Opening summary: Trump to be sworn in as 47th US president
Donald Trump takes office today for the second time, as he will be sworn in as the 47th president of the US, the first to take the oath as a convicted felon.
The official swearing in ceremony begins at noon in Washington DC (5pm GMT). Vice president-elect JD Vance will take the oath of office first, followed by the president-elect, who will also deliver his second inaugural address.
Trump is then expected to issue a slew of executive orders, setting the tone for four years of his Make America Great Again agenda.
Follow our live blog coverage today as we bring you the latest as it happens …
Key events
Andrew Sparrow
Andrew Sparrow in London
The UK prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to travel to Washington “within the next few weeks” to meet president Trump, David Lammy, the UK’s foreign secretary, said today.
I think that when you look at past prime ministers, it’s taken between a week or up to a month to come to Washington. The importance is the strength of the relationship and the serious discussions that we have.
In the end, we have war in Europe, we have a ceasefire in the Middle East, but it’s incredibly fragile, and there are important malign actors like Iran that we’ve got to discuss with the United States and, of course, our growing trade relations with the United States.
So, lots to discuss, and I’m very confident that Keir Starmer will be discussing this with Donald Trump within the next few weeks.
When Trump was first elected president, Theresa May, who was then the UK’s prime minister, became the first foreign leader to meet him in the White House, arriving a week after the inauguration.
This time UK government sources have briefed that Starmer is not competing to be the first foreign leader through the door – amid reports that the Trump administration is minded to make him wait anyway because Starmer’s Labour party are not ideological allies with Trump’s Maga Republican wing.
Rachel Leingang, Dharna Noor and Adria R Walker report for the Guardian today:
Prominent leftwing activists across the US say a second Trump administration demands new tactics to achieve their goals, amid expectations the huge protests that marked both the Biden and first Trump presidencies won’t materialize in the same way.
As many as 4.6 million people attended Women’s Day marches in the US the day after Donald Trump’s first inauguration. The Saturday before Trump was inaugurated for a second time, thousands turned out in Washington DC and in cities around the country as part of the People’s March, this year’s version of the Women’s March – though the turnout was much smaller than in 2017.
“The novelty of mass mobilization has kind of worn off,” said Jamie Margolin, who previously led climate group Zero Hour.
“Is the goal to demonstrate you are an activist and to self-actualize, or is the goal to actually affect change?” said Ezra Levin, the co-founder of Indivisible, a progressive group that emerged in 2016.
They are two of several activists across the country who spoke with the Guardian about their plans. The organizers expressed a need to “get creative” – to find smaller-scale, more impactful means of changing public sentiment and reaching lawmakers.
Read more here: As Trump is inaugurated, activists ask – is there any point in mass protest?
Angelique Chrisafis
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, who invited Trump to the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris last month, will not be at Trump’s inauguration.
But several French far-right figures said they would be in Washington for the event.
Éric Zemmour, a former talkshow pundit turned far-right politician who ran for French president in 2022 and scored about 7% of the vote, will be in Washington with his partner Sarah Knafo, a member of the European parliament. Zemmour has several convictions for inciting racial hatred.
Also in Washington is Marion Maréchal, another far-right member of the European parliament. Maréchal is the niece of Marine Le Pen but quit Le Pen’s National Rally party and is part of the European Conservatives and Reformists grouping in the European parliament.
Marine Le Pen and her party president Jordan Bardella will not be present. But three members of Le Pen’s National Rally party, the biggest opposition party in the French parliament, will be in Washington as part of the European parliament group, Identity and Democracy. They include the National Rally’s mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot, and the member of the European parliament, Julien Sanchez.
Le Pen’s party has made sure it will be represented in Washington but has been discreet about this back home in France.
Bardella told French TV, France 2, on Monday why he wasn’t going himself: “We can appreciate the patriotism of Trump without necessarily wanting France to be a vassal to the US. I wanted to maintain a balanced position.” He said he had to think of French farmers and wine-makers who could be affected by potential US tariffs.
Last week Bardella, interviewed by another French TV station, CNews, was critical of French politicians vying for selfies at the event. “One has the impression it’s Walt Disney and it’s a race to take a photo in front of Trump during his inauguration speech. There is party friendship, and respect for great political leaders – and Donald Trump is one – but I don’t feel obliged to be beside him or to chase after him.”
Trump to call for ‘revolution of common sense’ in address – reports
The Wall Street Journal has published what it has labelled an exclusive in the last few minutes which includes a short extract of what Donald Trump is expected to say later on today at his inauguration.
It reports that the incoming 47th president of the US will say:
I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization.
The paper also reports that Trump will call for a “revolution of common sense.”
Alex Leary writes for the paper:
While a combative Trump in his 2017 address lamented “American carnage,” his 2025 speech has been designed to be more optimistic, people familiar with the drafting say, though Trump is known to veer off script. At the same time, the 47th president is expected to dispense with some of the lofty rhetoric of his predecessors and describe in blunt terms what he views as the most pressing national problems and his solutions for them.
Trump’s inauguration is scheduled for noon local time.
The New York Times has been reporting on a call held by Stephen Miller and senior Republicans on Sunday evening during which Donald Trump’s incoming homeland security adviser and deputy White House chief of staff set out some of the new administration’s plan for reforming the federal workplace.
Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan report:
Miller described, while providing little detail, executive orders to undo actions taken by President Biden to institute “diversity, equity and inclusion” measures in federal agencies, and to roll back protections for transgender people receiving some government services.
Trump also plans to reinstate an order he issued during his first term to create a new category of federal workers, known as Schedule F, that would lack the same job protections enjoyed by career civil servants. That would allow his administration to shift large numbers of federal workers into a new status over which it could keep a much tighter rein, including the ability to hire and fire them more easily.
Joseph Gedeon
My colleague Joseph Gedeon in Washington DC also had this look at what Trump might have planned for day one:
In the grand theatre of American politics, presidential inaugurations typically follow a familiar script: the oath, the speech, a few carefully chosen executive orders to satisfy campaign promises. Franklin D Roosevelt used his first day to tackle the banking crisis. Barack Obama moved to close Guantánamo Bay (though it remains open). Donald Trump’s first term began with a single executive order targeting Obamacare. Joe Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in 2021.
But as Trump prepares to return to the White House for round two, he’s promising to tear up the traditional presidential playbook entirely. With more than 100 executive orders reportedly prepared, his agenda represents a new attempt to reshape American governance through sheer executive will.
Areas expected to be targeted by Trump include:
Mass deportation program
Trump has vowed to launch “the largest deportation program in American history” immediately upon taking office.
Border emergency declaration
Beyond deportations, Trump plans to declare a national emergency at the border.
North American tariff shock for Canada and Mexico
Trump’s most economically significant day one promise is the pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports.
January 6 pardons
Trump hasn’t just promised pardons – he’s specified a timeline, saying he’ll begin reviewing cases in “maybe the first nine minutes” of his presidency.
Energy sector revolution
Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda includes an immediate national energy emergency declaration.
School funding overhaul
Trump promises to immediately cut federal funding for schools that teach “critical race theory”, maintain vaccine mandates, or enforce mask requirements
Transgender rights
Trump has vowed to institute what observers call the most sweeping rollback of transgender rights in modern American history on his first day in office.
Electric vehicle mandate reversal
While no federal EV mandate actually exists, Trump promised to end what he called “Kamala’s insane electric vehicle mandate.”
Birthright citizenship challenge
Trump plans to sign an executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born to non-citizen parents in the US.
Cryptocurrency in the bank
Trump is reportedly expected to establish a US Bitcoin strategic reserve to go along with his “crypto czar” David Sacks, a former PayPal executive.
Deep state purge
Trump has promised immediate action to “demolish the deep state.”
Ukraine war negotiations
Trump’s most repeated promise over the last year was his pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war before even taking office – a deadline that has already passed.
Russia has been without an ambassador to the US since October 2024, when Anatoly Antonov left his post, but today Reuters is reporting that senior Russian lawmaker Grigory Karasin has said Russia has been told by the US that it has granted approval for the appointment of a successor.
As a reminder, if you are actually in Washington DC today, there are a large number of travel and transport restrictions in place to deal with the expected influx of visitors and the security arrangements surrounding the presidential inauguration. Details can be found on the city’s website.
Trump inauguration: where to watch it
The Guardian will stream live on our YouTube channel and have a live feed in this blog alongside our commentary and fact-checking of Donald Trump’s speech.
In the US, all major news networks will broadcast Trump’s speech live and carry coverage throughout the day. Coverage starts as early as midnight ET on CNN, with other major networks to begin their programming early in the morning. CBS, CSPAN and PBS will carry coverage live on YouTube.
In the UK, the inauguration will be broadcast on BBC One from 3.30pm GMT and iPlayer. Sky News, ITV and Channel 4 will also carry coverage of the inauguration.
In Australia, all major free-to-air TV networks will broadcast the inauguration as it happens. Coverage on the ABC, Seven, Nine, Ten and SBS begins between 2.30am and 3.30am AEDT on Tuesday, depending on the channel. Each will also have live streams on their apps and on YouTube via ABC News 24.
CSPAN’s YouTube stream is available in many regions around the world. Or you can watch it on the White House website, which will provide a globally available live stream.
Overnight, in Italy, Pope Francis has been critical of Donald Trump’s reported plans for mass deportations in the US, Associated Press reports.
Speaking on Italian talkshow Che Tempo Che Fa, Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires and is the first Latin American pope, said:
If true, this will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill for the problem. This won’t do! This is not the way to solve things. That’s not how things are resolved.
In 2016 Francis said that anybody who builds a wall to keep out migrants is “not Christian.”
What has Donald Trump promised for ‘historic’ day one orders?
David Smith
An exultant Donald Trump has promised to act with “historic speed and strength” when he returns to the White House on Monday, teeing up a barrage of executive orders targeting illegal immigration, transgender rights and other rightwing priorities.
“Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed of strength and fix every single crisis facing our country,” he said on Sunday at a victory rally in a downtown sports arena in Washington DC.
“Every radical, foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed within hours of when I take the oath of office. You’re gonna have a lot of fun watching television. Somebody said yesterday, don’t sign so many in one day, let’s do it over a period of weeks. I said, like hell … no, we’re doing them tomorrow.”
“By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt,” he said. “The border security measures I will outline in my inaugural address tomorrow will be the most aggressive, sweeping effort to restore our borders that the world has ever seen.”
He said: “Tomorrow everybody in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages. Very happy. I think you will be very, very happy.”
Trump said he would instruct the military to construct an “iron dome” missile defence system. He also pledged to “get radical woke ideologies the hell out of our military” and played a video intercutting scenes of a bullying drill sergeant in the film Full Metal Jacket with clips of transgender individuals supposedly associated with the Biden-Harris administration.
Roared on by the crowd, Trump said: “We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of schools … This will be done tomorrow. We will keep men out of women’s sports.”
Trump further promised to reverse the “over-classification” of government documents, a seeming reference to his federal indictment for retaining classified papers after leaving office.
If you would like something to listen to as we await the day’s ceremony in Washington DC, Today in Focus features Michael Safi speaking to the Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief David Smith and senior political correspondent Hugo Lowell about what we should expect from “Trump World 2.0”.
You can listen to it here: Today in Focus – Trump 2.0
Joan E Greve and David Smith report from Washington
“We won,” declared an exultant Trump after walking on stage at Washington’s Capital One Arena on Sunday night, accompanied by his signature campaign anthem God Bless the USA.
Vowing to “take our country back”, the soon-to-be 47th president 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.”
“We’re going to stop the invasion of our borders,” Trump promised. “We’re going to unlock the liquid gold that’s right under our feet … We’re going to bring back law and order to our cities … We’re going to get radical woke ideology the hell out of our military.”
Trump promised that on Monday he would “act with historic speed and strength and every crisis facing our country”.
Donald Trump to take oath of office as US braces for vengeful second term
Joan E Greve and David Smith report from Washington
The United States was bracing for a new era of disruption and division on Monday with Donald Trump scheduled to be sworn in as its 47th president, promising a blitz of executive orders and radical shake-up of the global order.
Trump’s inauguration ceremony has been moved inside to the rotunda at the US Capitol building because of bitterly cold weather. The high sandstone hall at the Capitol’s centre is the same spot where some of his supporters rioted on 6 January 2021 in an attempt to overturn his election defeat.
Few imagined then that Trump, twice impeached and now a convicted criminal, would set foot inside the White House again. But over the weekend the 78-year-old revelled in his improbable political comeback with supporters of his Maga (Make America great again) movement.
Opening summary: Trump to be sworn in as 47th US president
Donald Trump takes office today for the second time, as he will be sworn in as the 47th president of the US, the first to take the oath as a convicted felon.
The official swearing in ceremony begins at noon in Washington DC (5pm GMT). Vice president-elect JD Vance will take the oath of office first, followed by the president-elect, who will also deliver his second inaugural address.
Trump is then expected to issue a slew of executive orders, setting the tone for four years of his Make America Great Again agenda.
Follow our live blog coverage today as we bring you the latest as it happens …
