Trump vows to restore US's global standing in inaugural address

The three richest men in the world were all in the Rotunda hall of the United States Capitol building to hear their new president promise to "stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America".

"Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponised to persecute political opponents - something I know something about," Trump said.

AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool

Mark Zuckerberg (left) famously banned Trump from Facebook in 2021, but unfroze his account last year in the run-up to the presidential election. He has since announced an end to in-house fact checking, as well as chipping in $1m for Trump's inauguration fund, as did Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (centre). Elon Musk (far right) has become part of Trump's inner circle after using his immense wealth on the campaign trail. The electric car, commercial spaceflight and social media magnate gave the thumbs up as Trump announced his intention to see a US astronaut plant the flag on Mars.

In his inaugural speech as president, Trump promised to tighten the US's southern border and reshape the asylum system, colonise Mars, bring down prices, allow more energy production, and restore the US's standing on the global stage.

"America will be respected again and admired again," Trump said in his closing remarks, promising that "we will be strong and we will win like never before".

"We are Americans, the future is ours, and our golden age has just begun," Trump said.

The US lost 38,000 lives in building the Panama Canal and has been treated unfairly since handing it to Panama, with US vessels being overcharged to use it, Trump said.

It was a ”foolish gift that should have never been made”, he said as he continued his inaugural address, asserting that China is now operating the vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific.

"We didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama - and we’re taking it back," he said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Trump's return to office on the platform X.

"With President Trump back in office we will turbo-charge defence spending & production," Rutte said, adding that "peace and strength" can be achieved "through NATO".

European leaders have been concerned about a possible American retreat from the security alliance, given Trump has said he would not defend "delinquent" allies against aggression and has pushed for NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on defence.

During his speech, Trump said the US will build the "strongest military the world has ever seen".

"We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly by the wars we never get into," Trump said.

Donald Trump is announcing what he has been planning for a long time: tariffs on imports arriving into the US. It will “protect American workers," Trump said. “We will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens” he added, announcing an external revenue service.

He also plans to declare a "national energy emergency", Trump says. "We will drill, baby, drill," he said, repeating an election pledge to exploit fossil fuel reserves.

America has "the largest amount of oil and gas of any nation on earth, and we are going to use it...and export American energy all over the world", Trump said.

America's fossil fuel reserves are "liquid gold" that will make the US rich again, he said.

The incoming president also pledged to end the Green New Deal and revoke an electric vehicle mandate, allowing citizens to buy whatever vehicle they choose.

"Today I will sign a series of executive orders for the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense - it's all about common sense," Trump says during his inaugural speech.

"First I will declare a national emergency at our southern border," he said to vigorous applause.

"All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions of "criminal aliens" back where they came from, he said.

Trump was quick to torch Biden's record overseas, pointing to government failures to address “a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad” in his inaugural speech.

Trump has said he wants to quickly end the war in Ukraine, and was influential in negotiating the temporary ceasefire deal in the devastating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world," Trump said.

European leaders congratulated Trump on social media platform X minutes after the new American president's swearing in.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the "EU looks forward to working closely with [Trump] to tackle global challenges".

António Costa, president of the European Council and former prime minister of Portugal, posted that "together, our societies can achieve greater prosperity and strengthen their common security".

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, wished the American people well.

Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, congratulated Trump on his ascendency to the presidency.

Kallas said the "transatlantic bond has brought prosperity and strength to both sides of the Atlantic" on the social media platform X.

"Together, we are stronger and safer to tackle global challenges," the top EU diplomat said.

Donald Trump has taken the oath of office and is now 47th president of the US.

JD Vance took the vice presidential oath of office, swearing to "support and defend" the US constitution against "all enemies, foreign and domestic".

He was flanked by his wife, Usha Vance.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was nominated during Trump's first term, administered the oath.

Inauguration Day is financed by Trump's inauguration committee which has raised a record $170 million and could reach $200 million. Major tech donations have rolled in. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta Platforms boss Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Open AI CEO Sam Altman have said they will each donate $1 million to the committee. Uber and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, have already contributed $1 million each to the fund. There are no restrictions on the amount that can be given, and no obligation to explain how funds are used. Donald Trump's inauguration committee must fund all events except the inauguration ceremony on Capitol Hill, which is paid for by taxpayers.

One of Trump's first orders as president will be to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" the AP reports that a spokeswoman for the transition team said.

Trump previously said he thought the name had a "beautiful ring to it".

While Trump can rename the body of water, other countries do not have to adopt it, the AP reported.

Trump will also order Alaska’s Mount Denali, which is North America's highest mountain, to be renamed Mount McKinley, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on the social platform X.

Denali was called McKinley until former President Barack Obama changed the name in 2015.

A survey of US firms operating in the EU reveals that almost nine out of ten expect transatlantic trade and investment to deteriorate after Donald Trump takes office.

The survey of members of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union shows two-thirds believe US policy will make things worse, while half expect the same from legislators in Brussels.

“Trade barriers are rising around the world despite open trade’s contribution to economic growth and resilience,” said Malte Lohan, CEO, of the American business lobby. “At AmCham EU, we call out protectionism whenever we see it.”

Since US tech leaders pledged their allegiance to Donald Trump, tensions have been running high between them and the EU over the enforcement of Europe's stringent digital regulations. The subject is on the agenda of the plenary session of the MEPs meeting in Strasbourg this week. "As a European Union we need to stand up against platform owners that interfere in our free elections. We need to stand up against fake news. And we cannot accept for social media platforms to become a legal vacuum," German lawmaker Axel Voss (EPP) told Euronews. Here's our article with more details:

US Big Tech is ready for Trump 2, but is the EU?

US tech moguls will take ring-side seats for the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US president today, but the new mandate is set to test Europe’s……

Admittedly rather trivial given the high political stakes today, but the menu for Trump’s (and deputy president Vance’s) first meal after swearing in has appeared on social media. Rupert Murdoch’s right-wing TV channel Fox News will be relieved to know that they called it more or less right two days ago when they said it would probably be a three-course affair involving fish, meat and ice cream.

 “The last inaugural luncheon to not include ice cream as part of the dessert was President George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005,” Fox News reported.

Pope Francis sent a traditional message to Donald Trump ahead of the inauguration. "It is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion," the Pope said. This message comes as, on Sunday, in an Italian television interview, the Pope criticized Trump's immigration plans saying they were a "disgrace" if they were implemented. "It would make the migrants, who have nothing, pay the unpaid bill", the pontiff claimed.

Yesterday, thousands of fans braved the cold to come and attend a "Make America Great Again" victory rally into the Capital One Arena in Washington. The Americans praised the President's ability to achieve results. "He's never caused a single war. He ended wars," one participant said. Read more about the event here.

Optimism amongst Trump supporters as thousands gather for inauguration

On the eve of the swearing-in ceremony, thousands of Trump supporters stood in line despite the freezing weather to attend a ‘Make America Great Again’……

A public-interest law firm plans to file a legal complaint against Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’) within minutes of his inauguration, The Washington Post reports.

The lawsuit asserts that the department, to be headed by Elon Musk and (at least for the time being) biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, meets the criteria for a ‘federal advisory committee’. If so, it would be bound by rules on transparency and representative staffing.

Standing besides his wife Jill at the entrance to the White House, outgoing president Joe Biden quipped "welcome home" as Donald Trump climbed out of his car and began climbing the stairs.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet President-elect Donald Trump upon arriving at the White House (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Much has been made of Biden's civility in handing over the presidency to a man who snubbed him and refused to recognise his victory in the 2020 election.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump saying he was "open to dialogue" with the new administration on Ukraine. “We welcome Trump’s desire to restore direct contacts with Russia and prevent world war three,” he said in a video call with ministers on Monday. Putin added that he wanted to secure long lasting peace in Ukraine rather than a short ceasefire.

The programme for the inauguration ceremony is carefully orchestrated. Donald Trump is currently attending a church service at St. John's. A tea is planned afterwards at the White House, before the swearing-in ceremony begins at the Capitol at 12h EST (6pm). The cold weather led the organisers to move the ceremony inside the Capitol, where 2500 seats have been set up. Trump will place his hand on a Bible and recite the 35-word presidential oath: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States.” J.D.Vance will be worn in moments before as as vice-president.

With speculation rife on who will and won't be in Washington today. Georgia Meloni will be the only EU leader present, as the others from the Old Continent have not received invitations, including from the European institutions. That's not unusual. But many Trump allies have been invited, and have made the trip. They include MEPs from several of Parliament's right and far-right political groups: The Patriots, the ECR, and Europe of Sovereign Nation. Here's an article with more details:

Which European Trump allies will be in Washington for inauguration?

European friends of Donald Trump have accepted invitations for a ringside seat at today’s inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. #EuropeNews…