Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.
JD Vance, 40, took the oath of office as vice president of the United States.
“The Golden Age of America begins right now,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.”
Promising to “simply put America first,” Trump said that “the scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the justice department and our government will end.”
Trump criticized the U.S. government’s response to the Los Angeles wildfires, alleging that “for many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.”
Trump also referenced the attempt on his life in July last year.
“Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom, and indeed to take my life. 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,” he said.
Trump also said his second swearing in was “Liberation Day” for American citizens.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Trump on behalf of the Canadian government.
“Canada and the United States have the world’s most successful economic partnership. We are each other’s largest trade partners, with a relationship that creates millions of jobs, attracts billions in investment into the continent, and keeps our people safe,” Trudeau said in a statement shortly after the inauguration.
Trump announced he will declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” he said.
Trump said he would reinstate his ‘stay in Mexico’ policy, which requires migrants seeking asylum to remain in Mexico until their U.S. immigration court date. He also promised to place troops at the border and designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Trump said he will also declare a national energy emergency.
“We will drill, baby, drill,” he said. “America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have, the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth and we are going to use it.”
The new administration will also revoke the EV mandate put in place during the Biden administration.
Trump announced he would also be creating an External Revenue Service to handle tariffs and duties on foreign trade partners of the United States — though tariffs are paid by businesses and passed on to consumers, and are not paid directly to the government.
“Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” he said.
The U.S. government would also move to acquire the Panama Canal, Trump said.
“We’re taking it back.”
Additionally, he said the official policy of the United States government would be to recognize only two genders – male and female.
Trump also announced two major name changes. He announced that the U.S. would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and Mt. Denali would be restored to its earlier name of Mt. McKinley, named after former U.S. president William McKinley.
Trump and Vance took the oath of office in an indoors inauguration ceremony, the first since 1985 amid bitter cold hitting Washington, D.C.
While it’s not yet confirmed if Trump will impose tariffs on Canada in the coming days, his former national security adviser said in an interview with The West Block on Sunday that there is “serious danger” the two countries will fall into a trade war.
According to reports from , the and the , Trump will not impose new on Canada, China and Mexico on his first day in office.
Instead, U.S. media reports say the incoming U.S. president plans to issue an executive order that will direct federal agencies to investigate accusations of unfair trade and currency practices.
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Canadian leaders are in Washington for the inauguration, while outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, using the extraordinary powers of his office in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration.
President Joe Biden, center left, and first lady Jill Biden, left, greet President-elect Donald Trump, center right, and Melania Trump, right, upon arriving at the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
Trump launched a new cryptocurrency token that is soaring in value – and potentially boosting his net worth – just before his inauguration.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on the slate of executive orders expected to come down from the Oval Office once he is sworn in on everything from tariff threats to deportation orders and a proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
What happened at the ceremony?
Trump kicked off the day with a church ceremony.
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Vice President-elect JD Vance as Usha Vance, Melania Trump, Barron Trump and Victor Knavs watch before a service at St. John’s Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
Around 8 a.m. Eastern, Trump arrived at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. He was accompanied by members of his family, incoming first lady Melania Trump, vice president-elect J.D. Vance and incoming second lady Usha Vance.
The church is often referred to as “Presidents’ Church” for its proximity to the White House.
After the church ceremony, Donald and Melania Trump had tea with outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Customarily, the outgoing first couple host their successors for tea before heading out to the inauguration together.
The Trumps did not extend the same invitation to the Bidens in 2020, when Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president.
For the first time since 1985, when Ronald Reagan began his second term in office, a presidential inauguration will be held indoors owing to bitterly cold temperatures in Washington, D.C., this week.
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania are greeted as they arrive for church service at St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump’s inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke).
“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Guests started arriving at the Capitol Rotunda shortly after 10 a.m. Eastern. The guest list consisted of members of the U.S. Congress and tech billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush arrived with former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush. Former president Barack Obama arrived by himself, since former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend on Monday. Donald Trump also did not attend his successor’s inauguration in 2020.
Trump and Vance took the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol at noon Eastern on Monday.
The inauguration ceremony was marked by prayer and performances. Trump will also deliver his inaugural address soon after being sworn in.
While the ceremony itself was moved indoors, Capital One Arena was set up with screens for supporters to view the proceedings live. The arena will also host an inaugural parade. Trump supporters gathered at the arena, waving American flags.
Country music star Carrie Underwood is among the artists scheduled to perform at the inauguration ceremony.
Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance arrive for a church service to be attended by President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania at St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump’s inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke).
At 3 p.m., members from each branch of the U.S. military will escort the newly sworn-in president to the White House.
Trump will watch the inaugural parade with his family from outside the White House later in the afternoon.
The Trump family will attend three separate balls – the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Inaugural Ball and the Starlight Ball – on Monday.
Federal cabinet ministers are gathering in Montebello, Que., today as Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Trump has pledged to sign an executive order on inauguration day to impose 25 per cent tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico.
A sign is seen near St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, where President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania will attend an early morning service to start Trump’s inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke).
When he first made the threat, the president-elect said the tariffs were a response to what he called inaction by both countries on keeping migrants and illegal drugs out of the United States.
The Liberal government laid out a $1.3-billion plan to beef up the border in December that includes extra police and border guards, helicopters, drones and drug-sniffing dogs.
The federal government has prepared several plans to respond if the levies come into place today — plans that could include billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs.
Two federal government sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about details of the plan say the government is waiting to see what happens Monday before revealing its response.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff upon their arrival at the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
The sources say that if Trump sets the tariffs at 25 per cent, Canada’s opening salvo would be counter-tariffs worth roughly $37 billion, with a possible second wave of tariffs worth another $110 billion.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting Friday of a newly formed advisory council on Canada-U. S. relations that includes former premiers, labour leaders and representatives of the auto industry.
Trudeau met with the country’s 13 premiers last Wednesday to discuss possible retaliatory actions.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday said he’s told the LCBO to clear U.S. booze from its shelves if Trump imposes sweeping tariffs as he’s threatened to do.
At the end of those meetings, he and 12 premiers released a statement pledging to present a united front to their American counterparts.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith broke with the group, refusing to sign on to the statement and posting on social media that she cannot support the “Team Canada” approach if energy exports could be part of the federal government’s response.
Trudeau has said everything must be on the table, including energy.
Trump repeatedly pledged throughout the presidential campaign to bring down the cost of gas and groceries for Americans.
Canadian officials have been travelling to Washington, D.C., in recent weeks to try to convince key Republicans that tariffs would accomplish the opposite of that.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly told reporters on Friday that many lawmakers and Trump administration officials she’s met with in Washington have been surprised to learn about the possible impacts of Trump’s tariffs.
She told CNN that Canada is “pleading for peace.”
“At the same time, if Trump is going ahead with tariffs, he’s starting a trade war and of course we will retaliate,” she said, adding that it would increase the cost of groceries, home heating and gas for Americans.
–with files from Canadian Press and Reuters
