President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in Washington, D.C. for the second time shortly after noon on Monday, Jan. 20th. Members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, the Trump family, and Trump’s future Cabinet was in attendance along with former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as billionaire tech CEOs including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook.
Trump took the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, at 12:05 p.m. EST, with his children and wife standing by along with outgoing President Biden and Vice President Harris looking on. He acknowledged the living former presidents in attendance before delivering his inaugural address inside the Capitol Rotunda for the first time in 40 years, due to the sub-freezing temperatures in Washington.
After being sworn in as president, Trump vowed in his inaugural address “from this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” adding that “the golden age of America begins right now.” He announced a slate of executive orders and a series of changes, including declaring national emergencies at the southern border and energy. The President spoke for nearly 40 minutes in the Capitol Rotunda; while in a second set of free-style remarks in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, Trump attacked political adversaries, while once again calling the 2020 election “totally rigged”.
Trump was expected to sign a series of executive actions immediately, including declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border and pulling the US out of the Paris climate deal. He is also planning to pardon nonviolent January 6 defendants and commute the sentences of others. Said Trump: “all illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my ‘remain in Mexico’ policy. I will end the practice of catch and release and I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”
For a full recap of Inauguration Day events, head HERE.
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