The debate over the size of President-elect Trump's inauguration crowd was particularly contentious in 2017, with the White House claiming the media was underreporting Trump's numbers.
The swearing-in ceremony was held indoors due to harsh winter weather, and President Trump is likely to avoid questions about his attendance this time.
Fox News learned on Friday that President Trump's inauguration will be held indoors due to subzero temperatures expected in Washington, D.C., on Monday. President Trump announced that he has ordered his inaugural address and other ceremonial prayers and speeches to be held in the Capitol Rotunda to protect people from harm.
President Trump posted on Truth Social: “The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., shows that temperatures could reach severe record lows due in part to wind chill.''
Trump to attend inauguration ceremony indoors: The last ceremony held indoors was President Reagan's in 1985.
The U.S. Capitol building is surrounded by fencing and bollards in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Preparations are underway for President-elect Trump's inauguration on Monday. (Fox News Digital)
“An arctic blast is sweeping this country. I don't want to see people hurt or injured in any way. Tens of thousands of law enforcement, first responders, police… It's a dangerous situation for the K9s, and even the horses. Hundreds of thousands of supporters will be outside for hours on the 20th (if you decide to come anyway, please come dressed warmly!) ” he continued.
President Trump also said Capital One Arena would open on Monday for live viewing of his inauguration and “host a presidential parade.”
“After I take the oath, I will join the crowd at Capital One,” Trump wrote.
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The inaugural committee confirmed President Trump's remarks and said the ceremony will be moved to the Capitol Rotunda, a spokeswoman for the committee said.
With attendees unable to gather outside in the cold, a photo op of Trump and the record-setting crowd is now out of the question, and an opportunity for people to challenge the size of the crowd Trump claimed was in 2017. will also disappear.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer blasted news organizations shortly after President-elect Donald Trump's first inauguration, citing inaccurate reporting about crowd sizes. (AP)
Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer slammed the press shortly after Trump's first inauguration, accusing them of inaccurately reporting crowd sizes.
The day after the inauguration, Spicer said in a tweet that “the inauguration photo was intentionally taken in a way that minimized the overwhelming amount of support that gathered on the National Mall.”
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“Inaccurate numbers were also tweeted about the size of the crowd,” he said at the time. “The National Park Service, which manages the National Mall, doesn't release numbers, so no one had numbers.”
“These attempts to dampen the excitement of Inauguration Day are shameful and wrong,” Spicer said.
The Washington Post reported at the time that President Trump called the acting director of the National Park Service on his first day in office to object to a photo that went viral of the size of the inauguration crowd.
President Biden also faced crowd size barriers at his 2021 inauguration due to coronavirus restrictions. (Getty Images)
President Biden also faced crowd size barriers at his 2021 inauguration due to coronavirus restrictions. His ceremony was sparsely attended, with former presidents and first ladies also in attendance. Participants wore masks, many were not adhering to social distancing guidelines, and some were seen high-fiving and hugging.
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The last inauguration held indoors was President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in January 1985. President Reagan took the oath of office at the White House the day before the ceremony, but the next day's public event was held indoors as temperatures reached 7 degrees. Wind chill is minus 40 degrees.
Fox News' Chris Pandolfo, Peter Doocy, Chad Pergram and Aishah Hasnie contributed to this report.
