It’s a costly event any time a new president comes to town, and Washington, D.C. will be looking to the American taxpayer to foot much of the bill. Luckily private donations will cover the rest of the 58th presidential inauguration, where Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony takes place.
Here we’ll take a look at the numbers of President Obama’s first big event as a comparison. Remember, that was way back in the days of Recession-era wages and iPhone 3G’s:
Attendance – 800, 000. That’s the whopping number of people the Presidential Inauguration Committee expect in attendance for the inauguration and the parade. In 2009, Obama’s first inauguration was attended by an estimated 1.8 million people by comparison.
D.C. residents – $47 million. That’s how much Forbes estimates the District of Columbia paid for the 2009 inauguration, when Barack Obama was sworn in the first time.
Private donors – $65 – 75 million. The president-elect’s team hopes to offset costs of the lavish ceremonies with the help of private donations. A $25,000 ticket will get you VIP access into certain events, and you might get a word with the new Mr. President for a cool $1 million.
Everyone else – The 58th inauguration is open to the public, and you could attend balls and galas that are held in private venues. The prices really vary, but there is one number to keep in mind while looking ahead to the big day: 1. The number of times a total political outsider has been elected to take the oath of office.
President Obama’s inauguration at the Federal Capitol (Wikimedia Commons)
Inauguration speech – 1,366 words were contained in the text for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech. It was then that he famously asked the country, “My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.” Some speeches are so long, however, they have been rumored to kill a president after delivery. No word yet on the length of Trump’s address.
Security detail – 13,000 members of the National Guard are expected to be there to help make sure everything goes right. That’s in addition to the Secret Service, D.C. Police and U.S. Capitol Police patrol the area and provide security.
Average hotel rate in Washington, D.C. – $608. That’s according to STR, a private hotel marketing data firm who’s been in business since the days of Ronald Reagan.
One night in D.C.’s Trump International Hotel – $1200. Lest we forget the man rode down on a gold escalator with a supermodel to begin this whole thing. If you’re ballin’ on a budget with a “Love Trumps Hate” sign in tow, consider this — AirBnB costs in and around D.C. can be as low as $55 or $60 per night.
Flickr/Dave Winer
Public transportation – $25. The Metrorail will be open until 2 a.m. on the day of the president’s inauguration, and commemorative MARC tickets can be purchased for $25. For Obama’s first inauguration over 10,000 buses carried more than 500,000 people into the city, according to Forbes.
Airfare – $350. Prices increase exponentially as you get closer to the Jan. 19 departure date, but from some cities like Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Atlanta you can still find some cheap flights through economy airlines.
Inaugural parade $44 – A ticket to the parade isn’t usually too much, and at the last event in 2013 you could contact your congressman or senator and get in for under $50.
The day in History – 1801. That’s the first year the ceremony was held in Washington, D.C. It was for Thomas Jefferson, and has been a tradition ever since. The origin location was actually New York City, though, as even Gen. George Washington was awarded a ceremony.
The swearing-in ceremony for President Obama (Wikimedia Commons)