he was sworn in as president in 1977. Carter and the former first lady are 96 and 93-years-old, respectively.
"President and Mrs. Carter will not travel to Washington for the inauguration but have sent their best wishes to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and look forward to a successful administration," said Deanna Congileo, a spokeswoman for the Carter Center.
Hundreds of thousands of excited spectators will also be missing from the crowd as the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will not be distributing tickets to members of the public this year. Members of Congress will be allowed to attend with a limited number of guests.
Even if you can't be there in person, you can watch the 59th presidential inauguration on 10 Tampa Bay or on the 10 Tampa Bay app.
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