THERE HAS BEEN much talk in recent weeks about Donald Trump’s team reportedly struggling to get A-list names to attend the new US President’s inauguration and celebratory ball.
A number of big names publicly rejected apparent offers to perform, while other people, including a Bruce Springsteen tribute act – the B-Street Band, dropped out of performing at events to mark the start of Trump’s presidency.
Tom Barrack, chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee, previously said yesterday’s inauguration in Washington DC would have “poetic cadence,” rather than be a “circus-like” coronation.
So, how do Trump and Obama’s big days compare?
To quote the Washington Post, inaugurations are “really, really expensive”.
The newspaper recently crunched the numbers and estimates that yesterday’s inauguration and related events will cost in the region of $175 million to $200 million (around €164 million to €187.5 million). About $70 million (around €65.5 million) will come from private donations, with taxpayers footing the rest of the bill.
For Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, his committee raised a then record of $53 million (about €49.7 million) in private donations – about a third of the overall cost.
How do Trump’s festivities compare to Obama’s first inauguration in 2009 – in terms of performances and attendance?
Obama’s inauguration as 44th President of the United States
- Date: 20 January 2009
- Age: 47
- Party: Democratic
- Attendance: Estimates vary from 1.1 million to 1.8 million people, with tens of millions more watching on TV or online
- Former US presidents in attendance: Jimmy Carter, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton and George W Bush
- Performers (at the inauguration ceremony, ball and related events): Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Beyoncé, U2, Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J Blige, Sheryl Crow, will.i.am, Marc Anthony, among others
- Cost: In the region of $150 million (about €140.6 million)
Trump’s inauguration as 45th President of the United States
- Age: 70
- Party: Republican
- Attendance: Estimates range from 250,000 to 900,000 people, plus online and TV audience
- Former US presidents in attendance: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton (along with his wife, former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton), George W Bush and Barack Obama (George HW Bush is in hospital)
- Performers (at the inauguration ceremony, ball and related events): America’s Got Talent singer Jackie Evancho, 3 Doors Down, the Radio City Rockettes, The Piano Guys, Tony Orlando, Sam Moore, Lee Greenwood, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, Michael Flatley, among others
- Cost: In the region of $175 million to $200 million (around €164 million to €187.5 million)
Read: Michael Flatley ‘set to perform’ at Trump inauguration
Read: Here’s how plans for Trump’s ‘softly sensual’ inauguration are going
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