Inauguration Day: Trump triumphantly returns to U.S. Capitol for swearing-in

President-elect Donald Trump
 

Inauguration Day: Trump triumphantly returns to U.S. Capitol for swearing-in


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump, who overcame impeachment, criminal charges, and two assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, arrived at the U.S. Capitol to be sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and begin reshaping the country's institutions.

Trump will act quickly after the ceremony, already preparing executive orders to sign to limit border crossings, increase fossil fuel development, and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.

According to excerpts from his inaugural address, he plans to herald the start of "a dramatic new era of national success" as "a wave of change sweeps across the country. "

The executive orders are the first step in what Trump will call "a complete restoration of America and a revolution of common sense."

Cold weather rewrites today's review. Trump's swearing-in ceremony has been moved to the Capitol Hall — the first time in 40 years — and the inaugural parade has been replaced with an event in the downtown plaza. Crowds of Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the inauguration on the Capitol's west facade from the National Mall will be left to find another place to watch the festivities. "We needed change. The country was going in the wrong direction in so many ways, economically, geopolitically, and on so many social issues at home," said Joe Morse, 56, of New Jersey, who lined up with his sons at 11 p.m. Sunday and secured a spot on the main floor of Capitol One Arena to watch the livestream of the inauguration.

Trump began the day with much of his incoming Cabinet with a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Melania, were later greeted on the North Portico of the Executive Mansion by outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for the usual tea and coffee ceremony. It was a stark departure from four years ago when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden's victory or attend his inauguration.

"Welcome home," Biden told Trump after the president-elect emerged from his car. The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticizing each other, shared a limousine on the way to the Capitol.

When Trump takes the oath of office at noon today, he will have achieved unprecedented political comeback in American history. Four years ago, he was Voting to remove him from the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol as lawmakers certified the election results, sparking riots that interrupted the country's tradition of peaceful power transfers.

But Trump has not lost his grip on the Republican Party, undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he has crushed rivals and exploited voter discontent over inflation and illegal immigration.

"I'm ready for a new America," said Cindy Post, 63, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Trump will now be the first person convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records related to hush money payments — to serve as president. He will pledge to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" from the same spot his supporters stormed on January 6, 2021. He said one of his first acts in office was to pardon many of those who participated in the riot.

Eight years after entering the White House as a political newcomer, Trump has grown increasingly familiar with the federal government's workings and has been encouraged to bend it to his vision. Trump wants to bring about rapid change by limiting immigration, imposing tariffs on imports, and reversing Democrats' climate and social initiatives.

He has also promised to retaliate against his political opponents and critics and has made personal loyalty a primary qualification for appointments to his administration.

Hours before the inauguration, Biden issued preemptive pardons to current and former government officials who had been the target of Trump's wrath, shielding them from possible prosecution. "These are extraordinary circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing," Biden said.

Trump has vowed to move forward faster on his agenda than in his first term, and the country's political, business, and technology leaders have already reorganized to accommodate Him. Democrats who once formed the "resistance" are now divided over whether to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires lined up to meet Trump, recognizing him as president.

Trump is exploiting his unparalleled power in Washington and his ability to use the levers of government to help or hurt their interests.

Trump's "America First" foreign policy, long questioned by U.S. alliances, is being watched closely at home and abroad as Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its third year, and a fragile ceasefire in Gaza appears to be held after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

At the Capitol, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will be sworn in first, with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh reading the oath from a Bible given to him by his great-grandmother. As Chief Justice John Roberts administers the oath, Trump will follow, using a family Bible and the one President Abraham Lincoln used at his 1861 inauguration.

The event will be attended by a host of billionaires and tech titans, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, who have courted Trump and donated generously to his inauguration festivities.

The head of TikTok, the popular Chinese social media app that the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, will also attend. The United States is a national security threat. Trump has promised to lift the effective ban on TikTok through one of several executive orders expected to be issued Monday as the new president tries to show rapid progress.

Trump plans to quickly reimpose his 2020 order to crack down on the southern border — again by declaring a national emergency, limiting the number of refugees entering the United States, and deploying the military. He is expected to take additional actions — including constitutionally questionable ones — such as ending automatic citizenship for people born in the United States.

Trump will also sign an executive order ending federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The order will direct federal agencies to coordinate with the White House on identifying and ending these programs. Conservatives have long criticized programs that give preference based on race, gender, and sexual orientation, arguing that they violate the Constitution.

Other orders are expected to allow more oil and gas drilling by rolling back Biden-era policies on domestic energy production and rescinding Biden's recent directive on artificial intelligence.

More changes to the federal workforce are planned. Trump wants to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI), force employees back into the office, and lay the groundwork for staff cuts.

With control of Congress, Republicans are also working alongside the incoming administration on legislation that would further roll back Biden's policies and set their priorities.

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