Donald Trump at his inauguration ceremony in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Trump took office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump took the presidential oath of office for the second time Monday during an inauguration ceremony inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

The swearing-in marked the culmination of a four-year journey for Trump, whom many Republicans distanced themselves from following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, but nonetheless supported during his third campaign for the White House. Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance of Ohio, was sworn in as vice president.

“Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback,” Trump said during his inaugural address following the swearing-in. “But as you see today, here I am — the American people have spoken.”

Trump spent much of his speech detailing the executive orders he plans to sign later Monday addressing immigration, energy and more.

“With these actions we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” he said.

He pledged to declare a national emergency at the southern border, which drew a standing ovation from the audience in the rotunda. He said all illegal entry into the United States would be “immediately halted” and vowed to begin the process of deporting “millions and millions” of undocumented immigrants.

“As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do,” Trump said.

Trump defeated the Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in November’s general election, after receiving 312 Electoral College votes to her 226.

He also won the popular vote with 77.3 million votes, 49.9%, compared to Harris’ 75 million, 48.4%. Harris attended the inaugural ceremony with her husband, Doug Emhoff.

The inauguration was supposed to take place outside the Capitol building on the terrace overlooking the National Mall, but Trump announced Friday he wanted it moved indoors amid polar temperatures.

It was the first time since former President Ronald Reagan’s inauguration the ceremony was held in the rotunda. Looking on along with top government officials was a trio of billionaires — Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Some of the guests and supporters who couldn’t fit inside the rotunda watched on large screens inside the Capitol Visitor Center or at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. 

Trump later in the afternoon was expected to return to the arena, where he rallied with supporters on Sunday, for the traditional inaugural parade that was moved inside.

‘The envy of every nation’

Trump’s first speech of the day, in the Capitol rotunda, focused extensively on his vision for the country, in which he sharply criticized the current condition of the United States while former President Joe Biden listened.

“The Golden Age of America begins right now,” Trump said, vowing to “put America first” during his next four years in the White House.

“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” he said, noting that the United States “will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”

The president, who said he wants to be a “peacemaker” and a “unifier,” pointed to the hostage and ceasefire deal made between Israel and Hamas last week.

Trump said he would declare a “national energy emergency” later Monday and reiterated his “drill, baby, drill” approach when it comes to oil and gas production.

He also called for an “External Revenue Service” that would collect “all tariffs, duties and revenues.”

Trump said he would sign an executive order to “immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.”

He said he wants to create a “color-blind” and “merit-based” society and said “it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”

He also echoed his pledge to take control of the Panama Canal, to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” as well as to revert Alaska’s Mount Denali back to “Mount McKinley.”

Back to campaign rhetoric

Trump bid farewell to Biden and former first lady Jill Biden after the rotunda ceremony, before they departed on a helicopter. The Bidens were scheduled to travel to California as they began their life after the White House.

Trump then gave a freewheeling, 35-minute speech in the Capitol Visitor Center’s Emancipation Hall, which event organizers used as an overflow room to accommodate governors, lawmakers’ spouses, the diplomatic corps and others who couldn’t fit inside the rotunda.

“I just want to say you’re a younger, far more beautiful audience than I just spoke to and I want to keep it off the record,” he said, later adding he gave them the “A+ treatment.”

Trump’s second speech was more reminiscent of his campaign rallies than the official speech he gave during the rotunda ceremony. He reiterated false claims he’s made about his 2020 election loss to Biden and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that was spurred on by those false statements.

“I was going to talk about that. They said, ‘Please, don’t bring that up right now. You can bring it up tomorrow.’ I said how about now,” Trump said. “We’re giving you a little more information than we gave upstairs.”

Trump said he didn’t want to make his first speech “complicated,” he wanted to make it “beautiful and “unifying.”

“Then, when they said we have a group of people who are serious Trump fans, I said ‘This is the time to tell those stories,’” he said.

Trump also spoke at length about border security and immigration during his second speech, saying it has become a problem during Biden’s term as president.

“I think it probably was the number one issue for me back in 2015, 2016,” Trump said. “This border is much worse. We fixed the border. It was totally fixed. There was nothing to talk about.”

Flags at full staff

Trump signed several documents in the President’s Room by the U.S. Senate chamber Monday afternoon, including a proclamation that the U.S. flag be flown at full staff for this inauguration and all future inauguration days. 

Then-President Biden ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half staff until Jan. 28, the customary 30-day period, to commemorate former President Jimmy Carter, who died in December. 

Last week, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana ordered the flags at the U.S. Capitol to be flown at full staff on Inauguration Day. Some Republican-led states followed suit.

Senate moves on Trump nominees

The Senate began confirming Trump’s Cabinet nominees later Monday, taking a 99-0 vote to make former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio the secretary of state.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he plans to confirm other nominees as soon as possible, with a vote expected later this week on John Ratcliffe to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Our priority here in the Senate for the next few weeks is getting President Trump’s nominees confirmed, so that he has the team that he needs in place to deliver,” Thune said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, supported Rubio during the floor vote after detailing how he and others in the party will approach their advice and consent responsibility for Trump’s second term.

“We will neither rubber-stamp nominees we feel are grossly unqualified nor will we reflexively oppose nominees that deserve serious consideration,” Schumer said.

The Senate began holding hearings last week on several of Trump’s picks, including hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to run the Justice Department, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior secretary, former Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth to run the Pentagon, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for Homeland Security secretary, former Texas state legislator Eric Scott Turner for Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary, and former White House budget director Russ Vought to run the Office of Management and Budget once again. 

Hearings are scheduled this week for several other nominees. 

The U.S. Capitol under a blanket of snow on Jan. 6, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday he will move his inauguration inside the U.S. Capitol building, instead of holding it on the terrace overlooking the National Mall, citing weather forecasts for frigid temperatures.

The inauguration was scheduled to begin around 11:30 a.m. Eastern on Monday, but it wasn’t immediately clear if that would change to accommodate an indoor ceremony.

“The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).”

Trump wrote that the ceremony, which will include speeches and his official oath of office, will be held in the Capitol rotunda.

“The various Dignitaries and Guests will be brought into the Capitol,” Trump wrote. “This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience!”

A spokesperson for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies released a statement saying the panel “will honor the request of the President-elect and his Presidential Inaugural Committee to move the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies inside the U.S. Capitol to the Rotunda.”

Former Republican President Ronald Reagan was the first, and so far the only, president to hold his inauguration in the rotunda.

The Architect of the Capitol notes on a webpage about former inaugurations that for the Reagan inauguration, the Bible “was placed on a marble-topped table that was built for the second inaugural of Abraham Lincoln. The table was constructed with an iron baluster cast for the Capitol dome in the 1860’s.”

Trump wrote in his social media post that supporters who travel to Washington, D.C., could attend a live viewing inside the Capital One Arena, which is downtown. It will also be the site of a Trump rally on Sunday.

“We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade,” Trump wrote. “I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In.”

The Capital One Arena has 20,000 seats, according to its website. That is far fewer people than could stand on the hundreds of acres that make up the National Mall. 

TikTok creators, left to right, Steven King, Paul Tran, Chloe Joy Sexton and Topher Townsend speak out against a law that could ban the platform at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., following U.S. Supreme Court arguments on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Republicans Thursday for blocking a last-ditch effort to extend TikTok’s lifespan in the U.S. — even as the video platform’s CEO is expected to be among the tech moguls at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes, Sunday marks the deadline set by bipartisan lawmakers and President Joe Biden for the social media app’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell it or have TikTok banned from U.S. app stores.

Schumer said on the Senate floor that “more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers.”

TikTok estimates 170 million Americans use the platform.

“That’s why, last night, Senate Democrats tried to pass a bill that would extend the deadline to give everyone more time to come up with a workable solution. But Senate Republicans blocked our bill, which is stunning because time is running short,” Schumer continued.

Late Wednesday, GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska objected to the deadline extension bill brought forward by Democratic Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Cotton said ByteDance and TikTok “had plenty of additional warning for years about the possibility of such action, long before Congress set this firm Sunday deadline. The Trump administration, in 2020, attempted to shut down TikTok.”

“We didn’t pull the rug out from under TikTok, and we didn’t ban it. Instead, Congress simply demanded that the app could no longer be owned and controlled by our nation’s worst enemy, communist China,” Cotton said.

Citing warnings from intelligence officials that the app poses national security risks, lawmakers crossed the aisle last April to pass the legislation and Biden signed it into law. An initial vote in the U.S. House in March garnered overwhelming bipartisan support at 352-65.

However, according to NBC News, Biden does not plan to enforce the law during his last day in office, leaving it to the incoming Trump administration to levy fines against app stores or internet hosting companies that make the platform available in the U.S. beyond the law’s deadline.

Trump, who signed an executive order in 2020 banning TikTok unless it broke from ByteDance, reversed his position last year.

A source familiar with Trump’s inauguration plans confirmed to States Newsroom Thursday that TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will be seated on the dais as Trump takes the oath of office Monday.

TikTok sued to block the law, eventually appealing to the Supreme Court.

Justices heard arguments Friday but have yet to issue their decision on whether to block the law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok.

The company maintains it is not owned by China. TikTok’s lawyer Noel Francisco said in a press conference following Supreme Court arguments that ByteDance is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, though 21% is owned by a Chinese national who lives in Singapore. Francisco also said TikTok’s source code for the algorithm is stored on servers in Virginia.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is pictured amid fog on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.  (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — Law enforcement agencies in the nation’s capital were closely monitoring security Thursday following a terrorist attack in New Orleans and a vehicle explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

The violent incidents took place just ahead of several high-profile events in Washington, D.C., including the swearing-in of the new Congress on Friday, the certification of the Electoral College vote on Monday, former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral next week and the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

Matthew Young, assistant special agent in charge at the U.S. Secret Service, said in a statement the agency would “adjust our security plans as needed.” 

“While we cannot comment on protective means or methods, what we can say is that we will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in assessing the ever-changing threat landscape and will adjust our security plans as needed,” Young said. “Our mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for our protectees, and all individuals involved in these events.”

The Secret Service has already designated Congress’ certification of the Electoral College, Carter’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Jan. 9 and the inauguration as National Special Security Events, which puts the agency in charge of planning and security logistics.

Those special security events are somewhat common for major political events, like the Republican and Democratic national conventions this summer and for presidential inaugurations.

This is, however, the first year the certification of the Electoral College on Monday will hold that designation after a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol during the last certification.

‘An abundance of caution’

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., posted on social media that while “there is no known threat to the District of Columbia, out of an abundance of caution, MPD has heightened its security posture across the city in light of recent events.”

“Whenever an incident occurs in the country, MPD closely monitors the situation, evaluates intelligence and assesses our security posture,” MPD wrote in the statement. “As the nation’s capital, we maintain a heightened level of security at all times to ensure the safety of our residents, businesses and visitors.”

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a written statement that they “have already been ramping up security, as planned, ahead of a busy month at the U.S. Capitol.”

USCP had to close off several streets near the building on Thursday after someone drove on a sidewalk a few blocks away.

“Before 10 a.m., our officers spotted a car that had been driving along the sidewalk, near Peace Circle, and into the grassy area near Third Street, NW, & Constitution Avenue,” USCP wrote on social media. “Officers took the man into custody. Please continue to avoid the area while we investigate the car.”

The person was later charged with reckless driving after the USCP bomb squad determined there was no explosive device inside the car.

At least 15 people died and 37 were injured in New Orleans early Wednesday after a man drove a truck onto Bourbon Street in what law enforcement has declared a terrorist attack.

Local and federal law enforcement agencies are also investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is a close Trump associate.

Officials say they have not found any link between the two attacks, though they are investigating further. 

Eric Lee Peterson, of Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to knowingly and unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In this Department of Justice photo, he is shown during the U.S. Capitol attack. (Photo from U.S. Department of Justice court filing)

WASHINGTON — A Kansas City, Missouri, man who pleaded guilty to entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and expects a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump will be allowed to attend Trump’s inauguration, a federal judge ordered Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over Trump’s election subversion case in the District of Columbia, granted Eric Lee Peterson’s request to attend the president-elect’s swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C., as well as a request to expand his local travel restrictions while on bond.

Peterson’s attorney Michael Bullotta argued in a motion filed Tuesday that his client deserved the exceptions because he does not have a criminal record and “(h)is offense was entering and remaining in the Capitol for about 8 minutes without proper authorization.”

“Apart from being reasonable on their face, these two modification requests are even more appropriate in light of the incoming Trump administration’s confirmations that President Trump will fully pardon those in Mr. Peterson’s position on his first day in office on January 20, 2025. Thus, his scheduled sentencing hearing before this Court on January 27, 2025 will likely be rendered moot,” Bullotta wrote.

Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail to pardon the Jan. 6 defendants, whom he exalted as “patriots,” “warriors” and “hostages.”

The president-elect said during a Dec. 8 interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” that he’s “going to be acting very quickly” to pardon the defendants on day one — though he indicated he might make exceptions “if somebody was radical, crazy.”

During that interview, Trump also threatened imprisonment for former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and current Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who together oversaw the congressional committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack.

Peterson pleaded guilty to knowingly and unlawfully entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, for which he faces up to one year in prison, plus a fine.

As part of the plea, he agreed to pay $500 in restitution toward the estimated $2.8 million in damages to the Capitol, according to court filings. Peterson also agreed to hand over to authorities access to all of his social media communication on and around the date of the riot.

Approximately 1,572 people faced federal charges following the attack on the Capitol that stopped Congress for hours from certifying the 2020 presidential election victory for Joe Biden.

Lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence evacuated to secured locations within the Capitol as rioters assaulted roughly 140 police officers and vandalized several parts of the building, including lawmakers’ offices.

Peterson is among the 996 defendants who pleaded guilty to charges, according to the latest Department of Justice data.

Peterson appeared on both surveillance video from inside the Capitol and publicly available third-party video taken outside the building during the riot, according to a statement of offense signed by Peterson on Oct. 29.

Peterson, in a pink t-shirt over a dark hooded sweatshirt, stood among the crowd of rioters outside the locked Rotunda doors “as the building alarm audibly blared from within the Capitol building,” according to the statement.

Further, the court filing states Peterson entered the building at 3:03 p.m. Eastern and “walked right by a police officer posted at the doors.”

While inside the Rotunda, where several U.S. Capitol Police were present, Peterson took cell phone photos. He exited the building at 3:11 p.m., but remained on the Capitol’s restricted Upper West Terrace afterward, according to the statement.

Peterson was arrested in early August and originally faced a total of four charges that included disorderly conduct and parading, picketing and demonstrating inside the Capitol.