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President-elect cheered at pre-ceremony rally on Sunday as he delivered campaign-style speech flanked by his family, Elon Musk and JD Vance while Kid Rock and The Village People performed live
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Incoming US first lady Melania Trump unveiled her own new cryptocurrency as her husband Donald Trump prepares to be sworn in for his second term in the White House on Monday.
Ahead of today’s inauguration, the president-elect gave a campaign-style speech at a “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena, alongside other MAGA world luminaries, including Elon Musk, the Trump family and Megyn Kelly.
Trump again indicated that he plans to pardon many of those convicted for their actions during the attempted insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 2021 once he takes office.
Freezing cold weather is gripping much of the northeastern US so Monday’s event has had to be moved inside the Capitol’s rotunda.
The last time that happened was at Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985.
On day one, the president-elect has indicated plans to sign more than 200 executive orders – a record – covering everything from border security and energy, to ending diversity hiring programs.
But Trump will begin his term with only one-quarter of the staff he needs – a notable failure of the Project 2025 plan to fill all roles by day one.
The second Trump administration will start with fewer key staff in place than when the president entered the White House for the first time eight years ago, with just a quarter of the political appointments made and ready to go when he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States today.
The Independent has learned that only 1,000 people have been hired to fill a fraction of the 4,000 important presidentially appointed roles atop the federal bureaucracy, many of which can be put in place without the need of Senate confirmation.
That’s roughly 300 fewer than the number of appointees hired during Trump’s chaotic 2016-2017 transition effort.
David Maddox and Andrew Feinberg have this report.
Exclusive: The Project 2025 plan to have the incoming Trump administration roles filled from day one appears to have spectacularly failed
The president-elect is set to sign more than 200 (!) executive orders into action on his first day in office, according to new reports that emerged last night.
That’s double the total that were previously being anticipated, promising a seriously chaotic news day on Tuesday.
Oliver O’Connell has the very latest.
Newly sworn-in president will begin signing executive orders as soon as formalities of inauguration ceremony are complete
Donald Trump and his team will be in “a two-year race” to change the US – and the world – from the moment he is inaugurated inside the Capitol on Monday.
Sources close to the 47th president of the United States of America have privately noted that he has until the midterm elections in November 2026 to fulfil his policy agenda while the Republicans still have control of the Congress and Senate.
After that, the tone will probably switch to who will succeed him as the Republican nominee in 2028, with Vice President JD Vance currently in the driving seat but not guaranteed.
David Maddox has this report.
Mr Trump’s swearing-in as the 47th president is set to be followed by scores of executive orders and a massive shift in domestic and global policy as allies hail his Maga revolution while critics fear a resurgence of fascism
You can check out a livefeed of the scene at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the removal men pile in and Joe and Jill Biden hand over to the keys to Donald and Melania Trump.
Watch a live view of the White House ahead of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday (20 January).
Good morning!
Well, here we go.
President-elect Donald Trump will become the first American president since Grover Cleveland to enter the White House for a non-consecutive second term when he is sworn-in as the 47th commander-in-chief at the US Capitol’s rotunda in Washington DC on Monday afternoon, the ceremony belatedly forced indoors by sub-zero temperatures for the first time since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration on January 20 1985.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this historic day.
Trump and Vance will take the oath of office in Washington, D.C., on January 20
Richard Hall reports from Donald Trump’s victory rally in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his inauguration — the culmination of a dramatic political comeback.
President-elect and his supporters railed against the departing Biden adminstration at a victory rally on the eve of his inauguration, writes Richard Hall at Trump’s rally in Washington, D.C.
The price of bitcoin has hit a new all-time-high amid a crypto market frenzy fuelled by incoming US president Donald Trump.
The world’s leading cryptocurrency reached above $108,000 for the first time in its history on Monday morning, just hours before Trump is dues to take office. Bitcoin’s latest price surge follows the launch of Trump’s own cryptocurrency, as well as that of his wife Melania.
Trump has promised the crypto industry that he will make the US the “bitcoin capital of the world” as president.
Our deputy technology editor Anthony Cuthbertson reports:
The price of bitcoin has hit a new all-time-high amid a crypto market frenzy fuelled by incoming US president Donald Trump.
The plans for President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration had been in the works for months — but officials are now scrambling to figure out new options as freezing temperatures have forced proceedings to move inside for the first time in 40 years.
Trump confirmed his inauguration would be moving inside on Friday as temperatures are forecast to plummet to the low 20s and said he didn’t want to see people “hurt or injured” due to the cold.
Rhian Lubin looks at what happened next.
Trump confirmed his inauguration was moving inside as temperatures are forecast to plummet to the low 20s
Hours before the second inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, incoming first lady Melania Trump has launched her own cryptocurrency.
“The Official Melania Meme is live! You can buy $MELANIA now,” Ms Trump posted on X in the early hours of Monday.
The launch of $Melania comes just days after Mr Trump launched his own meme coin, and appeared to briefly tank the value of $Trump before it then rebounded.
Both the $Trump and $Melania coins have risen in value since launch but are also seeing volatile trade, and their respective websites note that the cryptocurrencies are “not intended to be, or the subject of” an investment opportunity or a security.
Our science and technology reporter Vishwam Sankaran has more details:
Launch of $Melania comes just days after Trump launched his own meme coin, and appeared to briefly tank the value of $Trump
Incoming-first lady Melania Trump launches her own crypto coin on the eve of her husband’s inauguration. On Sunday, Melania announced that “The Official Melania Meme is live!” via her official X account. “You can buy $MELANIA now.” The announcement comes a day after President-elect Donald Trump launched the $Trump cryptocurrency.
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