President-elect Trump’s second inauguration is expected to be watched by millions of people across the United States. Television networks, online publications, and social media are gearing up for this big event. The way inaugurations are presented to the public has changed dramatically in recent years.
“We must think big and dream even bigger,” Trump said in his first inaugural address in 2017.
Tens of millions of people watched his first speech in real time both on television and online streaming. However, analysis of inaugural addresses and speeches is not always readily available. When George Washington was sworn in for the first time in 1789, his speech was not shown to the public until several days later.
Trump announces latest Cabinet nominations for January 20, Inauguration Day approaches
Thomas Jefferson became the first president to have his inaugural address published in a newspaper on the same day as his 1801 speech. The Office of National Intelligence printed Jefferson’s speech on the morning of his inauguration.
James Polk was the first president whose speeches were telegraphed. It was also the first time that a speech was published in a newspaper illustration by The Illustrated London News.
This inauguration illustration shows James Polk taking the presidential oath. Polk’s inauguration was the first to be published as an illustration in a newspaper. (Library of Congress)
Paintings were used as the main visual for inauguration ceremonies for another 12 years, before photography became more frequently used. James Buchanan was the first president to be photographed at the swearing-in ceremony. Another 40 years later, video was used to record the inauguration ceremony, which was open to the public.
William McKinley was the first president to appear on movie camera during his inaugural address in 1901. At the time, only silent films were available, but that changed over the years as sound was incorporated into inaugural addresses.
James Buchanan became the first president to be photographed during the oath of office. (Library of Congress)
In 1921, Warren Harding was the first to use a bullhorn to directly address the crowd attending his inauguration. Four years later, Calvin Coolidge broadcast his inauguration on radio for the first time nationwide. The White House Historical Association estimates that his 1925 speech reached more than 23 million radio listeners. Herbert Hoover held the first multimedia inauguration ceremony. His 1929 speech was first recorded on a talking newsreel.
“This is a dedication and consecration under God to the highest office of service to the nation,” Hoover said in his speech.
After World War II, more Americans purchased televisions for their homes. By 1949, nearly every major city had at least one local television station, and 4.2 million American homes had televisions. That year, Harry Truman became the first president to broadcast his inauguration live. More than a decade later, John F. Kennedy had his speech broadcast in color to an estimated 500,000 Americans who owned color televisions.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy famously said in his inaugural address.
Ronald Reagan sought to deliver a glamorous inauguration event to Americans across the country. His inaugural committee hosted approximately 100 satellite inaugural balls, which were broadcast in 32 cities.
Americans once had to wait days to read a president’s inaugural address in a newspaper. The event is currently being live-streamed in real-time around the world. (Related news organizations)
“At the first inauguration, almost 200 years ago, people arrived by stagecoach. This time, millions of people from all over the country will attend by satellite,” President Reagan said at a ball at the Washington Hilton Hotel. spoke.
More than a decade later, Bill Clinton’s second inauguration in 1997 was available to watch on the Internet via livestream. Mr. Clinton had signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 at the Library of Congress exactly one year earlier.
“Ten years ago, the Internet was the mystical realm of physicists; now it is a commonplace encyclopedia for millions of schoolchildren,” Clinton said in her inaugural address. “As we reflect on this remarkable century, we may ask: ‘Can we hope to not only follow, but even surpass, the achievements of the 20th century in America?’
With the development of the Internet, the use of social media has also expanded.
“We have always understood that as times change, we must change,” Barack Obama said in his second inaugural address in 2013.
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President Obama was the first president to join Twitter. His 2013 speech generated more than 1 million tweets. According to Pew Research, about 51% of Americans owned a smartphone at the time. After Trump took office in 2017, that percentage rose to 77%. Cellphone carriers installed external cell phone antennas ahead of the speech in preparation for the large crowd who were likely to share photos and videos of the day’s events on social media.
When Joe Biden spoke in 2021, his inaugural committee relied on technology for nearly every aspect of the event. The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of Biden’s celebrations to move online.
“Today, the world’s eyes are on all of us, so here’s a message to those across our borders: America has been tested, and we’ve come out stronger for it,” Biden said in his speech. ” he said.
Bret Baier currently serves as Anchor and Special Reports Editor-in-Chief for FOX News Channel (FNC), and is the network’s chief political anchor and co-anchor of the network’s election coverage. (6:00-7:00 p.m. ET) and serves as editor-in-chief. Baier is also the host of FOX News Audio’s “Bret Baier Podcast,” which includes Common Ground and the All-Star Panel. He joined FNC in 1998 as the inaugural reporter in the Atlanta bureau and is currently based in Washington, DC.
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