Ousted Syrian leader Assad flees to Moscow after fall of Damascus, Russian state media say

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule.

Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.

The swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region.

“Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," President Joe Biden said, crediting action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He called the fall of Assad a “fundamental act of justice” but also a “moment of risk and uncertainty,” and said rebel groups are “saying the right things now” but the U.S. would assess their actions.

Russia requested an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Syria, according to Dmitry Polyansky, its deputy ambassador to the U.N., in a post on Telegram.

The arrival of Assad and his family in Moscow was reported by Russian agencies Tass and RIA, citing an unidentified source at the Kremlin. A spokesman there didn't immediately respond to questions. RIA also said Syrian insurgents had guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria.

Earlier, Russia said Assad left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully.

The leader of Syria's biggest rebel faction, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, is poised to chart the country’s future. The former al-Qaida commander cut ties with the group years ago and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the U.N.

In his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, al-Golani visited the Umayyad Mosque and described Assad's fall as “a victory to the Islamic nation.” Calling himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre, he said Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.”

The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas.

Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released. They urged people to preserve the institutions of “the free Syrian state,” and announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m.

An online video purported to show rebels freeing dozens of women at the notorious Saydnaya prison, where rights groups say thousands were tortured and killed. At least one small child was seen among them.

“This happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of prison and know where is he,” said one relative, Bassam Masr. "I have been searching for him for two hours. He has been detained for 13 years.”

Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi appeared on state TV and sought to reassure religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects.”

“We will not deal with people the way the Assad family did," he added.

Damascus residents prayed in mosques and celebrated in squares, calling, “God is great.” People chanted anti-Assad slogans and honked car horns. Teenage boys picked up weapons apparently discarded by security forces and fired into the air.

Soldiers and police fled their posts and looters broke into the Defense Ministry. Families wandered the presidential palace, walking by damaged portraits of Assad. Other parts of the capital were empty and shops were closed.

“It’s like a dream. I need someone to wake me up," said opposition fighter Abu Laith, adding the rebels were welcomed in Damascus with “love.”

Rebels stood guard at the Justice Ministry, where Judge Khitam Haddad said he and colleagues were protecting documents. Outside, residents sought information about relatives who disappeared under Assad.

The rebels “have felt the pain of the people,” said one woman, giving only her first name, Heba. She worried about possible revenge killings by the rebels, many of whom appeared to be underage.

Syria’s historically pro-government newspaper al-Watan called it “a new page for Syria. We thank God for not shedding more blood.” It added that media workers should not be blamed for publishing past government statements ordered from above.

A statement from the Alawite sect that formed the core of Assad's base called on young Syrians to be “calm, rational and prudent and not to be dragged into what tears apart the unity of our country.”

The rebels mainly come from the Sunni Muslim majority in Syria, which also has sizable Druze, Christian and Kurdish communities. In Qamishli in the northeast, a Kurdish man slapped a statue of the late leader Hafez Assad with his shoe.

The rebel advances since Nov. 27 were the largest in recent years, and saw the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs fall within days as the Syrian army melted away. The road to Damascus from the Lebanese border was littered with military uniforms and charred armored vehicles.

Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, which provided crucial support to Assad, abandoned him as they reeled from other conflicts.

The end of Assad’s rule was a major blow to Iran and its proxies, already weakened by conflict with Israel. Iran said Syrians should decide their future “without destructive, coercive, foreign intervention.” The Iranian Embassy in Damascus was ransacked after apparently having been abandoned.

Hossein Akbari, Iran’s ambassador to Syria, said it was “effectively impossible” to help the Syrian government after it admitted the insurgents' military superiority. Speaking on Iranian state media from an undisclosed location, he said Syria's government decided Saturday night to hand over power peacefully.

“When the army and the people could not resist, it was a good decision to let go to prevent bloodshed and destruction,” Akbari said, adding that some of his colleagues left Syria before sunrise.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on state TV, said there were concerns about the “possibility of civil war, disintegration of Syria, total collapse and turning Syria into a shelter for terrorists.”

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali has said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government. A video on Syrian opposition media showed armed men escorting him from his office to a hotel.

The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.”

The Gulf nation of Qatar, a key regional mediator, hosted an emergency meeting of foreign ministers and top officials from eight countries with interests in Syria late Saturday, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey.

Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said they agreed on the need “to engage all parties on the ground," including the HTS, and that the main concern is “stability and safe transition.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned positions. Israel’s military later warned residents of five southern Syria communities to stay home for their safety, and didn’t respond to questions.

Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the U.S., views it as occupied, and the Arab League on Sunday condemned what it called Israel’s efforts to take advantage of Assad’s downfall to occupy more territory.

Sewell reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue, Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut; Samar Kassaballi, Omar Sanadiki and Ghaith Alsayed in Damascus; Jon Gambrell in Manama, Bahrain; Josef Federman in Doha, Qatar; and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem, contributed.

Smoke billows as people arrive to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Syrians get warm as they wait overnight to cross into Syria from Turkey at the Cilvegozu border gate, near the town of Antakya, southern Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Metin Yoksu)

Smoke billows as people arrive to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

A broken picture of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani is seen in the facade of the Iranian embassy after opposition forces took control of the city in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

An opposition fighter fires his AK-47 in the air in celebration after opposition forces took control of the city in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Vehicles leave Damascus following the fall of the Syrian government on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Israeli soldiers stand on the top of a tank along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. Golani, a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance, leads the biggest rebel faction and is poised to chart the country's future. He calls himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

People shoot in the air as they celebrate the fall of the Syrian government in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. Golani, a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance, leads the biggest rebel faction and is poised to chart the country's future. He calls himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. Golani, a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance, leads the biggest rebel faction and is poised to chart the country's future. He calls himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Abu Mohammed al-Golani speaks at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. Golani, a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group and says he embraces pluralism and religious tolerance, leads the biggest rebel faction and is poised to chart the country's future. He calls himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and not his nom de guerre.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)

People crosses into Syria through the Masnaa border crossing point in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

An opposition fighter fires on his AK-47, as he celebrates the take over of the city in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Syrian opposition fighters take selfie at the damaged entrance of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Syrians celebrate the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government in the town of Bar Elias, Lebanon, near the border with Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Opposition fighters stand next a government forces tank which was left on a highway, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

People gather to celebrate the fall of the Syrian government, in Manbij, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Israeli soldiers walk near armored vehicles parked along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A group of people take a family photo while sitting on a couch in a hall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Syrian man sits on a chair flashes victory sign inside the Syrian presidential palace, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Opposition fighters celebrate the take over of the city by the insurgents in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A Syrian opposition fighter sits inside an office at the Presidential Palace after the Syrian government collapsed in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad's government in the town of Bar Elias, Lebanon, near the border with Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man tries to take a lamp as people search for belongings in the ransacked private residence of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Malkeh district of Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A man walks by a broken portrait of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad as people search for belongings in the ransacked private residence of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Malkeh district of Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Government soldiers and allies sit on the floor as they are taken into custody by opposition fighters on the road between Homs and Damascus, near Homs, Syria, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

An opposition fighter steps on a broken bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

An opposition fighter steps on a broken bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Opposition fighters burn down a military court in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Residents celebrate the fall of the capital Damascus to opposition forces, in Homs, Syria, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Opposition fighters celebrate the take over of the city by the insurgents in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

An opposition fighter steps on a broken bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Syrian opposition fighters celebrate after the Syrian government collapsed in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrian opposition fighters celebrate after the Syrian government collapsed in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians shoot in the air in celebration of the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians flash victory signs as they celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters as they step on a picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians gather as they celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians shoot in the air in celebration of the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

A Syrian opposition fighter reads while sitting atop a damaged government armoured vehicle near Hama, Syria, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A man rides his motorcycle past a burning government armoured vehicle south of Hama, Syria, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Decommissioned Syrian Air Force planes are seen at the Abu al-Duhur military airport, east of Idlib, following the takeover of the area by Syrian opposition fighters on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

A boy steps over pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his late father, Hafez Assad, right, Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian opposition fighters drive past a burning government armored vehicle south of Hama, Syria, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A combo of file photos shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, on Aug. 19, 2009, in Tehran, Iran, and his father, former Syrian President Hafez Assad, on Dec. 1, 1972, in an unknown location. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Syrian President Bashar Assad listens during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. (Saudi Press Agency via AP, File)

Syrian opposition fighters remove a government Syrian flag from an official building in Salamiyah, east of Hama, Syria Syria, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian opposition fighters ride along the streets in the aftermath of the opposition's takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

An image of Syrian President Bashar Assad, riddled with bullets, is seen on the facade of the provincial government office in the aftermath of the opposition's takeover of Hama, Syria, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrians celebrate the arrival of opposition fighters in Damascus, Syria, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump will return to Washington Saturday to kick off days of pageantry heralding his second inauguration as president, four years after he departed the city under the shadow of an attack by his supporters on the Capitol.

The ritualistic changing of power will get underway as Washington’s solemn pomp is paired with Trump’s brand of party: a fireworks showcase at one of his luxury golf properties, guests including tech industry titans, friends from the business world and conservative media stars, and thousands of his supporters streaming in from around the country.

With a blast of Arctic air expected to leave the nation’s capital facing frigid temperatures on Inauguration Day, organizers were also scrambling to move inside most of Monday’s outdoor events, including the swearing-in ceremony.

“I think we made the right decision. We’ll be very comfortable now,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview Saturday.

On Pennsylvania Avenue leading to the White House, crews were breaking down metal bleachers that would have been used for outdoor inauguration viewing stands.

Even before Trump got to town, groups of protesters began taking to the street in the morning as a light sleet fell.

Melody Hamoud, a Washington resident, wore a pink hat that she had on at a 2017 march to protest Trump's first inauguration.

“I just didn’t want to sit home and fret in front of the TV,” she said. “I wanted to feel like our movement still has energy and be around others who felt the same.”

Timothy Wallis, 58, flew in for the inauguration from Pocatello Idaho, with friends. The group had tickets to watch the ceremony outside but haven't been able to get tickets to any of the indoor events.

“We found out on the plane,” he said about the change of plans.

Wallis said he was disappointed about the switch and a little bemused since he’s used to cold at home.

“We left snow to come here,” he said. “I brought my gloves!”

Trump, a Republican, left office in 2021 as a political pariah after his refusal to accept his loss to Democrat Joe Biden led a mob to overrun the Capitol. He then broke tradition by skipping Biden's inauguration.

Biden will adhere to one of the most potent symbols of the democratic handover, welcoming Trump to the White House and joining him on the ride to the Capitol before Trump takes the oath of office.

The first time Trump was sworn into office eight years ago, the former reality TV star billionaire came in as an outsider disrupting Washington’s norms, delivering a dark inaugural address as his swearing-in drew large protests and some clashes in the street.

This time, Trump told NBC, the theme of his inauguration speech would be “unity and strength, and also the word ‘fairness.’”

As he takes power, the protests were far less noticeable, eclipsed by the ceremonies and celebrations around Trump’s taking power. As one more marker of Trump's remarkable comeback, the events surrounding his inauguration will be more celebrity-studded than the last time, along with a noticeable turnout by a cadre of tech-world billionaires.

Country music stars Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus and Jason Aldean, disco band the Village People, rapper Nelly and musician Kid Rock are all scheduled to perform at inauguration-related ceremonies and events. Actor Jon Voight and wrestler Hulk Hogan are also expected to make appearances, as are a crew of Trump-embracing business executives: Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

The pageantry begins Saturday, when the president-elect leaves his Florida home to head to Washington. Trump’s advisers have not detailed how he will spend the first part of the day, and the only public event on Trump’s schedule is an evening reception and fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, outside the city.

While Trump holds court at his club, Vice President-elect JD Vance will attend a reception for Cabinet members and host a dinner in Washington.

On Sunday, the eve of his inauguration, Trump is scheduled to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery before heading to a rally at Capital One Arena in Washington. The rally will be followed by a private dinner.

On Inauguration Day, Trump will start with the traditional prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church before heading to the White House for a customary tea with the outgoing president and first lady.

Trump then heads to the Capitol, where his ceremony has been moved indoors as temperatures are set to plummet and make it the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. It’s not quite clear how the ceremony will be adapted to the Capitol Rotunda, which holds only 600 people. More than 250,000 guests were ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.

Eight years ago, Trump’s critics were wrestling with whether to attend his inauguration, contemplating whether to buck long-standing practice and send a signal to the divisive new president. This year, much outspoken resistance to Trump has faded away, though there will be two notable absences: former first lady Michelle Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Neither gave an explanation as to why she was skipping the ceremony.

After Trump takes the oath of office and delivers his inaugural address, there will be a ceremonial farewell to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. As the new Republican government takes power, Trump will head to a signing ceremony at the Capitol to approve some of his first official acts, followed by a congressional luncheon and review of U.S. troops.

The planned traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue has morphed into an indoor event because of the cold, with Trump again planning to speak to his gathered supporters before he heads to the White House for a signing ceremony in the Oval Office. A trio of glitzy balls will follow in the evening, punctuated by musical performances.

Trump’s arrival in Washington will once again be accompanied by protests and vigils on issues such as abortion, immigration rights and, this time, the Israel-Hamas war, but the feel and the force of those demonstrations were different from the outset of his first term.

The Women’s March, spurred by women outraged over Trump’s win in 2017, drew more than 500,000 people to Washington and millions more in cities around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history.

The march returned Saturday, rebranded as the People’s March, with organizers saying their focus will be less on Trump and more on broader goals around women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy. It drew far fewer than eight years ago.

Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst, Ashraf Khalil, Gary Fields and Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report.

People march toward the Lincoln Memorial during the People's March, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - People march in the People's March, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The stage where the 60th Presidential Inauguration was scheduled is seen on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. The inauguration is now scheduled for inside the Capitol Rotunda due to cold weather. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Organizers work to move the Inauguration Day swearing-in ceremony into the Capitol Rotunda due to expected frigid weather in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Organizers work to move the Inauguration Day swearing-in ceremony into the Capitol Rotunda due to expected frigid weather in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A group gathers at Franklin Park before the People's March, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

A person holds a sign of a crying Statue of Liberty as a group gathers at Franklin Park before the People's March, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Workers continue with the finishing touches on the presidential reviewing stand on Pennsylvania outside the White House Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. (Jon Elswick via AP)

Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Officials and visitors observe near a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Workers build a stage in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, for the 60th Presidential Inauguration which was moved indoors because of cold temperatures expected on Jan 20. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

The stage where the 60th Presidential Inauguration was scheduled is seen on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. The inauguration is now scheduled for inside the Capitol Rotunda due to cold weather. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Officials inspect the construction of a stand in the Rotunda, where President-elect Donald Trump is due to take the oath of office on Monday, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)