Trump Inaugurated for Second Term

The Ceremony

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025, in a ceremony held inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda after bitter cold and dangerous wind chills forced organizers to move the event indoors. It was the first inauguration held inside the Capitol since Ronald Reagan’s in 1985. Trump took the oath of office alongside Vice President JD Vance before an audience that included tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, whose prominent seating underscored the realignment of Silicon Valley toward the new administration.

The Inaugural Address

Trump’s inaugural address struck a tone of triumphalism and grievance. He declared that “the golden age of America begins right now” and promised that his presidency would move swiftly to reshape the federal government. He framed his return to power as a vindication after years of legal persecution and political opposition. The speech was shorter and more focused than his 2017 “American Carnage” address, but carried the same populist themes of a nation in decline that only he could rescue.

A Different Kind of Inauguration

The indoor setting created an unusual atmosphere, with the crowd limited to invited guests rather than the massive outdoor audience typical of inaugurations. Trump supporters who had traveled to Washington gathered instead in the Capital One Arena, where the ceremony was broadcast on large screens. The presence of tech moguls in prime seats, rather than the traditional arrangement of political dignitaries, signaled the close alliance Trump had forged with the technology industry during the campaign.

Immediate Action

Trump wasted no time exercising executive power. He signed a flurry of executive orders on his first day in office, covering immigration, energy policy, federal diversity programs, and more. He signaled that his second term would be more aggressive and more organized than his first, with a team of loyalists installed across the government from day one. The speed and scope of the executive actions underscored that Trump had arrived with a detailed plan to reshape the federal government and was determined to implement it immediately.