How to Watch the Presidential Inauguration Online

Inauguration live streams, social media, and other methods

By
Stacy Fisher
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Stacy Fisher
Technology Educator
  • Emporia State University
Stacy is a professional technology educator with over 25 years' experience. She has published hundreds of articles, co-authored a book, and has appeared on national and local TV.
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Updated on January 22, 2021

The next United States presidential inauguration will be held in January 2025. If you're away from your TV or if you're a cord-cutter, there are many ways to stream the event from your smartphone, computer, tablet, or a compatible streaming device, such as a Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV.

Event Details

Date: January 2025

Time: Noon EST (pre-event festivities begin 9:30 a.m. EST)

Location: West Front, U.S. Capitol

Channel: The event will be broadcast live on most major networks and many cable networks.

Stream it on: JCCIC website, major news channel websites, C-SPAN, White House Live Stream, Twitter, the White House YouTube Channel, Univision (Spanish language), and more.

How to Watch the Inauguration Live Stream on Senate.gov

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is the official place to find the latest information on inauguration preparations, events, news, and more. Check back frequently in the days leading up to the inauguration for additional details and any changes due to the pandemic.

Viewers can tune in and watch the actual swearing-in ceremonies live, view interactive maps of the ceremonies, and watch any entertainers participating in the presidential inauguration.

How to Watch the Inauguration Live Stream on Major News Sites

Every major news site, and most likely their respective YouTube channels, will offer live inauguration coverage. To view inaugural events online, check out the following:

CNN usually schedules a special feature where you can watch the live inauguration online in tandem with other people following its Facebook page.

How to Watch the Inauguration Live Stream on C-SPAN

C-SPAN puts together a presidential inauguration hub, featuring live video feeds from key events throughout the inauguration.

Different C-SPAN channels cover different proceedings. C-SPAN deals with live events on the floor of the U.S. House of representatives. C-SPAN2 covers live floor proceedings in the U.S. Senate. C-SPAN3 covers events that are considered public affairs, congressional hearings, and related history programming.

When the House and Senate aren't in session, or historical events take precedence (such as the presidential inauguration), C-SPAN carries live coverage. Watch the C-SPAN live feed, C-SPAN2 stream, and C-SPAN3 on the C-SPAN Live Stream page.

Get Live Inauguration Updates on Twitter

Twitter is a fire hose of information, and it can often be a bit of an overload. However, if you're looking for live information on one of the most closely followed events worldwide, this is a great place to visit.

Some hashtags you'll want to follow include #inauguration, #president, and hashtags including the incoming president and vice president's last names.

You'll also want to take a look at users who do a great job of covering inaugural events, such as the White House @whitehouse and the U.S. Secret Service @secretservice.

Keep an eye on Twitter, especially making use of trending hashtags to get a head start on any breaking news or interesting events that might happen during the course of the inauguration. Twitter users are usually among the first to make these events known, and it's a great way to get live, breaking news from first-hand witnesses.

Twitter also lets you compile lists of other users. These lists are exceedingly useful to follow since you'll get updates from several accounts at once. For example, this BreakingNews list handles almost every global source of news you can think of, saving you from having to follow the dozens upon dozens of accounts that are part of it.

More Inauguration Live Streaming Options

Here are some other ways to watch the presidential inauguration live online:

  • The White House Live Stream: This is the official headquarters of live-streamed events at the White House. This stream is also available on its YouTube channel.
  • Politico Live Stream: The popular news pundit offers live streaming and news about the presidential inauguration.
  • Bloomberg Politics: This outlet covers live news and events leading up to the inauguration and events taking place on the big day.
  • Univision News' YouTube channel offers a Spanish live stream of the inauguration, as does Telemundo.

Past Presidential Inauguration Streams

If you're feeling nostalgic, watch past presidential inaugurations on YouTube, including:

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