Washington (AP)As Republicans take unified control of Washington and begin to reshape the nation’s institutions, Donald Trump, who defeated impeachments, criminal indictments, and two assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Monday to be sworn in as the 47th president.
With executive orders ready for his signature to tighten border controls, boost the production of fossil fuels, and terminate diversity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government, Trump will move quickly following the ceremony.
Excerpts from his inaugural address indicate that he intends to announce the start of an exciting new age of national success as a wave of transformation sweeps the nation.
What Trump will refer to as the “revolution of common sense” and “complete restoration of America” begins with the executive orders.
The pomp of the day is being rewritten by the cold weather. The inaugural procession was swapped out for an event at a downtown arena, and Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda for the first time in forty years. Trump fans who flocked to the city to see the inauguration ceremony from the National Mall on the Capitol’s West Front will have to find another location to observe the events.
We required a shift. According to Joe Morse, 56, of New Jersey, who lined up with his sons at 11 p.m. on Sunday to get a seat on the main floor of Capitol One Arena to watch a livestream of the inauguration, the nation was headed in the wrong direction in a number of areas, including the economy, geopolitics, and numerous domestic social issues.
At St. John’s Episcopal Church, Trump and a large portion of his incoming Cabinet started the day with a prayer service. Outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden subsequently welcomed him and his wife, Melania, to the traditional tea and coffee ceremony at the executive mansion’s North Portico. This marked a significant change from four years prior, when Trump declined to attend Biden’s inauguration or acknowledge his triumph.
After the president-elect got out of the car, Biden greeted Trump, “Welcome home.” The two presidents rode together in a limousine to the Capitol after years of sour criticism.
Trump will experience a political comeback unlike any other in American history when he takes the oath of office at noon. During the economic crisis brought on by the fatal COVID-19 pandemic four years ago, he was voted out of the White House. Trump attempted to hold onto power while denying his defeat. While parliamentarians were confirming the election results, he ordered his followers to march on the Capitol, igniting a riot that disrupted the nation’s custom of a peaceful handover of power.
However, Trump maintained his hold on the Republican Party despite two assassination attempts and criminal prosecutions, using people’ frustration with illegal immigration and inflation to his advantage.
According to Cynde Bost, 63, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, “I am ready for a new United States.”
Trump will now become the first person to be found guilty of a criminal for fabricating financial records pertaining to hush money payments in order to hold the office of president. He will make a commitment to uphold, defend, and maintain the Constitution from the same location that his supporters took over on January 6, 2021. He has stated that pardoning a large number of riot participants will be one of his first actions as president.
Trump is much more accustomed to the workings of the federal government and feels more confident in his ability to manipulate it to suit his interests, eight years after he initially took office as a political rookie. By restricting immigration, imposing import duties, and reversing Democratic social and climate measures, Trump hopes to bring very rapid change.
In addition, he has made personal loyalty a requirement for appointments to his cabinet and pledged retaliation against his political rivals and detractors.
Biden granted preemptive pardons to current and former government officials who have been the focus of Trump’s ire, protecting them from potential prosecution, only hours before the inauguration. “These are extraordinary circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden said in a statement.
The nation’s political, business, and technological leaders have already repositioned themselves to accommodate Trump, who has promised to advance and expedite his agenda beyond what was accomplished during his first term. Former resistance Democrats are now split on whether to support Trump or oppose him. As they recognize Trump’s unparalleled influence in Washington and his capacity to use the levers of government to further or undermine their interests, billionaires have gathered to meet with him.
Trump’s America First foreign policy, which has long been skeptics of American ties, is being closely monitored both domestically and internationally as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its third year and a tenuous ceasefire seems to be holding in Gaza following more than 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The oath will be read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a bible that his great-grandmother gave him, and Vice President-elect JD Vance will take it first at the Capitol. As Chief Justice John Roberts delivers his oath, Trump will follow, using a family bible as well as the one used by President Abraham Lincoln during his inauguration in 1861.
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos are among the group of IT giants and billionaires who have donated generously to Trump’s inaugural celebrations in an attempt to win his favor.
The leader of TikTok, a well-known Chinese-owned social media platform that the United States has classified as a national security threat, will also be in attendance. As the new president tries to demonstrate rapid progress, Trump has pledged to lift an effective ban on TikTok through one of several executive orders that are anticipated to be issued on Monday.
Trump intends to quickly implement his 2020 strategy to crack down on the southern border once more by imposing a national emergency, restricting the number of refugees who may enter the country, and using the military. He is anticipated to take further steps, including ones that are constitutionally dubious, including trying to revoke the automatic citizenship granted to Americans by birth.
Additionally, Trump will issue an executive order to terminate federal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Federal agencies would be instructed by the order to work with the White House to identify and end DEI programs. Programs that grant preference based on sexual orientation, gender, or race have long been challenged by conservatives who claim they are unconstitutional.
Other orders are anticipated to revoke Biden’s recent directive on artificial intelligence and to reverse Biden-era regulations on domestic energy output, so permitting more oil and gas drilling.
The federal workforce is set to undergo additional adjustments. In addition to requiring workers to return to the office and laying the foundation for staff reductions, Trump wants to terminate the DEI programs.
Republicans are collaborating with the new administration on legislation that will further rescind Biden’s initiatives and establish their own objectives now that they control Congress.
By Michelle L. Price, Chris Megerian, and Zeke Miller. Aamer Madhani, Lindsey Bahr, Will Weissert, Lisa Mascaro, and Josh Boak all made contributions.
