George Washington delivered his first inaugural address before a joint session of Congress in New York City’s Federal Hall on April 30, 1789. Washington, stepping into the newly created role of ...

President Donald Trump gave his inaugural address to a packed Capitol rotunda of family, tech CEOs, prospective Cabinet officials, and members of Congress—in that specific order of importance. Shortly ...

A sea of onlookers surrounds the east steps of the U.S. Capitol to witness the 2005 swearing-in ceremony of President George W. Bush. Paul Morse/National Archives and Records Administration. George ...

America's civic rituals are astonishingly spare. The inauguration of a president is a short ceremony, constructed around a simple oath prescribed by the U.S. Constitution, and followed by a speech. To ...

As Callista and I sat in the Rotunda listening to President Trump’s inaugural address, I realized that it was among the most revolutionary inaugural addresses in American history. Mr. Trump will be ...