Did you know that Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration was the most expensive in U.S. history and in the world, with $107 million raised more than double the previous record set by Barack Obama?

The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marked the commencement of Donald Trump's term as president and Mike Pence's term as vice president. An estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people attended the public ceremony held on Friday, January 20, 2017, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee raised an unprecedented $107 million "from wealthy donors who gave $1 million or more" to cover the steep costs of the presidential inauguration. This outmatched President Obama’s $55 million in 2009 and $43 million in 2013. Donations included $1 million from Boeing and $500,000 from Chevron. The was twice the amount raised by any previous inauguration committee.

One of Donald Trump’s big selling points during the presidential race was his self-described facility to make the best deals. But on Friday (Jan. 20) when the New York real estate billionaire took the oath of office as the 45th President of the United States he did so amidst the most expensive inauguration in the nation’s history.

The event was the 58th presidential inauguration. Held in Washington, D.C., from January 17 to 21, 2017, inaugural events included concerts, the swearing-in ceremony, a congressional luncheon, parade, inaugural balls, and the interfaith inaugural prayer service.

Nielsen ratings showed that TV viewership of the inauguration in the US was 30.6 million, more than Obama's second inauguration in 2013 (20.6 million), but less than Obama's first inauguration in 2009 (38 million) and Reagan's first in 1981 (42 million). Trump's inauguration became the most streamed Twitter video during the site's decade-long history with more than 6.8 million views.

Sources: Billboard | Wikipedia

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