In Photos: the unseen pictures from Donald Trump’s bizarre inauguration

The 60th Presidential Inauguration looked a lot different than what the world has seen in the past. Images of the ceremony have been flooding online since it happened but there are a lot of pictures the world hasn’t seen quite yet. 

For example, the capitol building saw no outside guests thanks to the nasty weather in Washington D.C. According to CNN, Trump announced the inauguration was going to be moved inside to the Capitol Rotunda on January 17th. 

Authorities were given three days to come up with a new security plan, which led to 30 miles (48 kilometers) of fencing being placed around the capitol building, giving Trump a new record to brag about since it is the most that has ever been erected in the area. 

The Capitol Rotunda appeared huge in many of the photos and videos that emerged of the inauguration ceremony, but CCN reported that the venue could only seat 700, which made it quite intimate. The venue attracted a lot of high-profile individuals. 

More than 25,000 people were expected to attend the inauguration according to CNN. However, the new venue and cold weather didn’t deter thousands of Trump’s fans from gathering in the capitol. Forbes noted that 20,000 gathered at Capitol One Arena. 

Among the many celebrities, politicians, and business leaders in attendance were the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, the Prime Minister of Italy, Georgia Meloni, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. Forbes noted this was a rare occurrence. 

Also among the guests were three past presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. All three men enjoyed several photo ops throughout the inauguration, but there was one great picture of Obama. 

What former president Obama was thinking when this picture was snapped of him is unknown. UFC President Dana White can be seen in the image as well, so it seems presidents of all areas were invited to Trump’s Rotunda inauguration. 

Forbes reported that business leaders and billionaires like Amazon CEO Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Miriam Adelson, and Rupert Murdoch were in attendance.

Telsa CEO and major Trump supporter Elon Musk was also in attendance. Online pundits noted he was caught staring off at nothing often during the inauguration.

However, The Independent noted one of the inauguration's more bizarre moments happened later in the day when Musk gave what some claimed was a Nazi salute at Capitol One Arena.

President Joe Biden and President-Elect Donald Trump were captured in the moment just after both arrived at the Capitol Rotunda. Trump would later go on to spend the majority of his 30-minute inauguration speech bashing Biden's time in office.

Both Biden and Kamala Harris looked mortified while Trump spoke after his inauguration. However, it is difficult to know what comments incited such grimace from the two Democratic leaders.

Photographers caught several candid shots of the 47th President, but one of the best was a candid picture showing Trump going in for a handshake with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after he was sworn in by Roberts as the country's new President.

Another fantastic picture from Trump's inauguration showed House Speaker Mike Johnson with what could be misty eyes. What caused his reaction is unknown but it was a great shot.

In October 2024, The New Republic reported that polling numbers for JD Vance were "abysmal". All throughout Trump's campaign, news agencies joked about the country's historic dislike for Vance. However, it is clear from this image of his swearing-in as Vice President that there is at least one person in America who really does like Vance: his wife Usha Vance.

There are many other interesting photos from Trump's inauguration. But few are better than this final image we will leave you with. In the image, Trump is signing one of many major Executive Orders that he promised he would sign on his first day in office. These orders may change the nation forever, however only time will tell if that happens.

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