Trump arrives at Capitol for oath, US braces for blitz of executive orders

Trump oath ceremony: Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States today. He will hit the ground running in his second term, pledging to issue "close to 100" executive orders on his first day in office on hot-button issues.

In Short

• Trump's inauguration moved indoors due to extreme cold weather
• High-profile guests include former presidents, global leaders, tech CEOs
• Trump promises executive orders on key issues on first day in office

Donald Trump arrived at the US Capitol on Monday to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, marking a stunning political comeback after his felony convictions. He entered side by side with outgoing President Joe Biden for the ceremony, set to be marked by pageantry, celebrity performances, and attended by influential billionaires and global power brokers..

Earlier, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed Trump and his wife, Melania, to the White House following a service at St John’s Episcopal Church. The two leaders shared a limousine ride to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff greeted Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, at the White House ahead of the historic event.

Frigid temperatures, forecast to be the coldest since former President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985, have led to the swearing-in being shifted inside the US Capitol Rotunda. Despite the bitter cold, an estimated 200,000 supporters are expected to be in the US capital to mark the start of Trump’s second act in the White House.

In his inaugural address, Trump will call for "the complete restoration of America" and herald the "start of a thrilling new era of national success".

"A tide of change is sweeping the country," Trump will say, according to excerpts from the speech seen by Reuters. "Today, I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense."

AN UNCONVENTIONAL INAUGURATION

The ceremony, traditionally held outdoors at the Capitol, was moved indoors due to dangerously cold temperatures. However, the limited space will deprive Trump of the large crowds that usually throng a presidential inauguration.

Writing on Truth Social on Friday, the President-elect said safety was his priority: “I did not want to see people hurt or injured in any way,” Trump said.

ORDER OF EVENTS

Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, will take the oath of office at noon (10:30 p.m. IST) in the Capitol Rotunda. Following the oath, Trump will deliver his inaugural address, his first speech to the nation since taking office.

Trump will then head to the storied President’s Room to sign transitional documents and have a photo portrait made.

The President and the Vice President will then attend an inaugural luncheon at National Statuary Hall with leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as invited guests.

After the luncheon, Trump will review the military forces on the east steps of the Capitol before leading an inaugural parade along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

HIGH-POWERED GUEST LIST

The inauguration will be attended by former Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama, to outgoing President Joe Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris, who faced off against Trump in the 2024 presidential election, is also expected to be present.

Foreign leaders like Argentina's President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, China's Vice President Han Zheng are expected to attend the presidential inauguration. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event.

Tech titans such as Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and Google boss Sundar Pichai will also join the ceremony.

STAR-STUDDED CELEBRATIONS

Washington will see star-studded performances and galas to celebrate the occasion. Country music star Carrie Underwood will perform 'America the Beautiful' during the 47th President’s swearing-in ceremony.

Retro band Village People, whose song 'YMCA' became the unofficial anthem of Trump’s second campaign, will headline the inaugural balls afterwards, along with music artists like Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Gavin DeGraw and rapper Nelly.

SWEEPING ACTIONS FROM DAY ONE

Trump has vowed to make seismic changes in his second term, promising to issue a flurry of executive orders on his first day in the White House. According to reports, he will take more than 200 executive actions when he assumes office tomorrow.

The incoming President outlined his vision at a ‘Make America Great Again’ victory rally on Sunday, addressing hot-button issues like immigration, border security, and transgender rights.

“Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed of strength and fix every single crisis facing our country,” he announced.

Trump pledged to halt what he described as an "invasion" at the US-Mexico border, promising to classify drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organisations” and declare a state of emergency at the border. These actions, he said, would form part of his first executive orders.

“By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt,” the President-elect said.

Executive orders allow the President to direct the federal government without congressional approval, providing a means to implement policy changes swiftly.

Trump also committed to removing what he called “radical woke ideologies” from the military and initiating the construction of a missile defence shield over the US.

He also took credit for the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and for restoring TikTok, which briefly went offline in the US on Sunday after a law banning the popular app took effect.