Donald Trump has officially been inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States during a ceremony held at the Capitol in Washington, DC this afternoon.
The event is taking place in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, four years after a mob of Mr. Trump’s supporters stormed this emblem of American democracy in a failed attempt to challenge his 2020 defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.
According to a Trump administration official, Mr. Trump plans to declare a national emergency at the southern border with Mexico and will announce initiatives to deploy additional armed forces to bolster border security.
The official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity, added that Mr. Trump would also classify criminal cartels as designated global terrorists.
Joe Biden seen with Donald Trump before the ceremony
Mr. Trump, the first US president since the 19th century to secure a second term after losing the presidency, has indicated he will grant pardons “on Day One” to many of the more than 1,500 individuals charged in connection to the January 6, 2021 attack.
In one of his final actions, Mr. Biden issued preemptive pardons for politicians and congressional staff investigators of the riot, as well as police officers who provided testimony.
This pledge is part of a flurry of executive actions regarding immigration, energy, and tariffs that Mr. Trump aims to sign as soon as today following his swearing-in.
During a campaign-style rally yesterday in Washington, Mr. Trump committed to imposing stringent immigration restrictions on his first day in office.
He also promised to undo diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives on his first day, coinciding with Martin Luther King Day.
“A tide of change is sweeping the country,” Mr. Trump is expected to declare in his inaugural address, based on excerpts reviewed by Reuters.
“Today, I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions, we will initiate the total restoration of America and a revolution of common sense.”
Trump assumes office amidst chaos and disruption
Like in 2017, Mr. Trump enters office as a chaotic and disruptive figure, pledging to overhaul the federal government and expressing skepticism about US-led alliances that have dominated global politics since World War Two.
The former president returns to Washington emboldened, having won the national popular vote against Vice President Kamala Harris by over two million votes, fuelled by widespread voter dissatisfaction over ongoing inflation, despite falling short of a 50% majority.
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Mr. Trump will benefit from Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, which have been largely cleansed of any dissenters within the party. His advisors have laid out plans to replace non-partisan bureaucrats with selected loyalists.
Even before taking office, Mr. Trump established a rival power center in the weeks following his election win, engaging with world leaders and raising eyebrows by suggesting the US might seize the Panama Canal, take control of Greenland, and impose tariffs on major trading partners.
His influence was evident in the recent announcement of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Mr. Trump, whose envoy participated in the negotiations in Qatar, had warned of severe consequences if Hamas did not release hostages before the inauguration.
During his campaign, Mr. Trump claimed he would end the Russia-Ukraine conflict on his first day; however, his advisors have acknowledged that any peace agreement may take months.
Unlike in 2017, when he appointed many traditionalists to top positions, Mr. Trump has prioritized loyalty over experience in selecting a controversial cabinet, with nominees often critical of the very agencies they are set to lead.
He also has the backing of the world’s wealthiest individual, Elon Musk, who invested more than $250 million to support Mr. Trump’s election efforts.
Elon Musk takes the stage with his son, X, during the rally yesterday in Washington
Other billionaire tech leaders seeking favor with the new administration, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, and Apple’s Tim Cook, are expected to join Mr. Musk at the inauguration ceremony, as reported by Reuters and others.
Inauguration occurs under stringent security measures
The inauguration is taking place under tight security, following a campaign marked by rising political violence that included two assassination attempts against Mr. Trump, one of which resulted in a bullet grazing his ear.
Eight years ago, Mr. Trump delivered a grim inaugural speech promising to end the “American carnage” he associated with crime-ridden cities and weak borders, contrasting sharply with the hopeful tones typical of newly elected presidents.
Foreign governments will scrutinize the tone of Mr. Trump’s address following a campaign characterized by provocative rhetoric.
Temperatures during Donald Trump’s inauguration are set to plummet to -7C
Numerous executive orders anticipated
Amid the day’s festivities, Mr. Trump is expected to begin signing the first of what could be numerous executive orders.
Some of these actions will likely tighten immigration policies by aiming to categorize drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” and declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, among other initiatives, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Other orders may seek to dismantle Mr. Biden’s environmental regulations and withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, sources indicate.
Many of the executive orders may encounter legal challenges.
Trump supporters have gathered in Washington, DC for the inauguration
Mr. Trump will become the first convicted felon to assume the presidency after a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records linked to hush money payments to an adult film star.
He avoided punishment at sentencing, partly due to the judge’s recognition of the difficulties of imposing penalties on an incoming president.
Winning the election also shielded Mr. Trump from two federal charges – one pertaining to efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another regarding the retention of classified documents – due to a Justice Department policy that prohibits prosecuting presidents while they are in office.
In a report released last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith noted he had accumulated enough evidence to convict Mr. Trump in the election-related case if it had proceeded to trial.
