Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
President-elect Donald Trump is taking a victory lap at a campaign-style rally in Washington, D.C., a day before he is sworn in for his second term, four years after losing re-election.
The “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at the Capital One Arena is just one of the many events celebrating the incoming administration. It will also be Trump’s first major speech in Washington since he urged his supporters to march on January 6, 2021.
Freezing cold weather is gripping much of the northeastern U.S., so the inauguration ceremony on Monday has been moved inside to the Capitol’s rotunda. The last time this happened was at Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985.
The president-elect, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron Trump, arrived in the D.C. area on Saturday evening and traveled to Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, to watch a fireworks display.
Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters marched to the Lincoln Memorial echoing the demonstrations when Trump first assumed office.
The Independent has learned that Trump will begin his term with only one-quarter of the staff he needs — a notable failure of the Project 2025 plan to fill all roles from day one.
Watch: Trump teases decision on Jan 6 ‘hostages’ tomorrow
“Tomorrow everyone in this arena will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages. I think you’ll be very, very happy. I would say about 99.9% in this beautiful arena,” says Trump at his victory rally.
‘We’re going to make a lot of money’: Trump boasts about saving TikTok at DC rally day before inauguration
President-elect Donald Trump boasted about his efforts to “save” TikTok during his pre-inauguration rally.
“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump said. “So, you know, I did a little TikTok thing. We have a guy…he’s a young kid, like 21 years old, and we hired this guy, and I went on Tiktok. Can you believe what I’ll do to win an election?”
“So whether you like Tiktok or not, we’re going to make a lot of money,” he added.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
Trump says he will released records on assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Martin Luther King Jr
Donald Trump says he’s going to declassify records on the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, in addition to other classified documents of national interest.
“We are going to make public remaining records relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other topics of great public interest. It’s all going to be released, Uncle Sam.”
As Allan Smith of NBC News recalls, Trump tried this in his first term:
Musk says teases lots of ‘significant’ changes in his role at DOGE
Elon Musk, whom Donald Trump has appointed to head up the Department of Government Efficiency, made brief remarks on stage at the victory rally.
“We’re looking forward to making a lot of changes.. What matters going forward is to actually make significant changes.. and set the foundation for America to be strong forever.”
The president-elect then offly said: “He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers. And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide.”
Trump says staff tried to talk him out of signing so many executive orders on day one
Donald Trump says his staff tried to talk him out of signing so many executive orders on his first day in office and instead suggested spreading them out.
“Like hell we are,” Trump says he responded.
Trump to sign more than 200 executive orders on first day in office, report says
This record-setting first wave of policy priorities will focus on border security, energy, reducing the cost of living for American families, ending DEI programs across the federal government, and more, the network reports.
According to a senior administration official, Trump is set to sign multiple “omnibus” executive orders, each containing dozens of major executive actions.
“The president is issuing a historic series of executive orders and actions that will fundamentally reform the American government, including the complete and total restoration of American sovereignty,” the official told Fox News Digital.
Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich tweeted out the following list of what the orders will do:
- close the border to all illegal aliens via proclamation and declare a national emergency at the border
- direct designations of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
- re-institute “Remain in Mexico,” “Catch and Release,” and direct the military to construct a new phase of the border wall
- “fully unleash” Alaskan energy, terminate Biden policies that have “constrained US supply”
- return federal workers to in-person work
- strengthen control over senior government officials and implement a new merit-based hiring review
- suspend security clearances for the 51 national security officials who “lied” about Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 presidential election
- end all DEI programs across the federal government
- establish a new Department of Government Efficiency hiring freeze
- declare a national energy emergency and pause all offshore wind leases
- withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord
- direct all agencies and departments to remove all federal actions that increase costs for families and consumers
Huge crowd gathered for Trump remarks — but some empty seats high up
Watch: Trump says his administration ‘will inherit disasters at home and abroad’
Trump considering rejecting UK PM’s nominee for ambassador to the US
Sources within the Trump team have told The Independent that it is still not certain Peter Mandelson’s credentials will be accepted by Mr Trump after he becomes president.
David Maddox, The Independent’s political editor, reports from Washington, DC.
This post was originally published on here
