The Rehearsal for Biden's Inauguration Ceremony Has Been Pushed Back a Day Due to Security Concerns

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:28 pm

Security concerns have forced the rehearsal for President-elect Joe Biden‘s inauguration ceremony to be pushed back a day.

“It is going to take place on Monday, is the current schedule. Secret Service is in charge of running that schedule, but that’s done in partnership with Biden team, and it was their decision to delay a day,” acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told CNN‘s John Berman,

“The decision was made to delay a day and leave the Secret Service in a position, and the whole team across the Washington metro area, to be prepared to respond on that day if needed,” he continued.

Cuccinelli noted that thus far there are “no credible threats” and that what threats there are amount to little more than “online chatter.”

“We certainly agree there’s a good deal of online chatter. It isn’t just about Washington, by the way. There’s also conversations about state capitols but very unspecific,” he said.

Yesterday, an official familiar with the discussions revealed that the National Mall would be closed to the public on Inauguration Day. The president-elect’s advisors intend for the event to be a virtual one though Biden has said he has no issue taking the oath of office outside.

Biden and his team have been briefed about the potential for violence from extremist groups linked to last week’s attack on the Capitol. President Donald Trump incited the insurrection, which resulted in groups of his supporters rioting at the Capitol in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which Biden won decisively. The president was impeached––for the second time during his term––for inciting the riot. A date for a Senate trial has not yet been set.