Donald Trump was sworn in shortly after noon as the 47th president of the United States.
Trump shook hands with family members shortly after Chief Justice John Roberts was sworn in.
JD Vance was sworn in as vice president moments earlier, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Spotted in the background of the tight space in the Capitol rotunda: Elon Musk, along with Robert Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
His swearing-in was followed by a blistering rendition of “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Biden grants final pardon: Just minutes into his presidency, Joe Biden granted one final series of pardons: to members of his family.
His pardons were another sign of his fear that his allies would be targeted by new President Donald Trump.
Those pardoned include brother James Biden and his wife Sara Jones Biden, sister Valerie Biden Owens and her husband John T. Owens, and brother Francis Biden.
“My family has been subjected to relentless attacks and threats, motivated solely by the desire to harm me – the worst form of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” Biden said in a statement.
He added: “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, simply being investigated or prosecuted can cause irreparable harm to their reputations and finances. »
Biden also pardoned Gerald G. Lundergan and Ernest William Cromartie, and he commuted Leonard Peltier’s life sentence so he could serve the remainder of his life sentence in home confinement.
Peltier, a Native American activist, is serving a life sentence for killing two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and then escaping from federal prison.
The announcements were made around the same time Biden entered the Rotunda to witness Trump’s swearing-in.
Donald Trump arrives at the Rotunda at 8:46 a.m. (Pacific Time): Donald Trump arrived in the Capitol Rotunda to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
He applauded loudly as he entered the Rotunda.
He is scheduled to be sworn in around noon ET/9 a.m. PT, after prayers and musical interludes, as well as Carrie Underwood singing “America the Beautiful.”
A number of lawmakers in attendance wore blue suits and red ties, mimicking Trump’s look. Trump’s tie today, however, is more of a purple-red.
A revealing tale of two Americas, 8:16 a.m. PT: A study in contrasts in inauguration coverage.
On Fox News, host Harris Faulkner talked about Trump supporters filling the streets of Washington to celebrate. The presenter may be speaking to the main audience of the news channel. As Joe Biden and Donald Trump rode in a motorcade to the Capitol, cameras showed very few people lining the sidewalks on a cold, frosty morning in Washington. Military and law enforcement personnel far outnumbered citizens.
On MSNBC, Joy Reid focused on Karen Pence’s absence, even though her husband, former Vice President Mike Pence, is present. “Karen Pence, if you’re watching at home, God bless you,” Reid said. Karen Pence made it clear she has no time for her husband’s former boss after the Jan. 6 MAGA mob threatened to hang the then-vice president. Also absent: former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Tech CEOs get prime seats in the Capitol rotunda, 7:52 a.m. PT: Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are among the tech industry titans who were spotted at the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.
They and other tech CEOs should have the prime seat: in the Rotunda, where space is extremely limited and largely reserved for members of Congress. Spotted there were Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, as well as Rupert Murdoch and Joe Rogan.
Other guests are seated in Emancipation Hall, part of the White House Welcome Center, where they will watch the ceremony on large screens. Also spotted at the Capitol: TikTok CEO Shou Chew as Trump said he would sign an executive order to try to delay Congressional legislation to ban it.
“This is a mutually beneficial situation,” CNN’s Dana Bash said of the CEOs’ presence and placement on a makeshift stage, in some cases in front of members of Trump’s cabinet.
Among those spotted at Emancipation Hall: Sam Altman, Logan and Jake Paul, Conor McGregor, Theo Von and Danica Patrick.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump leave the White House for the swearing-in ceremony, 7:40 a.m. PT: President Joe Biden left the White House with Donald Trump heading to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.
Biden told reporters he left a letter for the new president, but declined to say what its contents were. “It’s between Trump and me.”
The walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, often with bitter rivals, is another long-standing tradition in the transfer of power, one that didn’t happen four years ago when Trump declined to participate.
The Bidens posted one last selfie before their goodbyes.
First Lady Jill Biden and Melania Trump also traveled together, as did Vice President Kamala Harris and JD Vance.
The Bidens greet the Trumps at the White House, 7:22 a.m. PT: President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed Donald Trump and Melania Trump to the White House for morning tea, continuing a symbolic gesture in the transfer of power.
The two couples briefly posed for a photo as a cold wind blew across the north end of the White House. Biden and Trump will soon head to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.
“Welcome home,” Biden told Trump after getting out of his black SUV, according to a pool report.
Earlier, reporters asked Biden what his message for the day was. “Joy,” Biden said.
It’s a tradition Trump denied Biden four years ago, following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Trump still insists, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Earlier, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff welcomed JD Vance and Usha Vance.
Donald Trump attends services at St. John’s Church at 6:08 a.m. PT: President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump kicked off Inauguration Day with a longtime tradition: attending services at St. John’s Episcopal Church across Lafayette Square.
Trump was joined by Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha, and among the attendees were the heads of the tech giants: Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta; Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; the owner of X, Elon Musk; and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet. Also in attendance: TikTok CEO Rupert Murdoch, Shou Chew; UFC’s Dana White, podcast host Joe Rogan and Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, according to a pool report.
The temperature in Washington this morning is 24 degrees, with the wind chill even lower and light snow on the ground, which is why Trump decided to move the inauguration ceremony indoors. That sparked a rush for seats because the Capitol Rotunda, where the ceremony will take place, can only accommodate about 1,000 people.
St. John’s, known as the Church of Presidents, has held particular significance since Trump’s first term. That’s where Trump held up a Bible after walking with members of his administration from the White House. It was amid 2020 protests and riots following the death of George Floyd, and moments earlier, Park Police authorities had cleared the area of protesters.
The service lasted approximately 25 minutes and ended with a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Earlier, the Trump team released some excerpts of what he would say in his inaugural address to the Wall Street Journal. Trump plans to proclaim a “new era of national achievement” and call for a “common sense revolution.”
“My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to act again with the courage, vigor and vitality of the greatest civilization in history,” Trump will say, according to the Journal.
The president is expected to sign dozens of executive orders today — more than 200, according to Fox News, including those dealing with the border and immigration, the federal workforce and oil drilling. An executive order will lift the electric vehicle mandate, one of the Biden administration’s signature efforts to combat climate change.