Donald Trump 2.0 inauguration: As it happened

US President Donald Trump, in his first move as the POTUS, on Monday (Jan 20) signed an executive order mandating federal employees to return to the office full-time, effectively ending remote work arrangements. 

The return-to-office mandate is part of a broader suite of executive orders Donald Trump signed just after his inauguration ceremony, aimed at reversing policies from the Biden administration. 

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US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not confident a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold, despite trumpeting his diplomacy to secure it ahead of his inauguration.

Asked by a reporter as he returned to the White House whether the two sides would maintain the truce and move on in the agreement, Trump said, "I'm not confident."

"That's not our war; it's their war. But I'm not confident," Trump said.

Trump, however, said that he believed Hamas had been "weakened" in the war that began with its unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday (Jan 20) that it was an absolute "honour" to have represented India at the swearing-in ceremony of United States President Donald Trump.

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Hours after his inauguration on Monday (Jan 20), President Donald Trump signed an executive order to delay the ban of the popular short-video application TikTok by 75 days. The platform was slated to be shut on January 19.

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US President Donald Trump on Monday (Jan 21) said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "destroying Russia" by not making a deal to end the war with neighbouring Ukraine.

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US President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, issued a full pardon for around 1,500 of his supporters who, in 2021, sought to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden by attacking the Capitol building.

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Trump on Monday cancelled Biden’s removal of Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. The sanctions were lifted as a part of a wider deal brokered by the Vatican to lift economic sanctions on Cuba in exchange for prisoners held there.

Donald Trump has pardoned about 1,500 defendants charged in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and issued six commutations, the Associated Press reports.

Donald Trump while addressing the inauguration parade on Monday (Jan 20) at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC, said that he would implement a regulatory that will cease Joe Biden's bureaucrats and fire them.  

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Trump finally signed dozens of executive orders targeting policies of former US president Joe Biden.

One of Trump's aides was announcing what Trump is signing, then the president would pick up the document and show it to the crowd. What he is signing:

“The first item that president Trump is signing is the rescission of 78 Biden-era executive actions, executive orders, presidential memoranda and others.”

“A regulatory freeze, as you announced in your speech, preventing bureaucrats from issuing any more regulations until we have full control of this the government and this administration.”

“A freeze on all federal hiring, accepting the military and a number of other excluded categories again, until full control of the government is achieved and we understand the objectives of government going forward.”

“A requirement that federal workers return to full-time in-person work immediately.”

“A directive to every department and agency in the federal government to address the cost of living crisis that has cost Americans so dearly.”

“The withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty,” along with a letter informing the United Nations of the decision.

“A directive to the federal government ordering the restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship of free speech, going forward.”

“A directive to the federal government ending the weaponization of government against the political adversaries of the previous administration, as we’ve seen.”

US Senate unanimously confirmed former senator Marco Rubio to serve as secretary of state.  The vote was 99-0. Rubio has emerged as Trump’s first cabinet secretary to win confirmation.

A Muslim cleric who earlier refused to condemn Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah didn't appear at the inauguration ceremony of US President Donald Trump on Monday (Jan 20). Earlier, it was reported that the cleric had been given invitation for the mega event by the Trump team, which drew condemnation from several Trump loyalists.

Husham Al-Husainy, the imam of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in Dearborn, Michigan, had reportedly been invited to deliver a benediction at the Jan 20 mega event.

US conservatives criticised this move by the Trump transition team as they believed the invitation to the Imam went against the values that President Trump stood for.

Al-Husainy's absence from the mega event indicated his invitation may have been scrapped by the Trump team altogether. A report by the New York Post said the invitation to the Imam was scrapped. However, it is also possible that the Imam may have decided against attending the inauguration given the level of criticism he has faced at the hands of Trump supporters.

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US President Donald Trump is participating in the First Honors Ceremony, where chosen representatives including first responders from Butler, Pennsylvania, are also present.

Trump is planning to pardon convictions for those who did not commit violence during the January 6 riot at the Capitol, ABC News is reporting.

The European Union stands "ready" to defend its interests, the bloc's economy commissioner said Monday, after US President Donald Trump promised a policy of tariffs and taxes on other countries in his inaugural address.

"If there is a need to defend Europe's economic interests, we are ready to do so," Valdis Dombrovskis said when asked about the threat by Trump -- who so far has stopped short of announcing immediate new tariffs on US trading partners.

Reproductiverights.gov, a Joe Biden administration-era website, went offline as Trump took office Monday.

Department of Health and Human Services under Biden had set up the portal after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022.

Trump insisted during the 2024 campaign that regulating the controversial procedure should be left up to the individual states -- while opposing a national ban.

As Joe Biden's presidency comes to an end with Donald Trump taking over as the 47th US President, Biden stressed in his farewell address on Monday (Jan 21) that he is leaving office, but "we are not leaving the fight." 

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An Israeli official told CNN that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to visit Washington and meet with US President Donald Trump “in the coming weeks". 

The two will discuss the normalisation of Israel’s relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran’s nuclear program and the ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal, the official added.

As US President Donald Trump on Monday (Jan 20) started fulfilling the promises he made during the election campaign, he said that he would be declaring a national emergency at the southern border in Mexico and a "national energy emergency" aimed at boosting US oil and gas production and lowering costs for domestic consumers.

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Congressional leaders were seen surrounding a desk in the Capitol as  Trump signed paperwork that will formally put him in control of the executive branch.

President Trump was expected to sign as many as 100 executive orders within hours of taking office Monday afternoon, reported the New York Times.

US President Donald Trump in his inaugural address said Monday (Jan 20) that he will take “back the Panama Canal”, reiterating a promise that he has remained vocal about over the past months. The 47th US president added America can’t let China get control of the crucial waterway.

"We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we're taking it back," he declared at the Capitol Rotunda.

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Donald Trump ended his inaugural address on a positive note, saying, “Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback, but as you see here today, here I am.” 

“I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do in America,” he added. 

Here is a look at some of the executive orders that Trump would be signing on Monday

> Seeking a broad government effort to reduce inflation and reduce prices.

> Ending what Trump has called an “electric vehicle mandate.”

> Immigration, including declaring a national emergency at southern border, reinstating the “remain in Mexico” policy and sending troops to the southern border.

During his inaugural address, Donald Trump vowed to impose tariff and tax foreign countries. 

With Biden in attendance, Trump delivered a forceful critique of the federal government, which the Republican president said could not manage even a simple crisis at home. 

Trump cited the wildfires in California and flooding in North Carolina and pointed to a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad and illegal immigration.

Donald Trump said on Monday that he pledged to restore America's sovereignty, pointing out that the country's decline is over. 

"Congratulations my dear friend President Donald Trump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a successful term ahead!" Indian PM Narendra Modi said in a post on X. 

Trump began his inaugural address by thanking the previous presidents and vice presidents. He said that the Golden age of America would begin right now. 

JD Vance has been sworn in as the vice president of the United States.

In his final act in office, outgoing US president Joe Biden issued pardons to his family members due to unrelenting attacks from Trump and his allies.

The theme of President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural address will be “restoring confidence” in America, a White House official said. 

The former presidents in attendance for Trump's inauguration— Barack Obama, George Bush and Bill Clinton — drew applause from the audience.

Commercial flights to the airport closest to inauguration ceremonies are being delayed for security reasons, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bulletin said.

The FAA said that the inauguration day activities could significantly impact operations at Reagan National Airport.

All nine justices of the US Supreme Court have arrived at the Capitol.

In what seems as a massive problem for the LGBTQ community in the US, President-elect Trump will order the government to recognise only two biological sexes, incoming White House officials said. 

As the ceremony was about to begin, many global leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK PM Keir Starmar and others congratulated Trump on taking charge of the top post. 

US President-elect will today order the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America”, and Alaska’s Mount Denali to be rechristened to Mount McKinley, as reported by the New York Post.

President-elect Donald Trump is set to sign an order declaring a “national energy emergency”, incoming White House officials said this morning.

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm ET (5:00 pm GMT). However, the day's events will commence earlier, with the Trumps attending morning services at St. John’s Church in Washington. Click here to read more