WASHINGTON (AP) – From a morning stop at church through the swearing-in to the last dance of the evening, it’s going to be an inaugural marathon on Friday. Donald Trump will take Washington by storm, no matter what the weather. (Which, by the way, looks like rain.)
Some things to watch for on Inauguration Day:
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35 or 39?
Trump’s oath of office is the only essential on Friday; all the rest is window dressing. The Constitution sets out a 35-word oath for the new president. Some presidents make it 39 by tacking on “so help me God.” There are conflicting stories about when the ad lib started. The National Archives says George Washington added the words when he took the oath at his 1789 inaugural. Some say the first eyewitness account of a president using those words came at Chester Arthur’s inauguration in 1881. Historian Jim Bendat says Washington’s use of the phrase is a myth, but every president since 1933 has done it.