Live: Donald Trump set to take oath as 47th US President

The ceremony typically held on the Capitol's West Lawn will be moved indoors due to frigid weather forecasts.

Donald Trump is set to take the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, inside the US Capitol Rotunda with plans to stretch executive power, deport millions of immigrants, seek retribution against political foes, and redefine America’s role globally.

The ceremony typically held on the Capitol’s West Lawn will be moved indoors due to frigid weather forecasts. JD Vance, the upcoming vice president, will also be sworn in.

After the oath, President Donald Trump will deliver an inaugural address outlining his vision for the next four years. He has promised swift executive actions on immigration, energy, and tariffs, expected to be signed immediately after taking office. In 2017, Trump’s first inaugural speech was marked by a dark tone, calling it a time of “American carnage.”

Inaugural events began on January 19, with Trump’s family and allies participating in the capital’s celebrations. He wrapped up his pre-inaugural celebrations with a lively campaign-style rally in Washington, vowing a rapid series of presidential actions to reverse “American decline.”

Trump’s administration picks

President Trump’s second administration has a growing influence of Indian-Americans with appointments across civil rights, national security, and technology. Key figures in the new administration include Harmeet Kaur Dhillon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kash Patel, Dr Jay Bhattacharya, and Sriram Krishnan.

Other members

Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick is JD Vance. The venture capitalist and an author who built himself up as the new champion for America’s working class, this guy best is the one behind the popular book, Hillbilly Elegy, through which his readers were well prepared for such crucial policy development towards reviving America’s industries to eradicate its widening economic inequalities.

Secretary of State: Marco Rubio
Former Republican presidential candidate and Senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, has been named by Trump to run the State Department. Rubio, like Trump, is an avowed China hardliner and strong advocate for a hard-line Latin America policy. Rubio can be expected to push for the economic decoupling from China, a tougher line on Iran, and more integrated relationships with friends in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.

Defense Secretary: Pete Hegseth
The Army National Guard veteran and Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth has been chosen as the US Secretary of Defense. With a history of military service and media presence, Hegseth is seen as a polarizing figure. His appointment, however, contradicts what Trump wants within his defence secretary: someone who shares his vision for a strong military, focusing on modernization, space, and expansion in cybersecurity.

Live updates:

9:08 pm: A short time ago, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden shared their final selfie from the White House, accompanied by a farewell message to the nation: “We love you, America.”

Following this, the Bidens hosted the Trumps for a formal meeting over tea and coffee at the White House.

Who is Donald Trump?

Trump, the oldest person in US history to be elected President has gone from being a businessman, real estate tycoon, and reality TV star to becoming the country’s first former US President to be declared a convicted felon.

And after surviving two assassination bids during his 2024 campaign, the 78-year-old remained unstoppable, with American voters giving him a second term. In the process, he shattered the dream of the Democratic Party, as well as that of millions of Kamala Harris supporters, to finally have the first woman President in the White House.

From the time he left office after his loss in the 2020 presidential election to his nomination as the Republican candidate in the 2024 race, Trump continued to dominate the American news cycle and the country’s psyche.

He refused to accept the November 2020 result that brought Joe Biden to the White House, and a stunned nation watched his supporters storm the US Capitol on January 6. The riots disrupted a joint session of the US Congress which was in the process of affirming the presidential election results.

His third run for the job in 2024 was characterised by a slew of indictments and criminal cases and a conviction in a New York court, making him the first former US president to be held guilty of a crime.

A grand jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The Biden-Harris campaign said at the time that no one is above the law, while Trump called the verdict the result of a “rigged” political system. Just days before his swearing-in, Donald Trump was sentenced to no punishment at all in his hush-money case, with Judge Juan Merchan giving him an unconditional discharge.