Scenes from a packed rotunda: Moguls, former presidents -- and some notable absences

Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times on Jan 20, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Trump's inauguration on Monday in the U.S. Capitol rotunda at times seemed surreal.

Hundreds of the world's most powerful people — among them every living president as well as billionaire tech executives — crammed cheek-by-jowl in the 7,200-square-foot space after the ceremony was moved indoors because of a bitter cold snap, one that prevented the inauguration from taking place outside on the West Front of the Capitol for the first time in four decades.

Podcasters mingled with the president's family. Media and Silicon Valley titans held court alongside long-time GOP donors. Former presidents with sharp policy differences joked before the ceremony even began.

Former President George W. Bush, who famously said, "That was some weird s—" after Trump's 2017 inaugural address, was asked by a staffer on Monday whether he planned to behave shortly before he entered the rotunda. Former President Barack Obama answered on Bush's behalf: "Nope."

The two men, seated near former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and behind outgoing President Joe Biden and outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, appeared to have a running commentary throughout Trump's remarks. Former first lady Laura Bush sat between Bush and Obama.

There were some notable absences — former first lady Michelle Obama, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and former second lady Karen Pence, who notably snubbed Trump at former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral on Jan. 9.

Her husband, Mike Pence, who served as Trump's vice president in his first term and whom insurrectionists chanted about killing during the Jan. 6 effort to overturn Trump's 2020 loss, attended, as did former Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife, Marilyn.

Pence has previously stated that Trump's "reckless words" on Jan. 6 endangered everyone at the Capitol that day, including him and his family. The former president and reelected president responded by calling Pence "delusional."

The ornate neoclassical site where dignitaries gathered and Trump took the oath of office on Monday was ironic. It was the site his supporters stormed as they sought to stop the certification of the 2020 election.

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, addressed the theme of the ceremony in her opening remarks.

"Today President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance will take their oath of office and we will witness the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy," said Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020 before dropping out and endorsing Biden. "Our theme this year is our enduring democracy. The presence of so many presidents and vice presidents here today is truly a testament to that endurance."

She spoke in front of roughly 600 people beneath the Rotunda's grand dome, who were crammed tightly together in folding chairs that appeared more reminiscent of a high school graduation than an inauguration ceremony.

Trump's Cabinet appointees received less choice seating than billionaire backers such as Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. Every member of the Supreme Court attended and the room was full of senators and House members who spent much of their time taking selfies and videos for their followers.

_____