Washington (AP)As soon as he took office as the 47th president on Monday, Donald Trump, emboldened by his historic political return, began to dismantle Joe Biden’s legacy, asserting that he was given the mandate to transform American institutions.
As hundreds of fans applauded, he started signing executive orders while onstage at a downtown stadium, combining the formal powers of the presidency with the spectacle of his campaign rallies. He withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, halted the issuance of new rules, and consolidated his authority over the government workers.
In front of a crowd wearing Make America Great Again hats, Trump declared, “We won, we won, but now the work begins.”
When Trump was attempting to reverse Biden’s election victory on January 6, 2021, a large number of people invaded the U.S. Capitol, and he pledged to issue pardons for them. Trump has attempted to portray the participants as patriots in spite of the riot’s global anger.
Trump’s supporters enthusiastically celebrated his re-ascendence after he overcame impeachments, criminal charges, and two assassination attempts to win another term in the White House in the four years afterward.
Pam Pollard, 65, a lifelong Republican official from Oklahoma, stated, “We all believe that God’s hand has been on this man to be elected.”
Trump stated earlier in the day that the government is experiencing a crisis of trust in his inaugural address. He asserted that our sovereignty will be restored under his leadership. We’ll be safe again. We shall rebalance the justice scales.
Trump promised to restore the people’s confidence, prosperity, democracy, and even their freedom, claiming a mandate to fully and utterly undo a terrible betrayal.
As Biden observed from the front row, he declared, “From now on, America’s decline is over.”
The executive orders are the first step in what Trump refers to as the “revolution of common sense” and the “complete restoration of America.”
Supporters who were promised rapid success may find their patience tested as other aims prove more challenging. Trump has discussed cutting costs in the wake of years of inflation, but his proposals to impose tariffs on international imports may have the opposite impact.
The splendor of the day was rewritten by the cold weather. For the first time in forty years, Trump’s swearing-in ceremony was held indoors at the Capitol Rotunda, and the inaugural parade was swapped out for a marching band event at Capital One Arena. There were no other options for Trump fans who traveled from the National Mall to the city to observe the ceremony outside the Capitol.
Vice President JD Vance was sworn in first at the Capitol, using a Bible that his great-grandmother had given him to take the oath, which was read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Trump did the same, using the Bible that President Abraham Lincoln used at his inauguration in 1861 as well as a family Bible. John Roberts, the Chief Justice, gave the oath.
Before the ceremony started, a group of internet giants and billionaires, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and Sundar Pichai, were granted prominent spots in the Rotunda and mixed with Trump’s new staff. The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, was also present and is anticipated to spearhead a drive to reduce federal workers and spending. For a president who is a millionaire himself and has positioned himself as a working-class activist, it was an impressive show of riches.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed Trump and his wife, Melania, to the White House for the traditional tea and coffee reception before they left for the Capitol. 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.” After years of sour criticism, the two presidents rode together in a limousine to the Capitol. Trump and Biden strolled to the east side of the building following the inauguration ceremony, where Biden took off via helicopter to start his life after the presidency.
Following Biden’s exit, Trump spoke freely to his fans, bringing up a long list of conspiracy theories including voter fraud and complaints against people he believed to be his adversaries, including former Republican Representative Liz Cheney, whom he referred to as a sobbing crazy.
“I think this is a better speech than the one I gave upstairs,” he said, continuing to speak for even longer than he had in his inaugural address.
With Trump’s inauguration, a political resurgence unprecedented in American history was achieved. 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.
Trump reiterated in his inauguration address that he was the subject of political charges and that he would start implementing fair, equal, and impartial justice. He also noted that Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which commemorates the deceased civil rights leader, was the day he would take office. He declared that we would work together to realize his dream.
Trump is now the first person to be found guilty of a felony for fabricating financial records pertaining to hush money payments in order to gain the presidency. He vowed to defend, uphold, and safeguard the Constitution from the same location that his followers took over on January 6, 2021. He referred to the people who were found guilty of taking part in the unrest as hostages on Monday and stated that one of his first actions as president would be to pardon several of them.
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.
In order to protect his siblings and their spouses from potential punishment, Biden granted them preemptive pardons just minutes before he left office. He also granted pardons to former and present government officials earlier in the day who have been the focus of Trump’s ire. “These are extraordinary circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden stated.
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. Trump did not bring up the crisis in Ukraine in his inaugural address, despite having pledged to do so even before taking office.
In regard to his plans to retake the Panama Canal and buy Greenland from Denmark, Trump declared that he would head a government that “expands our territory.”
Additionally, he declared that he will send American astronauts to Mars in order to carry out our manifest destiny into space. As Trump spoke, Musk, who owns a space rocket firm with federal contracts worth billions of dollars, pumped his arms above his head and cheered.
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This report was written by AP journalists Josh Boak, Lindsey Bahr, Will Weissert, and Aamer Madhani, with assistance from AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro.
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By Michelle L. Price, Chris Megerian, and Zeke Miller. Aamer Madhani, Lindsey Bahr, Will Weissert, Lisa Mascaro, and Josh Boak all made contributions.
