Trump: 'My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker, the hostages are coming back home'

In historic comeback, Republican leader takes back reins of power during a ceremony at the Capitol, vowing swift action on his agenda

News agencies|
Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, launching a term filled with promises to reshape domestic policy and redefine America’s global role.
Taking the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol just before noon ET (1700 GMT), Trump vowed to push the boundaries of executive authority, tackle immigration with mass deportations, confront political adversaries and pursue an assertive vision for the U.S. on the world stage.
Donald Trump's inauguration speech
(Video: Reuters)
"The Golden Age of America begins right now," Trump declared in his inaugural address, emphasizing his intent to deliver transformative change. He described his administration's success as not only winning battles but also ending wars and avoiding new conflicts, declaring his goal of leaving a legacy as a "peacemaker."
Standing alongside Vice President JD Vance, who took his oath moments earlier, Trump highlighted recent achievements, including the release of hostages in the Middle East. "I'm pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families," he said.
Administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, the swearing-in marked the beginning of Trump’s second term in office, as supporters and critics alike prepare for a presidency likely to be defined by its high-stakes ambitions and bold rhetoric.
Trump intends to sign a raft of executive actions in his first hours as president, incoming White House officials said on Monday, including 10 focused on border security and immigration, his top priority.
12 View gallery
השבעת נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
השבעת נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
Trump sworn in as 47th US president
(Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)
The president will declare a national emergency at the southern border, send armed troops there and resume a policy forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court dates, officials told reporters.
He will also seek to end so-called birthright citizenship for U.S.-born children whose parents lack legal status, a move some legal scholars have said would be unconstitutional.
The inauguration completes a triumphant comeback for a political disruptor who survived two impeachment trials, a felony conviction, two assassination attempts and an indictment for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.
The ceremony was moved inside the Capitol due to the extreme cold, four years after a mob of Trump supporters breached the building, a symbol of American democracy, in an unsuccessful effort to forestall Trump's loss to Joe Biden.
12 View gallery
השבעת נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
השבעת נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
JD Vance sworn in as vice president
(Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Biden and outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November, were on hand inside the Capitol's Rotunda, along with former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, arrived with her husband Bill, but Obama's wife, Michelle, chose not to attend.
Numerous tech executives who have sought to curry favor with the incoming administration - including the three richest men in the world, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg - had prominent seats on stage, next to cabinet nominees and members of Trump's family.
Trump, the first U.S. president since the 19th century to win a second term after losing the White House, has said he will pardon "on Day One" many of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. He skipped Biden's inauguration and has continued to claim falsely that the 2020 election he lost to Biden was rigged.
12 View gallery
דונלד טראמפ ג'ו ביידן
דונלד טראמפ ג'ו ביידן
Joe and Jill Biden greet Donald and Melania Trump at White House
(Photo: Jim WATSON / AFP)
12 View gallery
דונלד טראמפ ורעייתו עם ג'ו ביידן ורעייתו
דונלד טראמפ ורעייתו עם ג'ו ביידן ורעייתו
(Photo: AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
12 View gallery
דונלד טראמפ ורעייתו
דונלד טראמפ ורעייתו
Donald and Melania Trump
(Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)
12 View gallery
מלניה טראמפ,  דונלד טראמפ
מלניה טראמפ,  דונלד טראמפ
(Phoo: AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Biden, in one of his last official acts, pardoned several people whom Trump has targeted for retaliation, including former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, former Republican U.S. Representative Liz Cheney and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.
Trump will restore the federal death penalty, which Biden had suspended, and require that official U.S. documents such as passports reflect citizens' gender as assigned at birth, incoming administration officials told reporters.
They said he will also sign an order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government on Monday, which is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
But Trump will not immediately impose new tariffs on Monday, instead directing federal agencies to evaluate trade relationships with Canada, China and Mexico, a Trump official confirmed, an unexpected development that unleashed a broad slide in the U.S. dollar and a rally in global stock markets on a day when U.S. financial markets are closed.
Some of the executive orders are likely to face legal challenges.
12 View gallery
השבעת נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
השבעת נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
Donald and Melania Trump
(Photo: Saul Loeb/Pool photo via AP)
Shortly before 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT), Trump and incoming first lady Melania Trump arrived at the White House, where Biden and outgoing first lady Jill Biden greeted them with handshakes.
"Welcome home," Biden said.

Disruptive force

As he did in 2017, Trump enters office as a chaotic and disruptive force, vowing to remake the federal government and expressing deep skepticism about the U.S.-led alliances that have shaped post-World War Two global politics.
The former president returns to Washington emboldened after winning the national popular vote over Harris by more than 2 million votes thanks to a groundswell of voter frustration over persistent inflation, though he still fell just short of a 50% majority.
In 2016, Trump won the Electoral College - and the presidency - despite receiving nearly 3 million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton.
12 View gallery
דונלד טראמפ
דונלד טראמפ
(Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
12 View gallery
מלניה טראמפ,  דונלד טראמפ
מלניה טראמפ,  דונלד טראמפ
(Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
Trump, who surpassed Biden as the oldest president ever to be sworn into office, will enjoy Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress that have been almost entirely purged of any intra-party dissenters. His advisers have outlined plans to replace nonpartisan bureaucrats with hand-picked loyalists.
Even before taking office, Trump established a rival power center in the weeks after his election victory, meeting world leaders and causing consternation by musing aloud about seizing the Panama Canal, taking control of NATO ally Denmark's territory of Greenland and imposing tariffs on the biggest U.S. trading partners.
His influence has already been felt in the Israel-Hamas announcement last week of a ceasefire deal. Trump, whose envoy joined the negotiations in Qatar, had warned of "hell to pay" if Hamas did not release its hostages before the inauguration.
Unlike in 2017, when he filled many top jobs with institutionalists, Trump has prioritized fealty over experience in nominating a bevy of controversial cabinet picks, some of whom are outspoken critics of the agencies they have been tapped to lead.
The inauguration took place amid heavy security after a campaign highlighted by an increase in political violence that included two assassination attempts against Trump, including one in which a bullet grazed his ear.

'American carnage'

Eight years ago, Trump delivered a bleak inaugural address vowing to end the "American carnage" of what he said were crime-ridden cities and soft borders, a departure from the tone of optimism most newly elected presidents have adopted.
Foreign governments will be scrutinizing the tenor of Trump's speech on Monday after he waged a campaign laced with inflammatory rhetoric.
The traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House will now take place indoors at the Capital One Arena, where Trump held his victory rally on Sunday. Trump will also attend three inaugural balls in the evening.
Some diehard Trump followers slept in the street in frigid conditions to make sure they were in line to get a seat at the arena.
12 View gallery
אולם ההשבעה
אולם ההשבעה
(Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
12 View gallery
טקס ההשבעה של נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
טקס ההשבעה של נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ
(Photo: Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
12 View gallery
הקפיטול
הקפיטול
(Photo: Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)
A desk and chair sat on the stage, where Trump was expected to sign some of his first executive orders in front of his supporters before heading to the White House.
Trump will be the first felon to occupy the White House after a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records to cover up hush money paid to a porn star.
Winning the election also rid Trump of two federal indictments - for plotting to overturn the 2020 election and for retaining classified documents - thanks to a Justice Department policy that presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office.
In a report last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith said he had enough evidence to convict Trump in the election case if Trump had reached trial.
<< Follow Ynetnews on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Telegram >>
Comments
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
""