The color of reconciliation and the forgotten Bible: how Trump's inauguration went. Details

The inauguration of US President Donald Trump took place in Washington. The official part of the ceremony was held outside the walls of Congress, it was attended by foreign leaders for the first time in history. During the oath of office, Trump did not put his hand on the Bible, as his predecessors did. Later, the politician spoke at the stadium in front of supporters and directly on the stage signed the promised decrees. How the second term of Trump began - in the material "Izvestia".

Ceremony in the Capitol

- Three days before Trump's inauguration, it was announced that the ceremony would be held indoors, not outside at the entrance to the Capitol, as it usually happens. The reason for the postponement was the cold weather in Washington these days. The last time the inauguration was held indoors was 40 years ago - at the beginning of Ronald Reagan's second term, when the temperature in the U.S. capital dropped to -14 degrees Celsius. Then the ceremony stretched over two days: since January 20, 1985 fell on a Sunday, Reagan was officially sworn in at the White House on that day, and the next day he repeated the oath publicly under the vault of the Capitol dome.

- The 60th U.S. presidential inauguration and the second for Trump also took place in the Capitol rotunda. Before arriving there, the 78-year-old politician visited the White House for a traditional tea party with the outgoing president. Joe Biden met Trump on the doorstep of the administration and told him, "Welcome home." Along with Biden, his wife Jill, dressed in all purple - in American politics, this color symbolizes reconciliation between Republicans and Democrats - came out onto the porch. Trump was also accompanied by his wife Melania. She was dressed in a dark cloak and a black wide-brimmed hat that hid her eyes.

Oaths of office and first speech

- Trump's inauguration drew many guests to the Capitol rotunda. It was the first time foreign leaders had attended such a ceremony : Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milay, as well as Chinese Vice Chairman Han Zheng. Trump's entourage also included three of the richest men in the world: Ilon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. All of the former U.S. presidents from the current one attended the ceremony as well: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. All of them, except Obama, came with their spouses.

- The first to take his oath was Vice President J.D. Vance. He gave it to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh - the politician studied law with him at Yale University, and his wife Usha Vance worked for the judge as a clerk. In his oath of office, which is different from the president's, Vance said he would "defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

- Trump then administered his oath of office to Chief Justice John Roberts. Usually during this ritual, the president places his left hand on the Bible, which the first lady is supposed to hold next to him. Melania Trump presented her husband with two Bibles at once - one personal one given by her mother and another on which Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in 1861. However, Trump did not place his hand on them, raising only his right hand as Roberts had asked him to do. By doing so, the 47th president did not violate the oath, as there is no legal requirement to use a Bible.

- After the oath of office, Trump gave his first speech since taking office. He declared a "golden age of America" and a review of many of the executive orders of Biden, who was sitting behind him at the time, occasionally covering his face with his hand. Trump noted that "his life was saved by God," referring to an assassination attempt during the campaign, and so he must make the U.S. great.

- After the speech ended, country singer Carrie Underwood was expected to perform the patriotic song America the Beautiful. However, due to technical problems, she was left without musical accompaniment. The artist asked the gathered guests to sing along and performed the song a cappella.

Performance at the stadium

- With the end of the official part in the Capitol, the farewell of Joe Biden and his wife took place. They boarded a helicopter that took them to Andrews Military Air Base, from where they flew to California for a vacation. The couple came out to see off Trump and Vance and their wives. Former Vice President Kamala Harris also traveled to California on an all-female U.S. Air Force crew.

- Back at the Capitol, Trump signed the first executive orders related to the transfer of power and first appointments. Next on the inauguration program was the traditional dinner with members of Congress and staff of the next administration. A number of Democratic politicians, notably the Clinton couple, skipped the event.

- The inaugural events were then moved to Capital One Arena, where a rally of Trump supporters was to be held. Before the president arrived, Ilon Musk addressed the crowd. He drew attention to himself with an ambiguous gesture similar to the Nazi salute - the billionaire hit himself in the heart area with his right hand and raised it up with his palm straightened. He then declared, "My heart is with you, because of you the future of civilization is assured."

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- When Trump appeared in the arena, he walked through the crowd of supporters, exchanging remarks and shaking hands with them. He walked backstage and took a seat at a table. Right in front of the audience, Trump began signing new executive orders, signing a total of nine documents. With these, he canceled 78 of Biden's executive orders and formalized the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. After that, the politician threw his arms into the crowd.

- From the stadium, Trump went to the White House, where he continued to fulfill his duties. He fulfilled his promise to pardon about 1,500 rioters in the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The president told reporters gathered around him that he plans to impose trade duties on goods from Mexico and China as early as Feb. 1. While answering questions, Trump discovered a letter from Biden in the president's desk drawer, but did not reveal it to the public.