WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump, who overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, was sworn in Monday as the 47th U.S. president taking charge as Republicans claim unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.
Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, moved indoors due to intense cold, and began at noon ET. Festivities started earlier when the incoming president arrived for service at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
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Inauguration performer Carrie Underwood doesn’t usually get involved with politics
Country music star Carrie Underwood is performing “America the Beautiful” at today’s inauguration.
“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement shortly after the news broke. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
But Underwood has avoided discussing politics across her career, in 2019 telling The Guardian, “I feel like more people try to pin me places politically. I try to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins. It’s crazy. Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that.”
Trump wants to plant an American flag on Mars
Trump says he wants to send American astronauts to Mars, saying he “will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars” and “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.”
Billionaire Elon Musk of SpaceX threw his hands up in the air as Trump announced the U.S. would plant its flag on Mars.
Trump’s plans for reshaping American asylum
Trump said “all illegal entry will immediately be halted,” with few details on how he will achieve that. He said he would end the practice of releasing migrants in the United States to pursue asylum, known as “catch-and-release,” but didn’t say how he would pay for the enormous costs of detention.
Part of his plan relies on resuming the “Remain in Mexico” policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, a hallmark of his first term. The Mexican government has agreed, signaling perhaps one of the most concrete and immediate changes that will be seen at the border.
Trump said little about his plans for mass deportation, saying only that he would deport “millions and millions of criminal aliens.”
There is more than 1 split-screen in Washington on Monday
The Rev. Al Sharpton and other Black leaders led a standing-room-only congregation in a passionate and political Martin Luther King Jr. Day as Trump was being sworn in.
The timing was no accident.
“We want people to see the tale of two cities in one,” Sharpton cried, as Trump was being inaugurated at the Capitol.
Sharpton introduced Korey Wise — one of the falsely accused Central Park Five Black defendants whose execution Trump had lobbied for — to cheers from the crowd, and rattled off a series of actions he said Trump had taken against Black Americans and civil rights.
“We will fight the next four years no matter what he says,” Sharpton said.
“Everything that Dr. King stood for is at risk with this president, this Congress,” Sharpton said.
Not-so-record inflation
Trump vowed to “defeat what was record inflation.”
Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 after rising steadily in the first 17 months of Biden’s presidency from a low of 0.1% in May 2020. The most recent data shows that as of December it had fallen to 2.9%.
But other historical periods have seen higher inflation, such as a more than 14% rate in 1980, according to the Federal Reserve.
Trump’s promised Day 1 executive orders
Here are a few of the executive orders Trump says he plans to issue on his first day:
1. Several on immigration, including declaring a national emergency at southern border, reinstating the “remain in Mexico” policy and sending troops to the southern border.
2. Seeking a broad government effort to reduce inflation and reduce prices.
3. Declaring a “national energy emergency” and allowing for more energy production.
4. Ending what he has called an “electric vehicle mandate.”
Trump repeats unfounded immigration claim at the crux of his campaign
In his inaugural address, Trump repeated a line he usually brought up during his campaign, saying that immigrants arriving in the country illegally come from prisons and mental institutions.
There is no evidence countries are sending their criminals or mentally ill across the border.
Trump’s inauguration address echoes his rally speeches
The speech Trump is delivering sounds a lot like his rally speeches, with plenty of grievance, including references to those who tried to “take my freedom” and the “weaponization of our Justice Department.”
Trump, after leaving office, became the first former president to be indicted, convicted and sentenced. But he has long tried to cast his many investigations as politically motivated.
Some Democrats join standing ovation over border emergency
Trump is laying out his executive orders, starting with declaring a state of emergency on the southern border, which received a standing ovation from all Republicans and a few swing state Democrats, including Reps. Don Davis and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
Trump wants to make Martin Luther King Jr.‘s dream ‘a reality’
Trump marked the fact that his inauguration is occurring on Martin Luther King Jr. Day., saying in his speech that his administration will “strive together to make his dream a reality.”
“We will make his dream come true,” Trump vowed of the Rev. King.
‘America’s decline is over’
Trump referred to the assassination attempt against him, saying he was “saved by God to make America great again,” drawing a standing ovation from Republicans in the room while Democrats, including Biden and Harris, remained seated and still.
Trump says the election has given him “a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal” he says has taken place, “and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom. From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”
Trump lays into the federal government
Speaking just feet from former Biden, Trump is delivering a forceful critique of the federal government, which he says “cannot manage even a simple crisis at home.”
He cites the wildfires in California and flooding in North Carolina, crises about which he has repeatedly spread incorrect claims. He also points to “a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad” and illegal immigration.
Trump: The ‘golden age of America begins right now’
Trump in his first remarks as the 47th president declared that the “golden age of America begins right now.”
“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” he said.
Cheers erupt in Rotunda as Trump is sworn in
Trump’s family surrounds him after his swearing-in.
He kisses his wife, Melania, on the cheek — this time making it past the brim of her hat.
JD Vance has been sworn in by Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Chief Justice John Roberts has sworn in Trump for a second term as president
Inauguration Day on MLK Day
This is the third time a president has been sworn in on the federal holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also were sworn in for their second terms on the holiday.
The holiday honoring the civil rights leader was established nearly 40 years ago. It is observed on the third Monday of January every year.
The Constitution places Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Klobuchar said the coincidence is “a further reminder we must strive to uphold the values in our Constitution.”
Speeches highlighting the “endurance” of American democracy
The bipartisan leaders of the 60th Inaugural Committee kicked off the ceremony by highlighting the importance of American democracy as the country is close to celebrating 250 years.
“Our great American experiment, grounded in the rule of law, has endured. So as we inaugurate a new president and vice president, let us remember that the power of those in this room comes from the people,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the committee chair, said in her speech.
Her Republican counterpart, Sen. Deb Fischer, echoed that sentiment.
“Our democracy promises the American people the power to change, to chart their own destiny,” Fischer said. “That’s the beauty that is the importance of democracy. It allows endurance, the permanence of a nation and never change.”
Lincoln Bible redux
President-elect Donald Trump plans to use his own Bible, which was given to him by his mother, and the Lincoln Bible for his swearing-in ceremony.
The Lincoln Bible was provided during Lincoln’s 1861 inauguration by William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the Supreme Court. That’s because Lincoln’s family Bible was still packed and on its way to Washington from Springfield, Illinois, along with the Lincoln family’s other belongings.
In 2017, Trump stacked a family Bible atop Lincoln’s while taking the oath. He’s set to do the same with his own Bible and Lincoln’s this time.
That recalls Barack Obama, who also used the Lincoln Bible during his first swearing-in in 2009. During his second in 2014, he paired it with a Bible that had belonged to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
White House staff turning over the mansion for Trump during inauguration
The staff of the White House residence starts the work of moving out one president and preparing the mansion for a new president as soon as the outgoing and incoming presidents leave for the inauguration at the Capitol.
They have about five hours to do it.
The White House chief usher is the staff person who oversees the process and will have worked with Melania Trump to coordinate the move. One former White House usher describes the process as “organized chaos.”
No Bible required
While reciting the presidential oath of office is mandated by the Constitution, using a Bible isn’t.
Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use one when he was sworn in following the assassination of William McKinley in 1901. John Quincy Adams used a law text for his 1825 inauguration.
And, sworn in aboard Air Force One after John Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson used a Catholic missal.
Also, who holds the Bible during the inaugural ceremony isn’t spelled out. Lady Bird Johnson set a tradition that has continued until today when she became the first incoming-first lady to hold the Bible for her husband Lyndon’s second inauguration in January 1965.
Prior to that, the Bibles were often held by an unknown official — people not easily identified in historical photographs.
Biden’s other family pardon proved unpopular
Only about 2 in 10 Americans approved of Biden’s previous decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, according to an AP-NORC poll from December — suggesting that his last-minute move to issue pardons to his family members may not be received well.
That poll found that about 4 in 10 Democrats approved of the pardon, while about 3 in 10 disapproved and about one-quarter did not have an opinion or did not know enough to say. The vast majority of Republicans and about half of independents had a negative opinion.
▶ Read more about how Americans reacted to Biden’s pardons
Trump’s purple tie appears to include a checkered pattern of red and blue
It could be a potential nod to unity and a departure from the fire engine red tie he wore when he was first sworn in back in 2017.
Trump attempts to his wife’s cheek
The president-elect leaned in to kiss her but appeared to be blocked by the brim of her hat.
He greeted President Joe Biden after entering the Capitol Rotunda to roaring applause and cheers.
Why does Amy Klobuchar speak first?
Klobuchar spoke at the start of the swearing-in, calling the audience to order before the ceremony began.
The Minnesota Democrat has a prominent role because she chairs the joint committee overseeing preparations for the inauguration.
The decision to move the inauguration inside creates a split screen
Senior government officials, tech moguls and donors are gathered inside the Capitol building, attending the swearing-in ceremony in person.
Meanwhile, thousands of Trump’s supporters, many wearing MAGA gear, are gathered at Capital One Arena to watch on screen.
Proud Boys seen marching on Washington streets
A group of Proud Boys carrying pro-Trump signs and anti-antifa marched on the streets in Washington as Trump prepared for the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda.
The extremist group was known for street fights with anti-fascist activists when Trump infamously told them to “stand back and stand by” during his first debate in 2020 with Biden.
Dozens of Proud Boys leaders, members and associates have been convicted and sentenced to prison in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. It’s unclear whether any might receive pardons promised by Trump.
Vice President-elect JD Vance enters the Rotunda to roaring applause
Trump will order the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and more
A spokeswoman for the transition team says Donald Trump will order the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali in his first executive orders.
Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on the social platform X that the Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the Gulf of America and Denali — the highest mountain in North America — will revert to Mount McKinley, its former name until the Obama administration changed it in 2015.
Earlier this month, Trump floated the idea of renaming the body of water that forms the coastline along five southeastern states, saying he felt “Gulf of America” has a “beautiful ring to it.”
As president, Trump can take the action to rename the body of water, although other countries don’t have to adopt the new name.
Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff exchange a hug and a smile
The two awaited the arrival of their spouses on the inauguration platform.
Audience welcomes former presidents
The former presidents in attendance — Obama, Bush and Clinton — drew applause from the audience.
Two former first ladies were there, too, but Michelle Obama skipped the inauguration.
She wasn’t with the former U.S. leaders and their spouses at former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral earlier this month either.
No explanation has been given for her absences.
The former first and second ladies that aren’t attending
While former Vice President Mike Pence is in attendance at Trump’s inauguration, his wife, former second lady Karen, is not.
Karen Pence snubbed the Trumps earlier this month at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, where she ignored Melania Trump’s efforts to shake her hand.
Michelle Obama also chose not to attend.
Former vice presidents have arrived
Dan Quayle and Mike Pence arrived on the platform with a standing ovation from members of both the House and Senate.
CEOs have better seats than Trump’s Cabinet members
The CEOs of Meta, X, and Amazon sat in front of the president-elect’s entire Cabinet — a nod to the importance Trump has given the heads of some of the most powerful companies and social media platforms over his agency heads.
Some of the nation’s most powerful tech titans are at the Capitol
Vocal Trump ally Elon Musk, the CEO of Telsa and the owner social platform X, was seen along with Google’s Sundar Pichai and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook were also in the audience.
The capacity shrunk significantly when the ceremony was moved indoors due to cold temperatures.
Musk has also been tapped by Trump to help lead an outside government group called the Department of Government Efficiency to slash bureaucracy.
All 9 Supreme Court justices are at the Capitol
The entire court entered, led by Roberts. Retired Justice Stephen Breyer also is there.
Italian, Argentine leaders are in the Rotunda
Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni are in the Rotunda. Trump broke with precedent by inviting foreign leaders to attend his inauguration.
Pence and the Clintons get booed in arena
The crowd in the arena is not discriminate with their cheers — anything from a man holding a “Joe Biden You’re Fired” sign to a shot of Rudy Giuliani has inspired enthusiastic applause — but a rare boo erupted from the crowd at the sigh of Mike Pence walking into the rotunda.
Soon after a much larger boo came for the Clintons.
Trump has entered the Capitol with Biden
Podcast host Joe Rogan is taking his seat near the platform
‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’
That is the subject line of an email from Trump’s transition team touting the executive orders he is expected to sign shortly after being sworn in for a second term.
“He told voters on Day One, we would Drill, Baby, Drill. President Trump will be doing that,” it reads.
“He told voters on Day One, he would end the invasion at the border. President Trump will be doing that,” it goes on.
“He told voters on Day One, he would restore common sense. President Trump will be doing that,” it adds.
Congressional leaders arrive at the Capitol
Asked how he felt today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said: “Feel great about the Bills.”
The New Yorker had a royal blue cap in hand. The House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said it’s “bright, sunny outside and bright in our heart.” Johnson said he expects “a lot” of executive orders from Trump. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries smiled and waved but declined comment.
“Feel great,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance arrive at the Capitol ahead of their inauguration
Getting their selfies in while they can
Republicans and Democrats sat amongst each other as lawmakers did not have designated seats and took selfies before the official inaugural ceremony began.
Biden and Trump share a limo
Both men shared the same vehicle, along with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, chair of the bipartisan Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
Biden and Trump have been the bitterest of rivals for years. But the outgoing and incoming president taking the same vehicle to the inauguration ceremony keeps with political traditions.
President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump are exiting
They left the White House after spending about 35 minutes in a private meeting.
They got into a limo for the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony. It’s now less than two hours away.
First lady and incoming first lady leave the White House
First lady Jill Biden and incoming first lady Melania Trump have left the White House.
They were followed by Vice President Kamala Harris and Vice President-elect JD Vance, who left in a limo for the swearing-in at the Capitol.
“Very well, thank you,” Harris replied to a shouted question as she left the White House and headed to a waiting limo.
Flags are up at the Capitol
Flags that had been lowered for the passing of former President Jimmy Carter are back up at the U.S. Capitol.
House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered the flags raised for Trump’s inauguration.
Second gentleman heads to the Capitol
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has exited the White House with Usha Vance, wife of vice president-elect JD Vance, to go to the Capitol.
Sports celebrities and business figures alike crowd into the Capitol’s visitor center
The attendees, which include the CEO of TikTok, made their way into the Capitol’s visitor center to watch the inauguration ceremonies on a large screen.
Evander Holyfield, Danica Patrick, Conor McGregor, Jake Paul and his brother Logan Paul have all made their way into a large area called the Emancipation Hall.
The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, is also there. He struck up a conversation with Logan Paul, who is a social media influencer and professional boxer.
As Trump enters the White House a second time, some celebrities and business leaders have sought closer relationships than during Trump’s first term.
Trump is already proving he is a valuable ally to have — the incoming president intervened this weekend in an attempt to halt a ban on TikTok.
Seeing red
House Republican women arrived at the Rotunda wearing various shades of red, a nod to the GOP’s signature hue. Similarly, Republican men wore ties ranging from dark red to orange as they took their seats.
Harris and Biden make final posts on X
“It has been the honor of our lifetimes to serve you, the American people,” the vice president and president wrote in identical posts Monday morning on the social platform X.
The posts both featured a portrait of Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
What are the most — and least — popular parts of Trump’s agenda?
Donald Trump will start implementing a far-reaching agenda when he takes office for the second time on Monday, but a new AP-NORC poll finds that some of his priorities are a lot more popular than others.
Just over half of Americans favor eliminating taxes on earnings from tips, for example, while about one-quarter are neutral and only about 2 in 10 are opposed.
On the other hand, about 6 in 10 US adults oppose pardoning many of the people who participated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the presidential oath of office to Trump
It’s the fifth inauguration for Roberts, who swore in Barack Obama twice, Joe Biden once and now will stand opposite Trump for a second time.
In the first inaugural ceremony for both men, in 2009, Roberts and Obama combined to flub the constitutionally prescribed oath, then met at the White House for a rare do-over — just to be safe.
Guests begin to arrive at the Capitol
Among the first people high-ranking officials to arrive at the Capitol Rotunda on Monday was Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is sitting on the platform where Trump will take his oath.
Current and former House and Senate leaders also arrived, including former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife former Trump Cabinet member Elaine Chao.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh will administer oath of office to Vance
Kavanaugh has known Vance and his wife, Usha, since their days at Yale Law School.
Vance was among Kavanaugh’s students in a law school seminar in 2011. He later employed Usha Vance as a law clerk when Kavanaugh was a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington.
She went on to serve as a clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts.
3 former Republican Speakers of the House are present
Newt Gingrich, John Boehner and Kevin McCarthy are in the Capitol Rotunda for the inauguration.
The last Democratic Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has said she is not attending the ceremony.
French billionaire Bernard Arnault joined others at the church service
Arnault, who heads the LVMH fashion empire and is France’s richest man, was sitting a few rows back and to the left of Trump and his wife, Melania, wearing a dark suit and tie.
LVMH’s many brands include Louis Vuitton and Dior, and its influence and Arnault’s wealth make the lowkey billionaire a powerful figure.
LVMH had a stellar year in France last year, especially as a high-profile sponsor of the Paris Olympics. Arnault also was a key donor toward the reconstruction of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral after its fire in 2019 and attended the monument’s reopening — along with Trump — last December.
Biden says he wrote a letter to Trump
It’s become tradition for the outgoing president to write a letter to his successor and leave it in the drawer of the Oval Office desk for the new president to find.
Biden declined to say what he said in the note. Trump wrote Biden a note four years ago.
