New Orleans attack sparks security concerns as Trump victory rally is set for Capital One Arena
Jan 02, 2025
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- President-Elect Donald Trump will hold a victory rally at Capital One Arena prior to his inauguration as president.
Tickets to the Make America Great Again Victory Rally are now available online. It’s hosted by the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee and will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 19th.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Monumental Sports and Entertainment said, “We have made our arena available to every administration for inaugural events, dating back decades, irrespective of party. We are happy that President Trump has accepted our offer and we will welcome him and his guests to Capital One Arena on January 19.”
The announcement of the rally comes just days after a terror attack in New Orleans left at least 15 people dead.
According to officials, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar rammed pedestrians on Bourbon Street with a rented truck in the early hours of New Year’s Day. He then began shooting at officers and was subsequently shot and killed by police.
The fatal attack, which injured dozens, now has law enforcement on high alert in the district.
DC police to increase security after car rams into New Orleans crowd, killing 10
Both the Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit Police Department are in a “heightened security posture” and are increasing their visibility.
Still, security experts say those planning to attend upcoming inaugural events, from the victory rally to the inauguration itself, should feel confident in security plans.
“A tremendous amount of planning and coordination goes into events like this,” said Matt Chevraux, managing director at FTI Consulting. “That planning takes place months ahead of time. Not to mention we’ve already been doing inaugurations many times prior to this and we’re fortunate that we always have the inauguration in the same city.”
Chevraux said when major events like these are announced, planning has already begun.
“You have multiple agencies, they’re all coordinating together to make sure everything is put into place that puts the public as secure as possible,” he said. “You’re going to look at things like who can come in? Are they ticketed or is it a free public event where anyone can come in?”
Other layers of technology from x-rays for vehicles moving through the area to magnetometers and bomb sniffing dogs will be utilized, he explained.
Still, Chevraux said the recent attacks should have little impact on security plans for the rally or inauguration.
“Everything that’s being done here, they should be looking to every possible scenario that can happen,” he said. “So when it comes to security planning there should be no adding things on. You should already be doing the most that you can with the assets available to you.”
Currently, Monday’s electoral certification and the inauguration on January 20th are designated as National Special Security Events.