President Trump completed a monumental political comeback on Monday, taking the oath of office for a second time and vowing to turn around a nation he insisted was in decline.
Trump became the first president in more than 125 years and the second in history to begin a second nonconsecutive term as president of the United States.
And he launched a new era in Washington by signaling a flurry of executive orders were coming on immigration and a host of other issues that will further put his imprint on American life.
“Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback. But as you see today, here I am. The American people have spoken,” Trump said in remarks from the Capitol rotunda. “I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do. In America, the impossible is what we do best.”
Trump, who will now go down in history as the 45th and 47th president of the United States, declared the start of a new “golden age” in America. He was surrounded by family, Republican donors and current and former presidents and vice presidents, as well as a tech contingent that included his close adviser Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta.
In a sign of the changing Washington, Bezos, Zuckerberg and their spouses had better seats for the inauguration — moved indoors because of freezing temperatures in Washington — than many members of Congress who are normally the stars at the Capitol.
For Trump and his supporters, it was a day of sheer joy and vindication.
“Already this morning you can feel it around the country. We certainly felt it here in the city. America is coming together and roaring back again, and it begins today,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who will be charged with moving the Trump agenda through a narrow House majority, told an overflow room of inauguration guests.
Musk let out a roar and told a raucous crowd at Capital One Arena, “This is what victory feels like!”
Trump started the day by meeting with former President Biden and former first lady Jill Biden at the White House. He delivered an inaugural address in the Capitol rotunda before speaking to an overflow room of supporters at the Capitol.
Moving vans arrived at the White House as Biden administration officials departed and Trump aides moved into their new digs.
The president took part in a condensed parade at Capital One Arena with thousands of supporters looking on from the stands, and he concluded his night by attending three inaugural balls.
It was the exclamation point on what has been an extraordinary political comeback for Trump, who was briefly exiled from the GOP after the mayhem that followed his 2020 election defeat, withstood multiple criminal indictments and survived an assassination attempt that left him bloodied.
The president and members of his party were adamant that last November’s election victory, in which Trump won 312 electoral votes and won the popular vote by about 2 million ballots, gave the incoming administration a clear mandate to implement a far-reaching agenda.
On immigration, he signed orders Monday that declared an emergency at the southern border to free up additional resources. His administration also shut down the CBP One mobile app, which migrants could use to make appointments at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump withdrew the country from the Paris Climate Accords just as he did upon taking office in 2017. He issued a national emergency related to energy and also issued executive orders aimed at utilizing U.S. energy and specifically Alaska’s natural resources.
He readied a raft of pardons for individuals charged with crimes in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Trump’s Inauguration Day schedule and his speech reflected how he is in many ways the same political figure from his first term who tends to harbor a grudge and go off script. But he has also won over some skeptics and better understands how to wield the levers of government to enact his agenda.
The president’s inaugural address opened with a swipe at his predecessor, former President Biden, who was seated directly next to the lectern as he spoke. Trump said he was inheriting a government that “cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.”
In remarks to an overflow room of supporters at the Capitol, Trump referenced topics he wasn’t supposed to include in his more formal address, such as plans to pardon Jan. 6 defendants and criticisms of critics like former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
His inaugural address was at times more reflective, such as when he recounted being grazed by a bullet during a rally last July in Pennsylvania.
“Our recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and, indeed, their freedom,” Trump said. “From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”
Trump’s 2017 inauguration speech was widely remembered for its references to “American carnage” and a pledge to put “America first,” a sharply different tone than the typical notes of optimism and unity that are hallmarks of inaugural addresses.
Trump was more positive and reflective on Monday, speaking about the rally last July where he was grazed by a bullet.
“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” Trump said. “A tide of change is sweeping the country.”
In addition to tech industry leaders, notable attendees included former Vice President Mike Pence, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
Trump is expected to have a busy first week as he and Republican lawmakers look to get on the same page to advance immigration reform, tax cut extensions and other parts of the president’s agenda.
The president will host top House and Senate Republicans at the White House on Tuesday, including separate meetings with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).
Trump will cap the week off with a trip to Los Angeles to survey damage from recent wildfires that have killed dozens and devastated swaths of the city.
