Donald Trump to make ‘very unusual’ move at inauguration after Michelle Obama snub

The comments come as the former president prepares to be sworn in for his second term at the US Capitol on Monday, marking his return to the White House after defeating Kamala Harris in November's election.

Republican strategist Corinne Clark expressed high expectations for Trump's address, drawing parallels to his 2016 inauguration speech.

"Most presidents, particularly after brutal election cycles take the opportunity to have a unifying speech, he did that in 2016 and I expect he will do the same here," she told GBN America.

Clark predicted the speech would resonate widely, saying: "Trump has a way of capturing the emotion of Middle America and he talks a lot about the forgotten class of people and Washington will have to recognise them."

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The swearing-in ceremony will take place at noon on Monday at the US Capitol's West Lawn, where Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath.

Country music star Carrie Underwood will perform "America the Beautiful" during the ceremony, alongside Lee Greenwood.

The day's events will begin with a service at St John's Church, followed by tea at the White House.

Three inaugural balls will cap off the celebrations - the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball and the Starlight Ball.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend Trump's inauguration, her office has confirmed, marking a notable absence from the traditional gathering of former presidents and their spouses.

Barack Obama will join fellow former presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush at the ceremony.

The decision comes shortly after Obama also missed Jimmy Carter's state funeral earlier this month, which she reportedly skipped due to an extended holiday vacation in Hawaii.

All other former First Ladies are expected to attend the inauguration.

Trump is expected to sign multiple executive orders on his first day, including launching a mass deportation programme and increasing oil drilling.

Notable attendees will include tech leaders Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, who have each pledged £1 million to the inauguration committee.

More than 220,000 tickets are being distributed for the ceremony, with an estimated crowd of 250,000 expected to gather at the National Mall.

Foreign leaders including Argentina's Javier Milei and Italy's Giorgia Meloni have also been invited to attend.