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WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president Monday, promising a “revolution of common sense” and taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.
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Trump, who overcame impeachment, criminal charges and two assassination attempts to win his term in the White House, will act temporarily after the ceremony, with executive orders already set for signature to crack down on border crossings, boost fossil fuel progress and stamp out diversity. and inclusion systems in the federal government.
WATCH: President-elect Trump speaks to supporters at a rally on the eve of his inauguration
Declaring that the government faces a “crisis of confidence,” Trump said in his inaugural address that under his administration “our sovereignty will be restored. ” Our security will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced.
Trump called for “a mandate to totally and utterly oppose terrible treason,” promising to “restore to others their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and even their freedom. “
And he added: “From then on, the decline of the United States will be over. “
The executive orders are the first step in what Trump is calling “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”
The freezing cold rewrote the spectacle of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved inside the Capitol Rotunda, the first time that has happened in 40 years, and the inaugural parade was replaced with an event in a downtown stadium. The crowds of Trump supporters who came to the city to witness the inaugural rites on the west front of the Capitol from the National Mall will have to relocate elsewhere to watch the festivities.
READ MORE: Your schedule of events for Trump’s 2nd inauguration
At the Capitol, Vice President JD Vance was sworn-in first, taking the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a bible given to him by his great-grandmother. Trump followed moments after noon, using both a family bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration as Chief Justice John Roberts administered his oath.
A cadre of billionaires and tech titans — including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai — were given prominent positions in the Capitol Rotunda, mingling with Trump’s incoming team before the ceremony began. Also there was Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who is expected to lead an effort to slash spending and federal employees.
READ MORE: 4 things that have changed since Trump’s 1st inauguration
Trump began the day with a prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Melania, were later greeted at the North Portico of the executive mansion by outgoing President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea and coffee reception. 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 got out of the car. The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticizing each other, shared a limousine on their way to the Capitol.
READ MORE: What moving day will be like when the Trumps return to the White House
Trump’s inauguration marked a political comeback unprecedented in U. S. history. Four years ago, he was ousted from the White House due to an economic collapse caused by the fatal COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He ordered his supporters to march to the Capitol as lawmakers graded the election results, sparking an insurrection that disrupted the country’s culture of nonviolent movement of power.
But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican Party and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters’ exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration.
WATCH: Tech, AI and Cryptocurrency Leaders Make Big Donations at Trump Inauguration
“I’m in a position to create a new America,” said Cynde Bost, 63, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Trump, in his inaugural address, acknowledged that he was taking office on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the slain civil rights hero. Trump said, “We will strive together to make his dream a reality,” and he thanked Black and Latino voters for their support in November.
LIVE BLOG: Fact Check on Trump’s Inauguration
Now Trump is the first person convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records related to hush money payments — to serve as president. He pledged to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. He’s said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who participated in the riot.
Eight years after arriving at the White House as a political newcomer, Trump is much more familiar with the operations of the federal government and has the courage to adapt it to his vision. Trump needs to achieve an immediate replacement by reducing immigration, applying price lists to imports, and rolling back Democrats’ social and climate initiatives.
He has also promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration.
Minutes before leaving office, Biden granted preemptive pardons to his siblings and their spouses to protect them from any prosecution options. He said in a statement that his circle of relatives “has been subjected to incessant attacks and threats” and that he has “no explanation for why he believes that these attacks will end. “
Earlier in the day, Biden took a similar step with current and former government officials who have been the target of Trump’s anger. Biden said “these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
Trump has pledged to pass and act faster in implementing his timeline than he did in his first term, and the country’s political, economic and technological leaders have already realigned to accommodate Trump.
Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are now divided over whether to work with Trump or challenge him. The billionaires have gone undercover to meet with Trump because they recognize his unparalleled strength in Washington and his ability to use the levers of government to benefit or harm their interests.
Long skeptical of American alliances, Trump’s “America First” foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year, and a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding in Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
Also attending will be the head of TikTok, the popular Chinese social media app that poses a national security threat across the United States. 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 attempts to show immediate progress.
Trump plans to temporarily reinstate his 2020 plan to crack down on the southern border, once again signaling a national emergency, restricting the number of refugees entering the US and deploying the military. He is expected to take additional steps, adding constitutionally questionable measures, such as attempting to end automatic birthright citizenship granted to other people born in the United States.
Trump will also sign an executive order aimed at ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government. The order will direct federal agencies to coordinate with the White House on identifying and terminating DEI programs. Conservatives have long criticized programs that give preference based on race, gender and sexual orientation, arguing they violate the Constitution.
Other orders are expected to allow more oil and fuel drilling by reversing Biden-era policies on domestic energy production and repealing Biden’s recent directive on synthetic intelligence.
Other adjustments are planned for the federal workforce. Trump needs to end diversity, equity and inclusion systems known as DEI, require workers to return to the office and lay the groundwork for a workforce reduction.
With Congress, Republicans are also pursuing new management of the law that will further roll back Biden’s policies and set their own priorities.
— Zeke Miller, Chris Megerian and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
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