Trump to hold victory rally in D.C. one day before his second inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated to begin his second term on Jan. 20, but he and his supporters will be looking to begin the celebration of his re-election before he officially enters office.
One day early, on Jan. 19, Trump will hold a victory rally at a large indoor arena in Washington D.C., according to CBS News.
Scheduled for the afternoon, the event will be held in the 20,000-seat Capitol One Arena, which is the home of the NBA's Washington Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitols.
Limited tickets available for victory rally
D.C.'s NBC affiliate reported that the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee recently announced that it would hold a celebratory rally for President-elect Trump and his team at the Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C. on Sunday, Jan. 19, just one day before Trump is inaugurated as the 47th president.
A webpage was created to promote the "Make America Great Again Victory Rally," and Trump's supporters were encouraged to "Join President Trump at Capital One Arena for a victory rally you'll never forget!"
The sign-up site noted that prospective rally-goers would be limited to just two tickets per registered mobile phone number, and that the estimated 20,000 seats would be available on a "first come first serve basis."
The arena itself is operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which told the local media outlet that it welcomed Trump and his supporters, and said, "We have made our arena available to every administration for inaugural events, dating back decades, irrespective of party."
"We are happy that President Trump has accepted our offer and we will welcome him and his guests to Capital One Arena on January 19," the group added.
Trump's last D.C. rally preceded the Capitol riot
President-elect Trump is well-known for his campaign and political rallies over the years which are typically packed and boisterous affairs, in which he often speaks at great length and weaves together at-times disparate grievances about the current state of the nation, humorous anecdotes, and his plans to make the country great again.
Ironically enough, The Hill reported that the last time Trump held a rally in Washington D.C. was on Jan. 6, 2021, when he addressed a crowd of angry and disappointed supporters at the Ellipse subsequent to some of that crowd then marching on and protesting or rioting at the nearby Capitol building in opposition to the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 victory.
Given Trump's decisive victory in November, a repeat incident seems highly unlikely, unless, of course, the anti-Trump resistance decides to marshall its own force of opposition to disrupt what otherwise appears to be a smooth transition of power in the coming days and weeks.
How many supporters will attend Trump's inauguration?
Local CBS affiliate WUSA noted that while President-elect Trump's victory rally in D.C. on Jan. 19 will be limited in size by the number of seats available in the arena -- though, arrangements are often made by Trump's team to accommodate overflow crowds outside his rallies -- a much larger gathering is expected the following day for his inauguration.
There was never a definitive number given for how many of Trump's supporters turned out for his first inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, but officials had estimated as many as 900,000 would show up and the D.C. Metro system claimed more than 570,000 riders on that day, though that Metro number doesn't count inauguration attendees who arrived via cars or buses or on foot.
It remains unclear at this time how many people will attend Trump's second inauguration, but it is certainly within the realm of possibility for that figure to exceed the 1 million mark.