Donald Trump is due to be sworn is as America’s 47th President, capping a remarkable comeback after he overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and two assassination attempts to win another term in the White House.
Mr Trump will take charge for his second term as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.
He is expected to act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to jump-start deportations, increase fossil fuel development and reduce civil service protections for government workers.
Mr Trump promises that his second term will bring about “a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride”.
Frigid weather is rewriting the pageantry of the day. Mr Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda – the first time this has happened in 40 years – and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a city arena.
President Trump’s Celebratory Victory Rally https://t.co/MCKNpDh8kG
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2025
Throngs of Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the inaugural ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol from the National Mall will be left to find somewhere else to view the festivities.
When Mr Trump takes the oath of office at noon local time (5pm GMT), he will realise a political comeback without precedent in American history.
Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while legislators were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the country’s tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.
But Mr 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.
Now Mr Trump will be the first person convicted of a felony – for falsifying business records related to hush money payments – to serve as President. He will pledge to “preserve, protect and defend” the American Constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on January 6 2021.
He has said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who participated in the riot.
Eight years after he first entered the White House as a political newcomer, Mr Trump is far more familiar with the operations of federal government and emboldened to bend it to his vision.
He has promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration.
He has pledged to go further and move faster in enacting his agenda than during his first term, and already the country’s political, business and technology leaders have realigned themselves to accommodate Mr Trump.
Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are now divided over whether to work with Mr Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Mr Trump as they acknowledge his unrivalled power in Washington and ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests.
Mr Trump has pledged to bring quick change to the country by curtailing immigration, enacting tariffs on imports and rolling back Democrats’ climate and social initiatives.
When I look back on the past four years, I don’t just see the challenges we faced. I see hope, progress, and possibility. A picture is worth a thousand words, but these photos tell the story of an America that’s always moving forward – we must keep it going. pic.twitter.com/AmXq5FFGpj
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 18, 2025
Long sceptical of US alliances, his “America First” foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prepares to 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.
Mr Trump, who spent Saturday and Sunday night at Blair House across from the White House, will begin on Monday with a prayer service at St John’s Episcopal Church. Then he and his wife Melania will be greeted at the executive mansion by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea.
This is a stark departure from four years ago, when Mr Trump refused to acknowledge Mr Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration.
The two men and their spouses will head to the Capitol in a joint motorcade ahead of the swearing-in.
Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn-in first, taking the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a bible given to him by his great-grandmother.
Mr Trump will follow, using both a family bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration as Chief Justice John Roberts administers his oath.
The inaugural festivities began Saturday, when Trump arrived in Washington on a government jet and viewed fireworks at his private golf club in suburban Virginia. On Sunday, he laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery and rallied his supporters at Washington’s downtown Capital One Arena.
A cadre of billionaires and tech titans who have sought to curry favour with Mr Trump and have donated handsomely to his inaugural festivities, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, will be in attendance.
Also present will be the head of TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media app deemed a national security risk by the US. Mr Trump has promised to lift an effective ban on TikTok through one of many executive orders expected to be issued on Monday as the new president attempts to show quick progress.
At his Sunday rally, Mr Trump teased dozens of coming executive actions, promising that “by the time the sun sets” on Monday he will have signed executive orders involving border security and immigration policy, including a revival of his first-term effort to shut down access to many new entries under what is called Title 42 emergency provisions.
Other orders are expected to allow more oil and gas drilling by rolling back Biden-era policies on domestic energy production and rescind Mr Biden’s recent directive on artificial intelligence.
More changes are planned for the federal workforce. Trump wants to unwind diversity, equity and inclusion programs known as DEI, require employees to come back to the office and lay the groundwork to reduce staff.
“Expect shock and awe,” said Texas senator Ted Cruz.
“What I’ve been urging the president, and my colleagues, to do is stay laser-focused on delivering on our promises. And that’s what I expect that we’re going to do.”
With control of Congress, Republicans are also working alongside the incoming Trump administration on legislation that will further roll back Biden administration policies and institute their own priorities.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “The President is going to come in with a flurry of executive orders. And we are going to be working alongside the administration and in tandem.”
