It's official. At noon on Monday, Trump became the 47th president of the United States, taking the oath of office without putting his hand on a Bible during a ceremony inside the U.S. Capitol to avoid the bitter cold. I'm Jeff Mason, Reuters White House correspondent.
With Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson in the Rotunda, along with tech titans, a media mogul and lawmakers, Trump outlined an agenda on immigration, economics and social policy that, within hours, he put into action through executive orders, signed both at the Capital One Arena, where he watched a parade that was moved inside because of freezing temperatures, and in the redecorated Oval Office, where he bantered with reporters, including yours truly, while pardoning the Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol four years prior.
That decision to erase or commute the sentences of everyone who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including those who attacked police officers, drew condemnation, but the president said they had served their time and their prosecutions were unfair. He continues to maintain, falsely, that he won the 2020 election, the results of which his supporters were trying to overturn that day.
Trump's other executive orders covered a multitude of topics. He targeted immigrants, sparking additional troops to be sent to the U.S. border with Mexico and seeking an end to birthright citizenship. He took on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies, withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change and took the United States out of the World Health Organization. While chatting with reporters he casually mentioned tariffs on Canada and Mexico could begin on Feb. 1, and, in between signings, found a letter from Joe Biden in a drawer of the Resolute Desk.
Speaking of Biden, the outgoing president issued a string of pre-emptive pardons to people who Trump might target, including his own family members, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley and Tony Fauci. The former top U.S. infectious diseases doc, who helped lead the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, told me in a phone call he had not sought the pardon but appreciated Biden's gesture; Fauci has faced attacks from Republicans for years.
One person who did not seem worried about attacks this week: Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, who used Trump's presence at a National Cathedral prayer service to urge the president to show mercy to immigrants and LGBT youth. He later called her "nasty."
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