Donald Trump’s Second Inauguration

On Monday, January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47^th U.S. president. This was an unusual inauguration for several reasons. First, Trump joins Grover Cleveland as the only other president in U.S. history to be elected to serve two non-consecutive terms. (This means that neither Cleveland nor Trump served their terms back-to-back). Extremely cold weather also relocated many of the originally scheduled events indoors.  

Trump Takes Office (Again) 

The swearing in of the new vice president and president traditionally occurs outside of the U.S. Capitol, in front of a crowd on the National Mall.  But due to extremely cold temperatures, the ceremony took place inside the Capitol Rotunda. This is the first time that an inauguration has taken place indoors in 40 years. (The last time was Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, the coldest inauguration day on record.) Trump was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. JD Vance was sworn into the office of vice president by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The event was broadcast on national media and also shown to the public gathered in a nearby Washington, D.C. arena. 

President Trump began his address by stating that the U.S. is entering a “golden age.” He also focused on his priorities for his second term, including trade, immigration, and national security. He pledged to end birthright citizenship (meaning that being born on U.S. soil no longer automatically makes one a U.S. citizen). Constitutional scholars are already questioning if the president alone can redefine the rules of citizenship in this way. Such a constitutional change may require the more complex amendment process that involves Congress and state legislatures.  

Trump also promised to tighten up security at the U.S. southern border. He also promised to roll back environmental protections and overhaul the trade system. He did not mention his goals for the war in Ukraine, which was an important part of his foreign policy plan during his campaign.  

You can read the text of President Trump’s address on the White House website.  

An Expensive Celebration  

The Trump/Vance inaugural committee raised about $200 million dollars for the celebration: a record-setting amount of money. (It’s more than twice what was spent on Joe Biden’s inauguration four years ago.) A congressional committee pays for the swearing-in ceremony. But the president-elect’s inaugural committee pays for the other events on Inauguration Day. This includes inaugural balls, fireworks, and the traditional parade. The money came from private donors, many of them the heads of large tech corporations, who were asked to give a minimum of one million dollars apiece. Any money leftover is supposed to go toward a future Trump presidential library. 

For the first time, not all of the celebratory events took place in Washington, D.C. For example, Trump scheduled the traditional fireworks display to be shown over his golf course in Virginia, more than twenty miles from where they are usually set off on Capitol Hill. The traditional parade was also affected by the extremely cold weather. It was changed to an indoor rally at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C.  

Trump’s First Day 

Almost immediately after taking office, President Trump got to work. On his first day, he signed about two hundred executive actions and proclamations. He also appointed 22 Cabinet-level positions and 93 other executive roles.  

His first executive order signed at the White House was to issue a full pardon for 1,500 people involved in the riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in which five people were killed and 174 police officers injured. He also declared a national emergency at the U.S. southern border; officially removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Treaty; and withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization. 

Share What You Know Much of President Trump’s Day One actions relied on signing Executive Orders—which have become increasingly used by modern presidents. Conduct research to learn how these Orders work as well as their utility and limitations.