Synopsis
Outgoing President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump traveled to the US Capitol for Trump's swearing-in ceremony following a White House tea ceremony. Notable attendees included high-ranking officials and various celebrities, with the event taking place indoors due to cold weather.Key Takeaways
- Trump's swearing-in marks his second non-consecutive term.
- The ceremony was held indoors for only the second time in history.
- High-profile guests included tech CEOs and former presidents.
- Trump's aides are preparing numerous executive orders.
- Immigration policies are a key focus for upcoming orders.
Washington, Jan 20 (NationPress) Outgoing President Joe Biden and his incoming successor, President-elect Donald Trump, traveled together to the US Capitol for the latter's oath-taking ceremony following a traditional tea ceremony at the White House with their wives, Vice-President Kamala Harris, and her incoming successor J D Vance along with their spouses.
Jill Biden and Melania Trump journeyed together in a separate vehicle, as did Vice-President Kamala Harris and her successor J D Vance.
They convened at the White House for a traditional tea ceremony, where Biden greeted the incoming president with two words: “Welcome home”, as reported by the media.
Guests began to arrive early at the Capitol Rotunda for the swearing-in ceremony, which will occur indoors due to the frigid temperatures, rather than outside as is traditional.
This marks only the second time the swearing-in has occurred indoors, the last instance being in 1985 when President Ronald Reagan took the oath for his second term.
Trump's return to the White House also marks the second occasion in American history that a president has served two non-consecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.
The swearing-in will see the attendance of Trump's cabinet nominees, including Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, who is anticipated to be confirmed as early as Monday; along with Robert Kennedy Jr., Doug Burgum, Kristi Noem, Pete Hegseth, and others.
General C Q Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was among the first high-ranking officials to arrive at the Capitol Rotunda, where he will be seated on the platform for Trump's oath. Current and former leaders of the House and Senate, including former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Trump Cabinet member Elaine Chao, have also taken their seats.
According to pool reports, supporters were entering Emancipation Hall at the Capitol, the overflow viewing area in the Capitol Visitor Centre, where the President-elect is set to speak after the inauguration. Notable attendees include AI billionaires Sam Altman and Alexandr Wang, YouTube influencers Logan and Jake Paul, New York Mayor Eric Adams, mixed martial artist and boxer Conor McGregor, comedian and podcaster Theo Von, and former race car driver Danica Patrick. Spouses of House and Senate members have also been accommodated in the overflow area.
President-elect Trump initiated Monday’s inauguration activities by attending a private service at St John's Church with the incoming First Lady Melania Trump, Vice-President-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance, along with some cabinet members.
No television cameras were permitted inside, but the Trump inauguration team shared images from within, showing attendees including Trump’s sons Barron Trump, Don Trump Jr., Eric Trump and his wife Lara Trump, and Ivanka Trump with her husband Jared Kushner.
Other guests included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Apple's Tim Cook, Tesla and Space X's Elon Musk, and Google's Sundar Pichai, who would also attend the swearing-in at the Capitol Rotunda.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush, and former President Barack Obama (without his wife Michelle Obama) will attend the oath-taking ceremony, a tradition that President Trump notably broke by skipping Biden's inauguration in 2021.
As festivities continued into the evening, Trump’s aides focused on drafting numerous executive orders to fulfill some of the President-elect's campaign promises, particularly concerning immigration. The President-elect informed dinner guests on Sunday night that nearly 100 such orders are in the works, with around 10 specifically addressing immigration, including one proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
