WASHINGTON—Authorities project there will be more than 250,000 ticketed guests at President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration and fewer demonstrators than anticipated.
“We encourage people to show up early just because of the size of the crowds we expect,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said during a Jan. 13 press conference about the ceremony with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, and other federal and local authorities.
President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration was kept small due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump’s 2017 inauguration attracted between 300,000 and 600,000 people, according to a crowd scientist. The event was marked by large demonstrations.
While the upcoming inauguration will see protests, the numbers attending are not expected to be as high as predicted.
Manger estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people will attend the People’s March on Washington, a protest scheduled for Jan. 18 at the Lincoln Memorial.
That’s down from the 50,000 figure previously floated by organizers in a permit application.
Manger said that a permit for an organization called We Fight Back estimated 10,000 would attend its protests across downtown D.C. on Inauguration Day.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith estimated there would be a dozen demonstrations on Jan. 20.
She said the People’s March was expected to attract “maybe 25,000 or less,” noting that it was “the largest event” of that kind slated to occur.
Manger told The Epoch Times there were no indications that extreme groups—similar to those who protested against the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2024—were likely to show up in D.C. in the coming days.
A violent anti-DNC protest outside Chicago’s Israeli consulate that was organized by the anarchist group “Behind Enemy Lines”—and the pro-Hamas organization Samidoun—led to dozens of arrests, including of many individuals with ties to the West Coast.
“We’re prepared for any of that,” Manger said of the possibility of similar protests.
“The biggest threat for all of us remains the lone actor,” the U.S. Capitol Police chief said.
Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent Dave Sundberg offered reassurances on security ahead of Inauguration Day, in light of the two assassination attempts Trump survived while on the campaign trail.
“We are not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural ceremony or to the capitol complex,” Sundberg told reporters.
Authorities noted that the inauguration is just the latest in a string of recent local National Special Security Events (NSSE).
The two previous security events were President Jimmy Carter’s funeral and the certification of the 2024 presidential election results on Jan. 6.
U.S. Secret Service Agent Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Washington office, said that fencing for the upcoming NSSE will complement fencing already in place after those events.
“More than 30 miles of anti-scale fence will be used for the inauguration, more than any other NSSE ever before,” McCool said.
He said that drones would be part of his agency’s activities.
“Do not be alarmed if you see these assets during the inauguration or in training in the days ahead,” McCool said.
