Donald Trump promises 'revolution of common sense' as he takes over as US president
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, promising a “revolution of common sense”.
Mr Trump had executive orders lined up and ready to enact after the ceremony, including to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development, and end “diversity and inclusion” programmes across the federal government, which critics complain give preferential treatment to groups based on race.
Among those in the USA to mark the inauguration were Ulster-born independent peer Baroness Hoey, and the former DUP MP for North Antrim Ian Paisley.
Meanwhile, the King sent a personal message of congratulations to Mr Trump on his inauguration, reflecting on the enduring special relationship between the UK and US, Buckingham Palace said.
The exact text of King Charles’s message is being kept private.
David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, just ahead of the inuguration, described Mr Trump as having “incredible grace, generosity, very keen to be a good host" and being “very funny, very, very, very friendly” and “very warm” towards the UK.
Mr Lammy had previously called Mr Trump a “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”.
Declaring that government faces a “crisis of trust”, Mr Trump said in his inaugural address that under his administration “our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced”.
Mr Trump claimed “a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal”, promising to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom”.
He added: “From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”
The executive orders are the first step in what Mr Trump is calling “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense”.
Frigid weather helped rewrite the pageantry of the day.
Mr Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda – the first time that has happened in 40 years – and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at an arena.
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.
Mr Trump followed moments after noon, local time, 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 Mr 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.
Mr 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 Mr Trump refused to acknowledge Mr Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration.
“Welcome home,” Mr Biden said to Mr Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car.
The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticising each other, shared a limo on the way to the Capitol.
As one of his final acts, outgoing president Biden today pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me – the worst kind of partisan politics”.
“Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” he said.
Mr Biden also pardoned Dr Anthony Fauci, retired general Mark Milley, and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 disorder at the Capitol.
None of those pardoned has been charged with any crime, and the move was designed to guard against future acts by his successor.
The pardons “should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing,” he said.
Last month, Mr Biden had pardoned his son Hunter for tax and gun crimes.