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Carrie Underwood Performing at Donald Trump's 2025 Presidential Inauguration
While red, white and blue are the colors of the U.S. flag, these likely won’t be the only shades Americans see when it comes to the fashion on Inauguration Day.
Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20, with him assuming the position from Joe Biden. JD Vance will also become vice president and step into the role currently held by Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
During the event, many viewers will be taking note of the array of outfits worn to the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.
When Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president back in 2017, his wife Melania Trump wore a light blue bolero jacket and dress by Ralph Lauren—finishing her look with a matching pair of gloves. And for the ball that evening, she donned a silk crepe off-the-shoulder gown by Hervé Pierre that was in shade vanilla and featured details like a ruffle trim and red ribbon belt.
However, the incoming first lady’s attire won’t be the only look to draw attention—what the performers wear can also generate buzz.
After all, who could forget the Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown Lady Gaga wore to Biden’s presidential inauguration in 2021, or the Pucci dress and Christian Dior coat Beyoncé donned to Barack Obama’s first swearing-in ceremony in 2013?
This year, Carrie Underwood, Christopher Macchio and Lee Greenwood will be performing at Trump’s inaugural ceremony, and Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Aldean, Gavin DeGraw and Rascal Flatts are among the other musicians set to sing at the related rallies and balls.
But even the looks of attendees can get people talking. Take, for instance, how Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders went viral for the winter coat and gloves he wore to Biden’s inauguration. (And yes, he saw the memes.)
To see more inauguration looks throughout the years, keep reading.
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Jacqueline Kennedy, 1961
The style of First Lady Melania Trump's ensemble for President Donald Trump's 45th inauguration, complete with matching gloves and heels, spurred comparisons to former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who had donned a similar silhouette and, according to some photos, shade of blue for President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.
Years earlier, Melania had cited Jacqueline as an inspiration should she ever become first lady. "I would be very traditional. Like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy," she told an interviewer in 1999, the same year her now-husband announced his first run. "I would support him."
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Lady Bird Johnson, 1965
In a bright yellow satin gown and matching fur-trimmed coat designed by John Moore, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson evoked the optimism the country needed on her husband President Lyndon B. Johnson's Inauguration Day, which came just over a year after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
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Rosalynn Carter, 1977
First Lady Rosalynn Carter proved to be well ahead of the times when she sported a gold-embroidered coat over a matching gold-trimmed blue chiffon gown to the 1977 inaugural balls, the same dress she wore six years earlier for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration as Georgia governor. The decision set her apart from previous first ladies and signaled her own take on the new role, decades before sustainable fashion would become a more mainstream issue.
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Nancy Reagan, 1981
For President Ronald Reagan's first inauguration in 1981, First Lady Nancy Reagan wore a red dress and coat by Adolfo—finishing her look with a matching hat, pair of gold earrings and black gloves. In fact, she was such a fan of the designer that she wore another one of his designs for her husband's second inauguration in 1985.
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Barbara Bush, 1989
When President George H. W. Bush was inaugurated in 1989, First Lady Barbara Bush wore a blue Arnold Scaasi dress featuring a velvet, square-neck bodice and an asymmetrical silk satin skirt, per the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (which houses the First Ladies Collection that includes more than two dozen gowns and more than 160 objects dating back to the first First Lady Martha Washington). She finished her look with pearls.
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Hillary Clinton, 1993
For President Bill Clinton's first inaugural ball in 1993, first lady Hillary Clinton wore a Sarah Phillips design that, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, was a "violet beaded lace sheath gown with iridescent blue velvet silk mousseline overskirt."
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Hillary Clinton, 1997
And when her husband was re-elected for a second term, the former secretary of state wore a pink winter coat with brown gloves and matching shoes for the swearing-in ceremony.
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Laura Bush, 2001
For the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush demonstrated how meaningful fashion can be when she sported a vivid blue outfit by Michael Faircloth, a designer from her native Texas.
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Laura Bush, 2001
She wore the same designer for that evening's Inaugural Ball. According to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the red gown featured "crystal-embroidered Chantilly lace over silk georgette."
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Michelle Obama, 2009
When First Lady Michelle Obama stepped out in 2009 for President Barack Obama's first inauguration, she did so in an unexpected color: "lemongrass," according to the outfit's designer, Isabel Toledo. "The color of this dress was a very gentle, subtle tone of sage, but I called it 'lemongrass' to express an emotion more than a color. I hoped this tone would evoke the idea of rebirth and renewal. This color expressed a warmth and a pacific, calming emotion and symbolized a new day," she explained in her memoir, Roots of Style.
"I have always loved colors that are difficult to describe, because that way, everyone can own them," Toledo continued. "To some, this 'lemongrass' color was more like a sunflower. It was later also described as pale gold, corn husk, mustard, sunshine, mellow yellow, sandy ochre, and newborn celery. But that was the point: color and beauty are in the eye of the beholder, and therefore are open to many interpretations. The more something is multifaceted and can be interpreted in many different ways, the longer its lifespan and the wider its reach."
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Michelle Obama, 2009
Considering the great power and influence first ladies can exert through their fashion choices, Michelle's 2009 inaugural gown was notable as she opted for a white, one-shoulder design by Jason Wu. She has since been credited with turning the young, emerging designer into a household name, having worn his designs on multiple occasions during President Obama's two terms, including again for the balls of his second inauguration in 2013.
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Michelle Obama, 2013
Of the many style hallmarks of her eight years in office, the Becoming author's frequent mixing of high and more budget-friendly fashion has become a notable element of her sartorial legacy. Such was the case at both inaugurations—when she wore green J. Crew gloves in 2009 and then turned to the brand again in 2013 for a bejeweled belt, purple gloves and heels to complete an outfit seen around the world.
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Beyoncé, 2013
When Beyoncé arrived at Obama's 2013 inauguration tasked with performing "The Star-Spangled Banner," the world-famous star stunned in a black Emilio Pucci gown paired with a black Christian Dior coat and glamorously accented with Lorraine Schwartz emerald earrings. While the singer's standout ensemble was the talk of the Internet, it also has since become an unforgettable image as she later admitted to singing along to a pre-recorded track.
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Michelle Obama, Melania Trump, Donald Trump & Barack Obama, 2017
Another possible sign of unity came in the color scheme worn by the outgoing Obama administration and incoming Trump administration on Inauguration Day in 2017. While Obama and Trump donned ties in the colors of their political parties, their wives wore the opposite color, which read as a nod to harmony and cooperation.
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Melania Trump, 2017
Melania's baby blue dress and matching bolero by Ralph Lauren for the 2017 inauguration was especially notable considering some designers, including Marc Jacobs and Sophie Theallet, publicly opposed dressing Melania as a result of President Trump's behavior and beliefs. Through his iconic brand, Ralph Lauren has both defined and become synonymous with American fashion. Multiple first ladies of differing political affiliations have donned the brand's designs over the years. "The Presidential Inauguration is a time for the United States to look our best to the world," a corporate spokesperson from Ralph Lauren told Glamour. "It was important to us to uphold and celebrate the tradition of creating iconic American style for this moment."
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Hillary Clinton, 2017
At the 2017 inauguration, Hillary, who had lost the 2016 election, donned a white ensemble also by Ralph Lauren. The color has long been associated with the suffragettes. As for sporting the same designer as Melania, the decision could have been interpreted as a symbol of unity across party lines. "[It's important to note]," a source told Glamour, "Ralph Lauren deliberately took an apolitical stance by dressing Hillary Clinton [for the inauguration] and Michelle [Obama for inauguration weekend]."
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Joe Biden & Jill Biden, 2021
When President Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States in 2021, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden wore an "ocean blue wool tapered tweed dress, hand embellished with pearls and crystals in a delicate floral pattern," the Smithsonian stated, adding the matching overcoat featured a "dark blue velvet collar and cuffs." Her look was designed by Alexandra O’Neill.
Because the swearing-in ceremony took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bidens also wore masks.
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Doug Emhoff & Kamala Harris, 2021
As Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American to become Vice President, she wore a purple coat and dress by Christopher John Rogers to the swearing-in ceremony.
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Lady Gaga, 2021
When Lady Gaga stepped out to sing the national anthem for Biden's inauguration, viewers got to see her Schiaparelli gown by artistic director Daniel Roseberry.
According to the fashion house, the Grammy winner's outfit consisted of a "fitted jacket in navy cashmere and skirt in washed red silk faille," with her symbolic brooch of the gilded dove of peace finishing her look.
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Jennifer Lopez, 2021
And Jennifer Lopez—who sang "This Land Is Your Land" and "America, The Beautiful" during Biden's inauguration—wore an all-white ensemble by Chanel.
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Amanda Gorman, 2021
While reading her poem "The Hill We Climb," Amanda Gorman wore a yellow Prada coat and red headband. In fact, the National Youth Poet Laureate told Vogue her mother had suggested that she wear the headband like “a tiara, a crown.”
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Bernie Sanders, 2021
Bernie Sanders also went viral when he wore his winter coat and mittens to Biden's inauguration. Though, the Vermont senator admitted he wasn't initially aware of how much buzz his outfit generated.
"Not at all," he said on a 2021 episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. "I was just sitting there trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on."
And when Seth Meyers asked Sanders if he'd seen the memes, he replied, "Yeah, I've seen them."
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