The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has issued presidential pardons for approximately 1,500 individuals who were convicted of offenses related to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In a remarkable turn of events, Mr. Trump transformed governance into a spectacle, publicly endorsing the first six of numerous executive orders before an audience of 20,000 at a rally held in a basketball arena in central Washington.
However, he reserved his most significant executive actions for his initial hours in the Oval Office, where he, with television cameras present and responding to questions from reporters, signed an order pardoning all but 14 individuals convicted for their involvement in the January 6 Capitol incident.
The remaining 14 individuals received commuted sentences, and around 300 pending cases were instructed to be dismissed.
Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders at the Capital One Arena.
Following a full day of ceremonies, Mr. Trump initiated a series of executive measures aimed at restricting immigration and reversing environmental regulations as well as racial and gender diversity initiatives. Although he did not immediately act to increase tariffs—a key promise from his campaign—he stated he might impose a 25% duty on Canada and Mexico effective February 1.
He also began the process of eliminating the automatic US citizenship granted to individuals born in the United States to undocumented immigrant parents, which is expected to lead to a lengthy legal battle.
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Mr. Trump is the first president in over a century to win a second term after losing the White House, and he is also the first felon to assume the presidency. The oldest president to be sworn in, he enjoys support from Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.
Mr. Trump swiftly moved to tackle illegal immigration, a prominent issue since he embarked on his political journey in 2015.
Shortly after taking his oath of office, US border authorities terminated a program that enabled hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter the US legally by scheduling appointments via a smartphone app, resulting in the cancellation of existing appointments.
Donald Trump gestures after signing executive orders during the 60th presidential inauguration parade.
At the White House, Mr. Trump signed an order declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, which would unlock funding and authorize the deployment of troops to the area.
Another executive action designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
Mr. Trump revoked various Biden administration policies concerning artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. He also implemented a hiring freeze for federal positions and mandated that government employees return to the office instead of working remotely.
Furthermore, he signed documents establishing a Department of Government Efficiency, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, with the goal of significantly reducing government expenditure.
Within the State Department, more than a dozen senior diplomats without political affiliation were requested to resign as part of a broader strategy to replace neutral civil servants with loyalists.
Moreover, he indicated plans to eliminate federal diversity programs and asserted that the government would only recognize genders assigned at birth.
Donald Trump’s initial executive orders revoked Biden administration policies on artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.
While Mr. Trump aimed to present himself as a unifying figure during his half-hour address, his rhetoric frequently leaned toward partisan division. He reiterated false assertions from his campaign, claiming that foreign nations were releasing prisoners into the US, and aired familiar grievances concerning his criminal prosecutions.
With Mr. Biden seated nearby, Mr. Trump delivered a scathing critique of his predecessor’s policies, spanning from immigration to foreign affairs.
“We have a government that provides unlimited funding to defend foreign borders but refuses to protect American borders, and more importantly, its own citizens,” Mr. Trump stated.
A number of tech executives, including the three wealthiest individuals globally—Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg—were given prominent spots onstage alongside cabinet nominees and members of Mr. Trump’s family.
Mr. Trump proclaimed his intention to send astronauts to Mars, prompting Mr. Musk—who has long spoken about colonizing the planet—to raise his fists in excitement.
Mr. Trump pledged to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and reiterated his desire to reclaim control of the Panama Canal, part of a series of foreign policy assertions that have raised concerns among US allies.
Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Donald Trump in November, sat next to Joe Biden among a section of former presidents.
Mr. Trump took the oath of office to “preserve, protect, and defend” the US Constitution, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. His vice president, JD Vance, was sworn in just before him.
Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Mr. Trump in November, was seated next to Mr. Biden in a section with former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who also lost to Mr. Trump in 2016, was seated alongside her husband Bill. Michelle Obama chose not to attend.
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The inauguration ceremony was relocated indoors due to the severe cold affecting much of the country.
Mr. Trump did not attend Mr. Biden’s inauguration and has continued to falsely assert that the 2020 election, which he lost to Biden, was rigged.
As one of his last official acts, Mr. Biden pardoned several individuals whom Mr. Trump had threatened with retaliation, including General Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom Mr. Trump suggested should face execution for engaging in discreet talks with China. Following Mr. Trump’s inauguration, Mr. Milley’s portrait was taken down from the Pentagon.
He also issued pardons to five family members moments before leaving office, citing concerns that Mr. Trump would target them.
