RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Later this morning, the 45th president of the United States will be sworn into office. Donald Trump arrived in Washington, D.C., yesterday.
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
And the inaugural events got started last night with a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Afterwards, Trump spoke to his supporters.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DONALD TRUMP: We all got tired of seeing what was happening. And we wanted change, but we wanted real change.
GREENE: OK. NPR's Scott Detrow, who spent so many mornings with us throughout the campaign, helping us understand what was happening, is going to do the same today for this inaugural day. Scott, welcome back.
SCOTT DETROW, BYLINE: Morning, David.
GREENE: So take us through the day. What exactly is going to happen? I mean, it seems like every moment has a little bit of weight of history with it.
DETROW: Yeah. Donald Trump talked about change. Basically, every incoming president talks about change when they run for president. But Inauguration Day itself, there's not much change.
(LAUGHTER)
DETROW: There's a very set schedule. It's ceremonial. There's a few markers. And one of them is the day begins around 8:30 with a prayer service at a church right near the White House. At 9:30, the Trumps go to the White House, and they meet the Obamas. And they all sit down for tea together. And this is...
MARTIN: You know that it's tea?
DETROW: It is tea.
MARTIN: (Laughter) OK.
DETROW: We have seen that it's tea. Yeah, this year - coffee or tea. But they all sit there in the Blue Room. They chitchat.
GREENE: That's where I really want to be a fly on the wall.
MARTIN: Yeah.
GREENE: I mean, that must be extraordinary.
DETROW: An interesting conversation, especially for all the ways that Donald Trump attacked Barack Obama over the last eight years. And now Barack Obama hands over power to him. And this is not on the set schedule. But we know that right around this time is when Donald Trump will be given a really important briefing. And that's familiarizing him with the nuclear codes, walking him through that nuclear football and how to use it starting at noon today, when he's in charge of it.
MARTIN: Wow.
DETROW: So they all get in a limousine around 10:30. And they go to the Capitol. And that's when all the moving trucks pull up at the White House because they have a very small window. Think about how long it takes you to move in and out. David, you just moved across the country. So you can relate.
GREENE: I did. Yes, I know what it's like. But these are not, like, Ryder trucks. I mean, these are probably some special...
DETROW: They're big trucks. But they pull up. The Obama stuff all goes out. The White House is cleaned, redone as much as it can. The Trumps move in. And by the time the Trumps get there after all the ceremonies this evening, they're moved in.
GREENE: And then, of course, the big speech comes. And that'll be at midday.
DETROW: Right. Yeah. Around 11 o'clock hour is when that gets started. There's music. There's some prayers. Donald Trump will take the oath of office around noon and will give his inaugural address. We're expecting it to be shorter - around 20 minutes or so - and big-picture. Philosophical is the word that his spokesperson used.
MARTIN: OK, Scott. Stay with us throughout the hour as we follow all of this. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
