Written by Steve Holland and Tim Reid
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump will cruise to victory on Sunday with a campaign-style rally in Washington, D.C., a day before he is sworn in for a second term four years after losing the White House to Joe Biden.
Trump's “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” — scheduled for 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) in Capital One (NYSE:) Arena – marks his first major speech in Washington since he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to protest his defeat.
Thousands of people stormed the building in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the results. Trump pledged to pardon more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the attack.
His rallying statements, along with his inaugural address on Monday, could offer a preview of the tone he intends to adopt in the first days of his second term in office. In recent weeks, Trump has puzzled foreign allies by thinking out loud about seizing Greenland and the Panama Canal and turning Canada into a US state.
The rally will likely resemble the free speech that has been a staple of Trump since his first campaign for the White House in 2016.
The world's richest man, Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump's confidants since spending more than $250 million to promote his campaign, is scheduled to speak at the event, along with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is also planning to attend the rally, amid uncertainty over whether Trump will take steps to save the app from a US ban set to take effect on Sunday. Chiu is expected to join other tech executives at Trump's inauguration on Monday.
Singer and rapper Kid Rock, disco group The Village People, singer Billy Ray Cyrus and singer Lee Greenwood are scheduled to perform at the march.
The White House said President Joe Biden will make his last official trip as president on Sunday to Charleston, South Carolina, to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which falls on Monday. He will attend services and speak about King's legacy at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.
Earlier Sunday, Trump will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. In the evening, he will address his wealthy supporters at a dinner party in Washington.
The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to take place at noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Monday, when Trump will take the presidential oath inside the Capitol's rotunda, after cold weather prompted organizers to move the ceremony indoors. There will be approximately 25,000 law enforcement personnel on hand to provide security.
