Trump inauguration: Donald Trump to take oath of office to become 47th US president

Trump completes extraordinary political comeback with Washington DC ceremony in the US Capitol

Ivanka Trump arrives at St John's Church ahead of president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington, DC. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Ivanka Trump arrives at St John's Church ahead of president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington, DC. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

2 hours ago
Main points
  • Donald Trump will be sworn in at about 4pm Irish time
  • President-elect will take the oath of office in Rotunda of the US Capitol
  • Some 250,000 people are expected in Washington DC for the event
  • Trump is expected to sign some 100 executive actions after he is sworn in
  • He is only the second US president to serve two non-consecutive terms
Key reads

14 minutes ago

Today is a good day for crypto currencies but not all cryptos are equal and some are doing a whole lot better than others, with one in particular having the best of days.

It is a great day for Donald Trump and the Maga Army, it is a great day for Fox News, It is a great day for crypto and the tech bros. And - improbably - it is a great day for the Village People.


23 minutes ago

At the risk of stating the obvious, not everyone in the US is celebrating today. AOC certainly isn’t.


25 minutes ago

It is wall to wall Trump on Fox News today as you might imagine,.


29 minutes ago

The Russian president Vladimir Putin has just formally congratulated Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration as his security council meets to discuss what it might mean.


31 minutes ago

Donald Trump will issue a memo later today directing agencies to investigate trade deficits and unfair trade practices, but will stop short of imposing new tariffs on his first day in office, the Wall Street Journal has reported.


45 minutes ago

Donald Trump is to begin “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” according to excerpts of his inaugural address that are doing the rounds on the news wires.


46 minutes ago

Time’s take on its person of the year.


1 hour ago

The French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has warned that Europe will have to stand up to Donald Trump and his policies, or face being “crushed”.

“The United States has decided to embark upon an extremely domineering form of politics, via the dollar, via its industrial policy, via the fact that it can capture the world’s investments and the world’s research,” Bayrou told reporters, as he held a New Year’s address in the city of Pau.

“And if we don’t do anything, our fate is very simple - we will be dominated. We will be crushed. We will be marginalised,” he also said.


1 hour ago

In one of his last acts as President, Joe Biden has granted pardons to people his successor threatened to punish, fending off potential retribution by President-elect Donald Trump against those he perceived as political enemies.

Those pardoned include retired General Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci and members of Congress who served on the select committee investigation the January 6th 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming Republican congresswoman who helped lead the investigation into the insurrection was among those pardoned.

Eleventh-hour pardons have become a predictable feature of the modern presidency, with presidents waiting until their final moments in office to grant their most controversial acts of clemency.


2 hours ago

The people at Reuters have put together a short video of some of the best inauguration moments of times past.


2 hours ago

The Trump team is said to be putting the finishing touches on around 100 executive actions that he will sign in his first days in office starting later today.

The first measures by Mr Trump, who has vowed to be a dictator only “on day one” of his second term, are set to include curbing immigration, increasing tariffs and deregulating sectors ranging from energy to cryptocurrencies.

“I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every crisis facing our country,” Mr Trump told a rally of supporters in Washington last night.

Details of the first blitz of executive actions were still under wraps at the weekend, but the incoming president wants to make a national emergency declaration regarding the southern border, free up federal resources to detain migrants crossing from Mexico, limit the ability to seek asylum and launch what he has described as the largest deportation effort in US history.

Addressing a rally at Washington’s Capital One Arena on Sunday, Mr Trump said: “Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride.”

He is also expected to act on US trade policies with a view to forcing trading partners to cut deals on issues ranging from migration to drug trafficking and – maybe – the sale of Greenland.


2 hours ago

Pope Francis has offered well-wishes to US president-elect Donald Trump in a traditional message sent ahead of the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington.

The pontiff, who has previously expressed sharp disagreement with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, said he would pray that God grants Trump “wisdom, strength and protection” as he takes up the presidency again.

“It is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion,” said the pope.

His congratulatory note comes a day after Pope Francis said Trump’s reported plan to sharply intensify immigration-enforcement actions across the US would be a “disgrace”.


2 hours ago

Here are some highlights of last night’s victory rally.


2 hours ago

Wondering what the next four years might be like? A story on our site this morning might give you just a hint of what is to come.

Conor McGregor was among the attendees at a pre-inauguration rally for Donald Trump in Washington DC where the US president-elect told supporters on the eve of being sworn into office he would end “American decline”, Sarah Slater writes.

“We are so back!” McGregor posted on social media platform X, posing next to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage who joined the 20,000-strong crowd at the Capital One Arena on Sunday.

Speakers and performers at the event included musician Kid Rock, actor Jon Voight, and Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), while billionaire supporter Elon Musk joined the president-elect on stage.


2 hours ago

Events will start in the morning with a service at St John’s church. Trump will then head to the White House for tea with outgoing president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden before heading to the US Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony. With a parade along the way, the day will be capped by lavish, black-tie inaugural balls throughout Washington.


2 hours ago

Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th US president today having previously being inaugurated as the 45th.

He will be only the second president in the country’s history to serve two non-consecutive terms, after Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s.

What can we expect? Well it is likely to be a day of pomp and circumstance marking the peaceful transfer of power following his extraordinary political comeback.

Some 250,000 people are expected to brave freezing weather and descend on central Washington to see Trump become the 47th US president.