Held at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington District of Columbia (DC), 45th and now 47th President Donald Trump was sworn into office Jan 20, 2025.

Compared to previous years , the swearing-in ceremony was conducted inside the Capitol building itself for the first time since 1985, due to dangerously low temperatures. While the president’s supporters were unable to attend the ceremony in person, they were able to watch the live ceremony from inside the Capital One Arena in DC.

A number of past presidents were in attendance, including 46th President Joseph Biden, alongside his Vice President, Kamala Harris, 44th President Barack Obama 42nd President William Clinton along with former First-Lady, Hillary Clinton and 43rd President George Walker Bush accompanied by former First-Lady, Laura Bush. 

Additionally, several billionaires including Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai and CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg attended the ceremony. 

During his inaugural speech, Trump declared that this was the start of America’s “golden age,” and acknowledged the fact that it was Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Day, stating that “in his honor, [the nation] will strive together to make [MLK’s] dream a reality.”

The President also spoke about various national issues and plans to take action, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border and utilizing military power to enforce the removal of gangs and criminal networks.

Following the ceremony, Trump signed about 40 executive orders on his first day back in office. Several of these orders have sparked controversy, including the removal of birthright citizenship, an action that was shortly sued by 22 states. 

As the new administration begins with the implementation of their new plans, the nation awaits the ensuing change.