Donald J. Trump is set to return to the presidency on Monday, taking the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States in a midday ceremony. His inauguration marks a historic political comeback, four years after leaving the White House and becoming the first president in U.S. history to face impeachment twice and a criminal conviction.
Trump, 78, will take the oath inside the Capitol, where he will be joined by James David Vance, 40, who will be sworn in as the 50th vice president. The ceremony, moved indoors due to bitterly cold weather, will make Trump the oldest person ever inaugurated as president, surpassing Joseph R. Biden Jr., who was 77 at his inauguration.
Biden welcomed Trump and his wife, Melania, to the White House for a brief meeting before the inaugural events. “Welcome home,” Biden reportedly told the couple, symbolizing the peaceful transfer of power that contrasts sharply with the fraught political climate of recent years.
A Historic Return to Power
Trump’s return to the presidency, following his loss in 2020 and the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, solidifies his place in history as only the second president to serve nonconsecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland in the 19th century. Feeling vindicated by his 2024 victory, Trump plans to move swiftly to reshape government policy.
Among the expected flurry of executive actions—potentially as many as 100—are measures to reinstate hardline immigration policies, impose tariffs on trading partners, and issue pardons for individuals convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack.
Biden’s final acts as President
In one of his final acts in office, Biden issued preemptive pardons for several high-profile figures likely to become targets of politically motivated investigations. Among those pardoned were Gen. Mark A. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and members of the bipartisan House committee that investigated the January 6 riot, including former Representative Liz Cheney.
