Alex Lederman
Reporting from the People's March

One of Marisol, Amy and Candy’s big regrets is missing the Women’s March eight years ago.

That’s why they turned out for this year’s People’s March — despite knowing its size will likely pale in comparison.

They acknowledge that people feel more resigned and hopeless than after Trump’s first election eight years ago, but tell me that they are even more concerned that this time democracy’s "guardrails" won’t hold.

“Last time, Trump didn’t have any preparation,” Amy says.

“This time, they’re ready.” Marisol says her biggest concern is women’s rights. The three friends from Maryland came to the rally dressed in pink.

“Some people say ‘it could never happen here,’” Amy says of citizens losing their rights.

“But look what’s already happened. We never thought we’d be here.”

We're now getting some of the first pictures from the People's March in DC, on a day that appears to be drawing a rather bundled-up crowd.

This weekend is forecast to be a chilly one, as Monday's inauguration day could also be one of the coldest in US history.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Sofia Ferreira Santos
On the Washington Metro

It's just after 10:00 here in Washington DC, around the time the People's March is scheduled to begin.

I'm currently making my way to the BBC bureau and with me on the metro this morning are a number of people holding placards, banners and flags, seemingly on their way to the demonstrations.

Those on the train with me seem to be in high spirits, and are a diverse crowd.

Most are dressed in warm clothing, including pink and red beanie hats, to try and battle the cold.

It's about 3C (37F) at the moment - not anywhere near as cold as it's expected to be during Trump's inauguration on Monday, where the bitterly low temperatures have moved the event indoors.

We've told you about the People's March happening today in Washington, but there's much more going on as the city prepares for the departure of one administration, and the arrival of another.

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Washington today. Later on, he's due to attend a reception at his golf course in nearby Sterling, Virginia.

His Vice-President-elect, JD Vance, is expected to appear at a dinner at the National Gallery of Art this evening.

At some point this weekend - it's unclear exactly when - families of American hostages being held in Gaza will meet with members of the incoming Trump administration. Those families are expected to attend Monday's inauguration, too.

In anticipation of the inauguration this weekend, security in Washington DC is ramping up.

Over the past week, metal barriers have been erected around much of central DC - and are growing in number by the day.

Roads have also been closed around the city, with the expected large crowds determined to witness an historic few days despite the forecast for cold weather forcing the inauguration ceremony indoors.

Here's how things look currently:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

A bitter Arctic blast has forced Donald Trump to move his inauguration indoors, forcing the teams who have spent months planning an outdoor event to very quickly pivot.

A new president's swearing-in traditionally takes place outside the US Capitol building, with viewing areas extending down the National Mall.

But after Trump said late last night that he had requested a change of venue because of the weather - saying he does not "want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way" - that tradition has been upended.

CBS News, the BBC's US partner, reports that construction teams have been scrambling at the Capitol, as they race against the clock to build a new inauguration stage inside the Rotunda.

The Rotunda is under the Capitol dome and is typically used for congressional ceremonies and celebrations.

Most spectators won't be able to squeeze inside the room, so Trump has said that the Capital One arena in downtown DC will be open for supporters to watch the ceremony live, and he will join the crowd after he is sworn in.

Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Washington DC today for the People’s March.

This is a the newly rebranded protest movement - previously known as the Women’s March - which has taken place every year since 2017.

That first march, on the day after Trump’s first inauguration, saw hundreds of thousands of people in the US capital and millions across the world demonstrate against the new Republican president - our reporter Holly Honderich took a look back at that march in our last post.

None of the subsequent marches have been on the same scale.

Similarly, Saturday’s demonstration is not expected to draw such large numbers, with Washington’s Metropolitan Police expecting a crowd of around 25,000 - organisers put it at 50,000.

The organisers say they are marching because they believe "a new social movement can rise to confront what they call "Trumpism", drawing on past successes and effective strategies against autocrats".

Holly Honderich
Reporting from Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

In the aftermath of Donald Trump's surprise 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, the first march came together at an impressive clip, transforming from a couple of disconnected Facebook posts from women calling for a protest into a blueprint for a national movement within weeks.

By 21 January, hundreds of thousands of people were pouring into the nation's capital, bringing crowds nearly three times the size of Trump's inauguration the day before.

In Washington and at coordinated events across the US, women carried signs railing against Trump and sported pink knit "pussyhats" - a pointed reference to the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about grabbing women's genitals.

"I had never seen anything this crowded, you could barely move," said Sharon Baseman, a Democratic activist in Michigan who travelled to DC for the 2017 march.

"It was overwhelming and it was inspiring."

In the years that followed, the Women's March remained the face of the fight against Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda. The movement helped unite the Democratic Party against Trump, a strategy enabled them to retake the White House in 2020.

But in the wake of Trump’s victory in November, leaders must grapple with the resistance’s failures, and its future.

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome to our live coverage from here in Washington DC, where up to 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

The People's March, as it's been called, begins at 10:00 local time (15:00 GMT) and has been organised by multiple groups with the stated aim of confronting "Trumpism", according to its website.

Meanwhile, Trump is due to arrive in the city today ahead of a series of weekend events in the lead-up to Monday.

It's a big weekend for US politics, ahead of an even bigger week which will see Trump return to the White House to be sworn in as president on Monday.

Stick with us.