Trump Spokeswoman Denies Security Concerns Led To Moving Inauguration Indoors

The decision to move President-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration indoors has nothing to do with security concerns, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Sunday.

On “America’s Newsroom,” Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer pressed Leavitt to address rumors about the venue change after Trump announced in a social media post on Friday that he ordered inauguration festivities to be conducted in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda because of the frigid weather that is expected on Monday.

“There’s a weather storm rolling in here. And it could be windchill five degrees tomorrow, or it may not be. We will see what happens. Others have suggested it might be more than just weather to move things indoors. Can you confirm or deny that security is a consideration?” Hemmer asked.

“I’ve seen those allegations and those rumors online. They are unequivocally false. As President Trump said in his statement, the inauguration was moved indoors because he wants to protect his supporters. It is going to be frigid tomorrow,” Leavitt said.

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“I’m from New Hampshire. I’m used to the cold, but it is going to be very, very cold. There was also a concern about law enforcement personnel, the horses, the K9 dogs. There’s so much that goes into protecting a president on Inauguration Day. And so President Trump made this call, in the best interest of his supporters, and it’s strictly due to weather.”

When he announced that inauguration festivities would be moved indoors, Trump stressed that the forecast was the driving factor for the venue change, similar to what happened with Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985.

“It is my obligation to protect the People of our Country but, before we even begin, we have to think of the Inauguration itself. The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social.

“There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump added. “It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).”