Trump’s inauguration is approaching, the security precautions are enormous – because there are many threats. Moscow has also already gotten involved.
It has been a little more than four years since angry Trump supporters stormed the steps of the Capitol, attacked the police and finally got into the building. Now Trump’s second inauguration as US President will take place at the same location on Monday.
The security precautions are enormous. Several events in the past few weeks are causing concern for the authorities. And Trump’s own supporters are making mystical prophecies on social media. They warn that Trump is not safe at the inauguration. And there is also a warning from Russia.
Meanwhile, a 30-mile-long fence stretches through Washington in the days surrounding the inauguration. According to the Reuters news agency, it is the longest ever built in the US capital. It is two meters high and designed so that it cannot be climbed over.
Downtown Washington is almost completely closed to car traffic, with concrete barriers and garbage trucks blocking the way everywhere. In addition, 25,000 police and military officers will be on site, and 4,000 officers will be requested from other parts of the country. 7,800 National Guard soldiers are also deployed.
The authorities are still alarmed. “We are in a heightened threat environment,” said US Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool. After all, the security situation in the USA is currently tense anyway. There were two attacks on New Year’s Day: an army veteran ran into a crowd in New Orleans and killed 14 people. Shortly afterwards, a US soldier blew up a cybertruck he was sitting in in front of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.
There have also been two assassination attempts on Trump during the election campaign. And there were incidents last week too. A man was arrested for trying to get into the Capitol with a machete and three knives. Another set a car on fire nearby, according to Capitol Police.
Potential perpetrators with “election-related grievances” may view the presidential inauguration as “their last opportunity to influence the outcome of the election through violence,” a group of intelligence and law enforcement agencies wrote in a threat assessment obtained by Politico.
However: According to Reuters, security forces know nothing of any specific, coordinated threats at the inauguration. Individual perpetrators are more of a concern. “The lone-wolf threat remains the primary justification for us remaining on heightened alert for the next week,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger.

Also warnings from Russia
Ominous warnings of dangers for Trump are now coming from Moscow. Nikolai Patrushev, former head of the FSB and secretary of the Russian Security Council, recently said: “It is clear that Trump’s position is not shared by the entire US elite.” It is therefore extremely important to ensure the safety of Trump and his entourage before he takes over as head of state.
These concerns are being taken up and fueled by Trump supporters on social media. In recent weeks, several MAGA accounts have posted warnings that Trump is unsafe at the inauguration. They are demanding, for example, that Trump should have the inauguration held at his residence in Mar-a-Lago. MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again” – Trump’s motto from his first term in office.
- Extensive guest list: These German politicians are traveling to Trump’s inauguration
However, it is doubtful whether these warnings have a serious background. Rather, they could be politically motivated, suspects Olga Lautman from the Washington non-governmental organization Center for European Policy Analysis: “Russia could spread and increase fears about Trump’s safety in order to deepen the division between the political classes in the USA,” she explains on her website . According to Lautman, the MAGA movement, on the other hand, could be aimed at Trump targeting important authorities first.