Trump inauguration live: President pardons Jan. 6 rioters and withdraws from Paris climate accord with series of executive orders Donald Trump inauguration
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Trump's foreign policy 'fast and furious' on first day in office
Newly minted President Donald Trump immediately signed off on a series of important foreign policy moves, from withdrawing from the World Health Organization to lifting sanctions against violent Israeli settlers.
The Guardian's David Smith has a handy review of Trump's foreign policy moves you need to know so far.
On January 20, US President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, including pardoning defendants of the January 6 riots and delaying the TikTok ban. 2025. Photography: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Donald Trump's inauguration and first days in office.
Immediately after Monday's swearing-in ceremony, the new US president launched a series of executive orders aimed at fulfilling his campaign promises and undoing the legacy of his predecessor Joe Biden, including pardoning the January 6 defendants and cracking down on immigration to the United States .
Trump signed multiple executive orders in front of raucous supporters at Capital One Stadium in Washington. "Can you imagine Biden doing this? I don't think so," he asked the crowd cheerfully at one point. He later signed more deals at a news conference in the Oval Office.
The blossoming relationship between Trump and Elon Musk was also on full display at the inauguration. The billionaire sat alongside other tech titans, including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, alongside members of the Trump family before Cabinet nominees.
Trump said returning to the remodeled Oval Office after the inauguration was "one of the best feelings I've ever had."
Trump spent nearly an hour dodging reporters' questions before leaving the White House for the evening's inaugural ball. He promised to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico, suggested he might visit China and praised the decorators of the Oval Office's new look. Here's a rundown of how international leaders greeted him.
Here's a summary of his executive order:
Trump pardoned approximately 1,500 defendants on January 6Facing prosecution for role in 2021 storming of U.S. Capitol. Among those pardoned was former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy. Trump also commuted the sentence of Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for inciting insurrection.
He also signed an executive order seeking to revoke birthright citizenship– Citizenship is automatically granted to those born in the United States – Children of undocumented immigrants. Birthright citizenship is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, and the order will almost certainly be challenged in court.
An order declares a "national emergency" on the southern border, paving the way to send U.S. troops to the region Another designates drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
He signed an executive order for the second time to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. He also declared a national energy emergency as part of a series of actions to support fossil fuels and efforts to "unleash" already booming U.S. energy production.
Another order would pull U.S. out of World Health Organization (WHO). "The World Health Organization lied to us, everyone lied to the United States. It won't happen again," Trump said at the signing ceremony. A U.S. withdrawal would slash funding for the global public health organization.
He issued an executive order requiring federal agencies to withdraw the use of "sex" and "gender identity" Instead, a binary definition of "gender" is used when implementing the policy - including issuing passports, a move LGBTQ+ rights groups have vowed to challenge in court.
Another order reclassifies thousands of federal employees as political employees, making them easier to fire. Trump's top aides have called for mass layoffs of government personnel. “Project 2025” makes attacks on the deep or administrative state a central part of Trump’s second term.
One order renamed the 617,800-square-mile Gulf of Mexico and Alaska's 20,000-foot Mount Denali. The Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the Gulf of America, and Mount Denali, North America's highest peak, will return to Mount McKinley, which was the name it was before it was renamed by Barack Obama in 2015. The order is used internationally regardless of its specific name.
Trump also signed an executive order temporarily delaying enforcement of the federal ban on TikTok for at least 75 days. "I think I developed a passion for TikTok that I didn't have initially," Trump said at the White House.