January 21, 2025 8:56 AM.
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, taking the oath of office for his second term. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, tonight. Cannons were fired in salute as Hail to the Chief played. JD Vance took the oath as Vice President, administered by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At 40, Vance became the 50th vice president and the third youngest in US history.
In his inaugural address, President Trump declared a national energy emergency to help lower prices, a key campaign promise. He asserted that the inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices. The new president also pledged to direct his Cabinet to use their vast powers to reduce the cost of goods. He vowed to put America first as he marked the beginning of a new chapter for the country, declaring that the golden age of America begins right now under his leadership.
Highlighting several executive actions he plans to take, including rolling back clean energy initiatives, President Trump pledged that, with his actions today, he would end the Green New Deal and revoke the electric vehicle mandate. He emphasized that these steps will save the auto industry and fulfill his sacred pledge to America’s great auto workers.
Vowing to immediately overhaul the trade system to protect American workers and families, the president also stated that they will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich their citizens. For this purpose, he announced the establishment of the External Revenue Service, tasked with collecting tariffs, duties, and revenues. He added that this will bring in massive amounts of money to the country’s treasury from foreign sources.
Moreover, President Trump vowed to end the weaponization of the Justice Department, asserting that the scales of justice will be rebalanced” and that the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and government will end.
He further noted that his victory demonstrated the nation’s unification behind his agenda, citing dramatic increases in support across various segments of society. As part of his immediate actions, he also announced plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Following President Trump’s inaugural address, American music star Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented India at the event, which was attended by several foreign leaders, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Notable business leaders such as Elon Musk from Tesla, Jeff Bezos from Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg from Meta, Tim Cook from Apple, Sundar Pichai from Google, and Sam Altman from OpenAI were also present at the ceremony.
Opera singer Christopher Macchio performed America’s national anthem, ‘the Star-Spangled Banner’, with President Trump seen saluting throughout. The president then exited the Capitol Rotunda, marking the conclusion of his inaugural ceremony.
President Trump, at 78, is the oldest person ever inaugurated as president, surpassing Joe Biden, who was five months younger when he took the oath earlier.
Earlier today, outgoing President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of Congress who served on the committee investigating the 6th January 2021, attack on the Capitol. Mr.Biden used his executive prerogative to shield against any potential actions by his incoming successor.