News & Current Events

This is only the second time in modern US history.

For the second time in modern history, Martin Luther King Day and the presidential inauguration will fall on the same day in 2025. The last and only other time this happened was in 1997, the year former President Bill Clinton took office. MLK Day is always the third Monday of January, and the inauguration is on January 20. This year, those happen to be the same day. On top of that, US flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away in December. The presidential event will honor the day’s affairs with oath-taking, speeches, parades, and celebrations of all kinds.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Presidential Inauguration

Martin Luther King, Jr., a minister and civil rights activist, was born January 15, 1929. King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech was one of the most famous of the civil rights movement, and it remains influential today. After his assassination in 1968, those who sought to honor him and his hard work began campaigning for an assigned holiday in his name. President Ronald Reagan made it official in 1983, and the third Monday in January has been known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ever since.

Donald Trump has made history many times in his own ways as well – most recently by being the second president to ever be elected to a second non-consecutive term. The only other was Grover Cleveland, who won the elections of 1884 and 1892. Both Trump and Cleveland saw their two terms separated by a one-term president from the opposing party. For Trump, that was Joe Biden of the Democratic Party. For Cleveland, it was Republican Benjamin Harrison.

History continues to be made as the inauguration falls on the same day as MLK Day for just the second time, as well as on the same day that US flags will be flown at half-staff to honor former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29, 2024.

Inauguration Day Schedule

The 60th inauguration will take place on the west side of the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Traditionally, the day begins with a procession including both the incoming and the outgoing presidents. At noon, the swearing-in ceremony begins, starting with the vice president (JD Vance), followed by the president (Donald Trump). Next up is the inaugural address – the new president’s first official speech in office.

After the speech, Trump will go to the President’s Room of the Senate Chamber at the Capitol building to complete his first official tasks in office (signing executive orders, nominations, memorandums, etc.). Then there’s the Inaugural Luncheon followed by the president and VP reviewing the troops on the front steps of the Capitol building. They then lead a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and to the White House. The evening continues with inaugural balls and other celebrations.

1. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – the national holiday that honors the minister and civil rights activist – is set to the third Monday in January. As such, the date varies by year.
2. The presidential inauguration takes place on January 20 – meaning that the day of the week could vary. It’s set by the Constitution, and if the 20th falls on a Sunday, the inauguration takes place the next day on Monday the 21st.
3. January 20, 2025, is a historic day for a few reasons. It’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration. Trump is only the second American president to win two non-consecutive terms, and this is only the second time in history an inauguration has fallen on MLK Day. Also, flags will fly at half-staff in honor of another president, Jimmy Carter, who passed away in December.