Trump Sworn In: Inauguration 2025 Live Updates

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, January 20. 

Trump, who previously served as the 45th President from 2017 to 2021, is the second President in American history to serve two nonconsecutive terms. And he is now the first person with a felony conviction to assume the presidency.

On Friday, organizers announced that the Inauguration would be moved indoors to the United States Capitol Rotunda because of forecasts of extreme cold in Washington, D.C. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies issued over 220,000 tickets for the swearing-in ceremony, which ordinarily would take place outside the U.S. Capitol building.

Trump’s second swearing-in comes after the previous transition of power in 2020 was marked by tension, after Trump refused to concede and a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump himself broke a long-time tradition by skipping President Joe Biden’s Inauguration that year. The transition of power this time around has been more peaceful, and both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attended Trump’s Inauguration on Monday.

Inauguration Day includes various ceremonies, events, and performances, beyond just the swearing-in ceremony. 

Read below for TIME’s coverage, keeping you updated throughout the day.

Trump gives more unfiltered remarks to crowd at Capitol

Speaking to a crowd of his supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol, Trump said that Vance and First Lady Melania Trump convinced him to temper his inaugural address. He said he wanted to use his speech to talk about the Jan. 6 rioters—many of whom he has vowed to pardon—and the pardons that Biden issued earlier in the day to members of the House committee that investigated the attack, including Former GOP Rep Liz Cheney. “Why are we doing this? Why are we trying to help a guy like Milley,” he said, referring to retired Gen. Mark Milley, who also received a preemptive pardon from Biden earlier in the day. “Why are we helping Liz Cheney? I mean, Liz Cheney is a disaster. She’s a crying lunatic.”

“I think this is a better speech than the one I made upstairs,” Trump said. —Chantelle Lee

Eric Trump: ‘The whole country is behind my father’

Speaking to TIME at the Capitol after the swearing in, Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump says, “The whole country is behind my father.”

He says today feels different than Inauguration Day in 2017 “because people know exactly what he’s going to do, and he won so decisively. People wanted him back in power. They want America back. They want the movement to be successful. And everybody’s on board. You saw people right behind me who weren’t there eight years ago, and now everybody’s there. They want the best country, and they know the last four years have been a disaster.” —Nik Popli

Trump vows to usher in ‘Golden Age of America‘

In his inaugural address, Trump declared that “the Golden Age of America begins right now,” vowing that he will “very simply, put America first.” He painted America as a floundering and declining nation, but outlined his goal of creating a “greater, stronger” country and claimed that his Administration will “rebuild the nation that we love.” 

Trump said the government has been facing “a crisis of trust,” accusing a “radical and corrupt establishment” of extracting “power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.” And throughout his speech, he repeated the anti-immigrant rhetoric that peppered his campaign. “[The government] fails to protect our magnificent law-abiding American citizens, but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world,” Trump said.

Trump said that he has been “tested and challenged more than any President” in the country’s roughly 250-year history, and referenced the various criminal cases against him and the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally in July 2024. “Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and, indeed, to take my life,” Trump said. “Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason: I was saved by God to make America great again.” —Chantelle Lee

In speech, Trump previews first actions as President

In his first speech as the 47th President, Trump announced the first raft of actions he plans to take, including declaring a national emergency at the country’s southern border. He said “all illegal entry will be immediately halted,” and that his Administration “will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.”

Trump also vowed to reinstate the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, and send troops to the southern border “to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.” He announced another order he will sign Monday will designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

In addition to immigration orders, Trump said he will on Monday declare a national energy emergency. “We will drill, baby, drill,” the President said in his speech. Trump also said he would end the Green New Deal.

Trump said he will “direct all the members of the Cabinet to marshall the best powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.”

Trump vowed to “bring back free speech to America” by signing an Executive Order to “immediately stop all government censorship.” 

Trump took direct aim at social policies, promising to “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. Trump declared “It will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”

He went on to say that he would reinstate service members who were “unjustly expelled” from the military for objecting to the COVID-19 vaccine “with full backpay.” He committed to signing an order to “stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty.” —Chantelle Lee

Donald Trump sworn in as 47th President

Donald Trump has taken the oath of office and been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Trump was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts. Roberts also administered the oath of office to Trump in 2017.

Trump will deliver an inaugural address soon. —Chantelle Lee

J.D. Vance sworn in as Vice President

J.D. Vance has been sworn in as Vice President. He was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was nominated to the Court by Trump during the incoming President’s first term. —Chantelle Lee

Biden pardons several members of his family—likely his last move as President

In what is likely his last act as President, Biden pardoned several members of his family, including James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. The White House announced the news minutes before Trump was set to take the oath of office.

“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me—the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” Biden said in a statement. He emphasized that issuing these pardons “should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.”

In the same statement, Biden issued pardons to Gerald G. Lundergan—a 77-year-old man who suffered a “debilitating stroke” before serving his sentence, and who the White House said has demonstrated remorse and committed to charitable work since his release from prison—and Ernest William Cromartie—who the White House said has “dedicated his life to public service,” and has continued to do so since his release from prison. Biden also commuted the life sentence imposed on Leonard Peltier so he can serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement. Peltier, 80, has spent nearly 50 years in prison for killing two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and escaping federal prison. The White House said many officials, including Tribal Nations, former law enforcement officials, dozens of lawmakers, and human rights organizations, have expressed support for granting Peltier clemency because of his health, leadership in the Native American community, and the nearly half a century he has already served in prison. —Chantelle Lee

Powerful tech CEOs have prime Rotunda spots

Some of the most powerful tech CEOs are in the Capitol Rotunda for Trump’s Inauguration, including Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Sundar Pichai of Google, Elon Musk of Tesla, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Tim Cook of Apple, and Shou Zi Chew of TikTok. Many top executives in the tech industry have had private sit-downs with Trump after his victory.

Musk became one of Trump’s closest allies in this lead-up to the 2024 election, and has been tapped to head up a new “department of government of efficiency” in Trump’s Administration. Chew has thanked the incoming President for working with TikTok, in the face of the impending ban on the app in the U.S. —Chantelle Lee and Nik Popli

How can I watch the Inauguration?

Major network and cable news television outlets will be airing the inauguration, including CNN, CBS News, NBC News, and ABC News. You can watch many of these networks on streaming platforms, such as Hulu + Live TV. You can also watch a livestream of the ceremony on C-SPAN.org. —Chantelle Lee

Capitol Rotunda seating chart

There are about 600 seats in the Capitol Rotunda, much fewer than previously allocated before weather moved the ceremony inside. As a result, there has been an intense jockeying for seats. While an official seating chart has not been circulated, here is what TIME can see inside:

—Nik Popli

Biden pardons Fauci, Milley, and House committee members who investigated Jan. 6 riot

The morning of Inauguration Day, Biden issued preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and the members and staff on the committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, including former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney. Biden also pardoned the U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the House committee about the attack on the Capitol. The move is an effort to protect officials, according to Biden, after Trump has threatened “retribution” for those who “wronged” or “betrayed” him.

In his announcement, Biden said, “Alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”
“I believe in the rule of law, and I am optimistic that the strength of our legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden said in his statement. “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong—and in fact have done the right thing—and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances.” —Chantelle Lee

When did the inauguration change from March to January 20?

Inauguration Day had initially been set for March 4, 1789, although George Washington wasn’t sworn into office until April 30 of that year because of delays related to a particularly bad winter.

Inauguration Day used to be in March because it took officials time to count votes and travel took longer due to poor road infrastructure. But the four month gap between Election Day and Inauguration Day could raise complications between incoming and outgoing Administrations, and as technology and infrastructure improved, Inauguration Day was moved up earlier.
In 1933, the 20th Amendment was ratified, moving Inauguration Day up to Jan. 20. The first President to be sworn into office in January was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937. It was the second of his four inaugurations. —Chantelle Lee

Read more: Why Inauguration Day Is on January 20

Who performed at Trump’s 2017 Inauguration?

Organizers behind Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 struggled to book performers for the ceremony, with many artists turning down requests to take the stage that day. Ultimately, performers including Jackie Evancho, a then-16 classical singer who finished second in America’s Got Talent in 2010, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the Rockettes entertained crowds at Trump’s first inauguration. —Chantelle Lee

Who is performing at the 2025 Inauguration Day?

Here are all the music artists who were scheduled to perform at this year’s Inauguration Day events, according to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, before it was moved indoors due to freezing weather. The locations of some of these performances may have since changed:

The swearing-in ceremony

The Make America Great Again victory rally

The Liberty Ball

The Commander-in-Chief Ball

The Starlight Ball

Which inauguration had the biggest crowd in history?

Since Trump’s Inauguration has moved indoors to the U.S. Capitol rotunda, only a few hundred people are expected to be in attendance. The National Park Service doesn’t release official estimates of crowd sizes for events on the National Mall, where the ceremony is usually held. But, according to PolitiFact, former President Barack Obama’s first Inauguration in 2009 is considered a record crowd size on the National Mall. The Washington Post reported at the time that an estimated 1.8 million were in attendance. 

After Trump’s first Inauguration in 2017, his then-press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed that it featured the largest audience, both in person and around the world, of any Inauguration, sparking widespread controversy. An expert hired by The New York Times estimated that the number of people in attendance on the National Mall that day was about a third of the number of people at Obama’s first Inauguration in 2009—about 600,000. —Chantelle Lee

What time is Trump sworn in?

Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance are scheduled to be sworn in at noon. As per custom, the Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts, will administer the oath of office to Trump. —Nik Popli

Who is expected to attend?

Trump’s second inauguration will be attended by some of America’s most influential billionaires and politicians, as well as some foreign leaders and celebrities that have embraced the incoming president. Since the event was moved indoors to the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, it’s unclear if any high-profile guests may end up watching from an overflow location. Here are a few of the notable guests who were previously announced:

Politicians

Tech executives

Foreign leaders

Internet personalities and celebrities

Will J.D. Vance be there?

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will, in fact, be at the inauguration despite joking that he would skip it to attend the Ohio State-Notre Dame college football national championship game, which is taking place on the same day. Vance is an Ohio State University alumnus. 

Around noon, Vance will recite the oath of office just before Trump is sworn in as President, with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh administering Vance’s oath. Vance’s wife Usha clerked for Kavanaugh when he served on the U.S. Court of Appeals’ D.C. Circuit.

While Trump and Vance will both be sworn in on the same platform, that was not always customary. Before 1937, most Vice Presidents took the oath of office in the Senate chamber prior to the President’s swearing-in ceremony. —Nik Popli

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