Synopsis
On January 20, outgoing President Joe Biden warmly welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to the White House with the words 'Welcome home' during a traditional tea ceremony, ahead of Trump's swearing-in at the US Capitol.Key Takeaways
- Joe Biden welcomed Trump to the White House.
- Trump will serve two non-consecutive terms.
- Swearing-in ceremony held indoors.
- Trump's cabinet nominees will be present.
- Executive orders prepared to fulfill campaign promises.
Washington, Jan 20 (NationPress) Outgoing President Joe Biden greeted President-elect Donald Trump at the White House on Monday morning during a customary tea ceremony, uttering the phrase: “Welcome home”, as reported by media outlets.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted President-elect Trump and Melania Trump for a brief ceremony before departing together for the US Capitol, where the new President will take the oath of office administered by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Guests began arriving at the Capitol Rotunda for the swearing-in ceremony, which is set to occur indoors, marking a departure from the usual outdoor venue. This is only the second time the swearing-in has been held indoors; the last occurrence was in 1985 when President Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term.
Trump’s return to the White House marks only the second instance of an American President serving two non-consecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.
The swearing-in ceremony will welcome Trump’s cabinet nominees, including Marco Rubio for secretary of state, who is anticipated to be the first confirmed as early as Monday.
President-elect Trump initiated the inauguration proceedings by attending a private service at St John’s Church alongside First Lady Melania Trump, Vice-President-elect JD Vance, his wife Usha Vance, and several cabinet members.
While no TV cameras were permitted inside, the Trump inauguration team disclosed images from within, showcasing attendees such as Trump’s sons Barron Trump, Don Trump Jr, Eric Trump with his wife Lara Trump, as well as Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Among Trump’s guests were Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai, all of whom are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda.
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, George W Bush and Laura Bush, along with Barack Obama (absent his wife Michelle Obama), will also be present at the oath-taking ceremony, following a tradition that was notably broken by President Trump during Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
As the celebrations carry on into the evening, Trump’s aides are preparing a series of executive orders to fulfill some of the President-elect’s campaign promises, particularly concerning immigration. During a dinner on Sunday night, Trump mentioned there are nearly 100 such orders, with ten related to immigration, including a proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
