Unprecedented security for Trump inauguration
About 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel are deployed across Washington, but the FBI says no specific threats have been detected.
WASHINGTON – Talk about a security bubble. The inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is unfolding under what U.S. officials describe as layers upon layers of protection in one of the most complex and tightly coordinated security operations in history.
As Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, their families and a host of other dignitaries attended a service at St. John's Church in Lafayette Square, the area – and the adjacent White House and Blair House – was ringed with dump trucks, police vehicles and black SUVs blocking entry to cars.
Temporary fencing and vehicle barricades have been erected near the White House, Capitol and key intersections around the nation’s capital to limit access and control crowds. Special police units including canine teams and surveillance drones conducted ongoing sweeps.
An estimated 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel are deployed across the city, including 4,000 D.C. police officers and additional support from Capitol Police and the National Guard. At a news briefing Sunday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and federal authorities said there were also thousands of personnel in town from law enforcement agencies across the U.S.
Other aspects of the security bubble aren’t visible, including surveillance systems and undercover agents on the lookout for potential “lone wolf” terrorists and assailants like those who carried out recent attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, according to DC officials, the Secret Service and the FBI.
Unprecedented measures, but no specific threats
The unprecedented security measures are also in place in response to the two high-profile assassination attempts on Trump during the 2024 campaign, authorities said.
But FBI put out a statement Sunday stating that there are no specific or credible threats to the inauguration.
“The FBI is not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural events. We continue to work closely with our partners to share information and identify and disrupt any threats that may emerge,” said the statement, from the FBI’s Washington field office.
A National Special Security Event
Designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security, the inauguration puts the Secret Service at the helm of a multi-agency effort to ensure a safe transition of power.
The NSSE designation grants federal resources and mandates close collaboration with agencies including the FBI, Capitol Police, and the Department of Defense. The FBI, for instance, is responsible for thwarting any potential terrorist attacks.
A fast pivot to indoors
Trump made the decision to move his swearing-in indoors completely on his own, and it had with nothing to do with any ongoing threats, a federal law enforcement official familiar with inauguration security told Paste BN.
“That decision was made exclusively by the President because of weather,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing threat mitigation efforts. He said the Secret Service was “not tracking any other item” in terms of threats.
Within an hour of the ceremonies being moved inside, authorities pivoted quickly, mobilizing more than two dozen law enforcement partners.
That included expanding the security perimeter at the Capital One Arena, which is hosting about 20,000 of the attendees who had planned to watch the proceedings at the Capitol, officials said at the news briefing Sunday on security measures.