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Library of Congress Research Guides

U.S. Presidential Inaugurations: A Resource Guide

Presidential Inaugurations: 2001-

This page contains primary source materials related to presidential inaugurations from 2001 to the present. Select a link below to jump directly to a description of that president's inauguration along with related digitized materials from the Library's collections.

43. George W. Bush 44. Barack Obama 45. Donald Trump 46. Joe Biden

George W. Bush

The forty-third president of the United States, George W. Bush served two terms as president (2001-09).

First Inauguration - January 20, 2001

Facts*

  • George W. Bush had hoped to use the Masonic Bible that had been used both by George Washington in 1789, and by his father, George H. W. Bush, in 1989. This historic Bible had been transported, under guard, from New York to Washington D.C. for the Inauguration but, due to inclement weather, a family Bible was substituted instead.

Second Inauguration - January 20, 2005

Facts*

  • Largest inaugural platform to date.
  • First time anti-counterfeiting security has been designed into the tickets.
  • First live Web Cam of inaugural platform construction.
  • First inauguration with secure inaugural credentials.

Barack Obama

The forty-fourth president of the United States, Barack Obama served two terms as president (2009-17).

First Inauguration - January 20, 2009

Facts*

  • First African American to hold the office of President of the United States.
  • Largest attendance of any event in the history of Washington, D.C.
  • Largest attendance of any Presidential Inauguration in U.S. history.
  • First citizen born in Hawaii to hold the office.
  • Highest viewership ever of the swearing-in ceremonies on the Internet.
  • First woman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, to emcee the ceremony.
  • First inaugural webcast to include captioning.
  • First swearing-in ceremony to include an audio description.
  • Took the oath of office on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1861.

Second Inauguration - January 21, 2013

  • Took the oath of office on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1861. This Bible was used by President Barack Obama for his oath of office on both January 20, 2009 and on January 21, 2013.

Donald Trump

The forty-fifth president of the United States, Donald Trump served one term as president (2017-21). Photographs and video from Donald Trump's inauguration can be found on the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) website.

Inauguration - January 20, 2017

Joe Biden

The forty-sixth president of the United States, Joe Biden was elected president in 2020. Photographs and video from Joe Biden's inauguration can be found on the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) website.

Inauguration - January 20, 2021

*Please note: This information is based on a compilation by the Office of the Curator, Architect of the Capitol, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, from contemporary accounts and other sources. Additional research provided by Library of Congress staff.

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