Trump to sign 'close to 100 executive orders' as thousands flock to Washington DC for inauguration day
20 January 2025, 05:31 | Updated: 20 January 2025, 05:52
Donald Trump is set to sign "close to 100 executive orders" after entering office in today's inauguration ceremony.
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Trump will officially become president of the United States at today's historic inauguration ceremony, his second time entering the highest office in the United States.
Last night, the incoming president celebrated his election victory “on the eve of taking back our country” in front of a large crowd gathered in the Capital One arena in Washington, DC.
“We won,” Trump told his supporters as he promised "close to 100 executive orders" on his first day in office.
He promised mass deportations and took credit for TikTok coming back online after it went down, and for achieving a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Donald Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States on Monday, marking the start of his second term in office.
You can watch the entire event live on Global Player, followed by reaction and analysis from 4 pm.
He ran through a variety of topics, and made several promises, including to 'get wokeness out of the military', 'get men out of women's sports'. He also repeated baseless claims that the last election, won by Biden, was rigged.
“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. Bringing it all back once and for all,” the president-elect said.
Trump promised 'lots' of executive orders on the first day of his presidency - it has been reported that he intends to sign up to 100.
"You're going to see something tomorrow. You're going to see executive orders that are going to make you extremely happy. Lots of them," he told the crowd.
"We have to set our country on the proper course by the time the sun sets tomorrow evening. The invasion of our borders will have come to a halt.
"And all the illegal border trespassers will, in some form or another, be on their way back home."
He added: “Somebody said yesterday, ‘Sir, don’t sign so many (executive orders) in one day; let’s do it over a period of weeks.’ I said, ‘Like hell we’re going to do it over weeks, we’re going to sign them at the beginning,’
He spoke about TikTok, which came back online for users across the US today, despite a law banning the app on national security grounds, after Trump said he will delay the ban with an executive order on his first day.
“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump said, adding: "It’s very popular. And frankly, we have no choice, we have to save it.”
Trump then took credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which he claimed "could only have happened as a result of our historic victory."
“This week we achieved an epic ceasefire agreement as a first step toward lasting peace in the Middle East. And this agreement could only have happened as a result of our historic victory in November,” Trump said, adding, “I’m glad to report that the first hostages have just been released.”
Elon Musk then briefly joined the president-elect on stage. The tech billionaire is a key part of Trump's inner circle and played a large part in his election campaign.
Musk said: “This victory is the start really. What matters going forward is to actually make significant changes...
"Cement those changes and set the foundation for America to be strong for a century, for centuries, forever," he added.
Donald Trump then repeated a promise he had made before, and said he would 'release the remaining JFK records', referring to documents associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
He also mentioned Martin Luther King and 'other topics of great public interest.'
Trump finished his speech by repeating a familiar refrain - that he will make America safe, great, healthy, strong, proud and wealthy again.
He then gave way to The Village People as they performed YMCA, and stood dancing behind them.
This will be the second time he will become president after first serving from 2016-2020.
Trump was re-elected in November last year, after a landslide victory against Democrat candidate and vice-president Kamala Harris.
The Republican candidate's impending inauguration has been marred by his 'hush money' court case. He was sentenced to unconditional discharge on 10 January, avoiding prison time or a fine.
The president-elect has insisted that unity will be a theme of his inauguration speech on Monday, along with strength and fairness, but he also spent months as a candidate saying that if elected he would seek retribution against political enemies.
“January 20th cannot come fast enough!,” Mr Trump posted on his social media site.
“Everybody, even those that initially opposed a Victory by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen."
With frigid temperatures expected on Monday, Mr Trump directed most of Monday’s outdoor events to be moved indoors, and officials held a rehearsal on Sunday for his swearing-in in the US Capitol’s Rotunda, which holds only 600 people compared with the 250,000-plus guests who had tickets to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.
