Trump Takes Office, Signs Orders

Washington, DC, USA —(Map)

On Monday, Donald Trump, a Republican, was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. He returned to the White House after being voted out four years ago. Mr. Trump’s inauguration marks a huge change in US politics and leadership after four years with Democrat Joe Biden as president.

Because of cold weather, the swearing-in ceremony took place inside the US Capitol Building. It’s the first time that has happened in 40 years. Usually, there is a parade after a president is inaugurated, but that was changed to an indoor celebration as well.

Once Mr. Biden’s term as president had ended at noon, JD Vance was sworn in as vice president. After that, Mr. Trump took the oath of office. He was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The inauguration marks a big comeback for Mr. Trump, who first served as president from 2017 to 2021. The event is also historic, since Mr. Trump is the first president ever elected who has been found guilty of a crime.

In a speech after the inauguration, Mr. Trump said “the golden age of America begins right now.” He promised to “completely and totally reverse” the actions Mr. Biden has taken over the last four years.

In a speech after the inauguration, Mr. Trump said “the golden age of America begins right now.” He promised to “completely and totally reverse” the actions Mr. Biden has taken over the last four years. Above, Mr. Trump delivers a speech after being sworn in yesterday.

Mr. Trump says one of his main goals is to stop people from coming into the country illegally. He says he plans to send soldiers to the US border with Mexico. Another focus is to encourage oil and gas companies to produce more fossil fuels. He has also said that he will cut back on government programs meant to promote fairness and equal opportunities.

Mr. Trump said he wanted to work for peace and bring people together. But some of Mr. Trump’s planned actions are likely to upset some people. Mr. Trump says that he wants to expand the US’s territory. He says that this includes taking the Panama Canal away from Panama.

In a sign that Mr. Trump plans to work closely with big businesses, several billionaires – and the leaders of some of the world’s largest tech companies – sat near Mr. Trump’s family during the ceremony. Above, Jeff Bezos of Amazon (left), Sundar Pichai of Google (center), and Elon Musk, who owns Tesla and SpaceX (right).

In a sign that Mr. Trump plans to work closely with big businesses, several billionaires – and the leaders of some of the world’s largest tech companies – sat near Mr. Trump’s family during the inauguration ceremony.

One of them was Elon Musk. Mr. Musk is the world’s richest man, and strongly supported Mr. Trump during the election. Mr. Musk, who owns SpaceX and several other companies, cheered when Mr. Trump announced that he hoped to send American astronauts to Mars.

Later in the day, Mr. Trump signed several “executive orders”. These aren’t the same as laws, but can still cause major changes. In one of these orders, Mr. Trump once again took the US out of the Paris Agreement. Above, Mr. Trump shows an executive order he has signed to a crowd of his supporters.

Later in the day, Mr. Trump signed several “executive orders”. These aren’t the same as laws, but can still cause major changes. In one of these orders, Mr. Trump once again took the US out of the Paris Agreement – an agreement between the world’s countries to work together to fight the climate crisis. 

After losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Mr. Trump refused to accept the election results. He told his supporters to march on the US Capitol. The result was a violent attack, which left five people dead. Since then, many of those who attacked the Capitol have been put in jail. Yesterday, Mr. Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 of these people, releasing them from jail.