Donald J. Trump takes Oath of Office to become 47th President of the United States
Donald Trump has taken the Oath of Office to become the 47th president of the United States, becoming the first non-consecutive serving president since Grover Cleveland in the 1890s.
President Trump, who overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, arrived at the U.S. Capitol to be sworn in as the 47th president Monday, taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions.
He will act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.
He plans to declare the beginning of “a thrilling new era of national success” as “a tide of change is sweeping the country,” according to excerpts of his inaugural address.
The executive orders are the first step in what Trump will call “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”
Frigid weather is rewriting the pageantry of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda — the first time that has happened in 40 years — and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a downtown arena. Throngs of Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the inaugural ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol from the National Mall will be left to find somewhere else to view the festivities.
Trump began the day alongside much of his incoming Cabinet with a prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Melania, were later greeted at the North Portico of the executive mansion by outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for the customary tea and coffee reception.
“Welcome home,” Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car. The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticizing each other, shared a limo on the way to the Capitol.
