Biden inauguration: US President Trump approves emergency declaration for Washington DC

Washington - Supplement the District's response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from inauguration.

US President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Washington, DC, through January 24, covering the date of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the District's response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the 59th Presidential Inauguration from January 11 to January 24, 2021," the Office of the White House Press Secretary said in a statement late Monday.

The emergency declaration authorised the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate resources with state and local authorities, and came as Washington braced for heightened possibility of violence in the lead-up to and during Biden's inauguration.

The declaration was in response to a letter sent to Trump on Sunday by Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had already declared a 15-day public emergency for the capital city shortly after pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the Capitol on January 6.

"In light of the attack on the Capitol and intelligence suggesting further violence is likely during the Inaugural period, my administration has re-evaluated our preparedness posture for the Inauguration, including requesting the extension of D.C. National Guard support through January 24, 2021," Bowser wrote in the letter.