Supporters gather outside Capital One Arena for a rally ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s second term inauguration in Washington, DC, January 19, 2025.
Daniel Cole | Reuters
Donald Trump told thousands of cheering supporters on his first day in office that he would impose tough restrictions on immigration, making the central presidential campaign rally inside a packed Washington Arena on Sunday, the day before he returned to power. He vowed to promptly fulfill his pledge.
“By sunset tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have stopped,” he said at the “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at Capital One Arena.
President Trump reiterated his campaign promise to launch the largest deportation program in U.S. history, removing millions of immigrants. But an operation of that scale would likely take several years and cost a significant amount of money.
The rallies are similar to the freewheeling campaign speeches that have become a staple of Mr. Trump since he first made a serious run for the White House in 2016, with former and future presidents full of boasts and falsehoods. He delighted the audience with his assertions and wide-ranging promises.
“This is the greatest political movement in American history, and 75 days ago our country achieved the most spectacular political victory we have ever seen.” “Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed and force to resolve every crisis facing our country.”
The event was the first major speech in Washington since his Jan. 6, 2021, speech that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of angry supporters. President Trump said he would pardon many of the more than 1,500 people convicted or indicted in connection with the attack.
Trump’s rally, along with his inaugural address on Monday, could foreshadow the tone he plans to adopt during his second term in the White House. In recent weeks, President Trump has embarrassed foreign allies by reciting loudly about seizing Greenland and the Panama Canal and turning Canada into a U.S. state.
At noon ET (17:00 GMT), he vowed to rescind “every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration” within hours of taking office.
Trump plans to take more than 200 executive actions on Monday, according to people familiar with the plan.
Another source said Trump’s first executive orders focused on border security, including classifying drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” declaring a state of emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border and forcing them to remain in Mexico. It is said to include moves toward reviving the “Remain in Mexico” policy. -Mexican asylum seekers await U.S. court dates in Mexico.
President Trump’s deportation plan has worried settled immigrants who are targeted for deportation, including law-abiding, long-term residents with U.S. citizen spouses and children. This includes people advocated by advocates.
President Trump said he would order the military to “completely remove radical woke ideology from our military” and build a missile defense shield over U.S. skies, but he has not yet provided details on how that will be done. .
He also promised to release classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and of his brother Sen. Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
Indoor hockey and basketball venues will also host some of Monday’s inaugural celebrations after officials moved planned outdoor events indoors due to forecasts of bitterly cold weather.
Biden’s last hurray
Early Sunday morning, President Trump had breakfast with Republican senators at the Blair House, a state guesthouse across the street from the White House. John Cornyn, Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott and Tim Scott were among the attendees seen leaving the event.
He then laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. President Trump saluted the grave as military bugles played “Taps.”
Ahead of the event, President Trump’s fans, many wearing the campaign’s trademark red jackets and MAGA hats, waited in the cold rain along several blocks of downtown Washington, some chanting “USA! Some people shouted, “USA!”
Val Tordjman, 58, had traveled across the country from Denver with tickets to see the inauguration. He said he “almost cried” when he heard the ceremony would be moved indoors, reducing the size of the audience, especially in-person.
Torjman said he plans to spend the night on the street next to the arena, even though temperatures are expected to drop to around 19 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 degrees Celsius). He said he has yet to meet Trump in person.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.
Since last week, wide swaths of the streets surrounding the U.S. Capitol and the White House have been cordoned off with iron fences, and police presence has been seen throughout the city.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to attend a rally hours after the company announced it would restart the service thanks to President Trump’s promise to delay the U.S. ban that took effect on Sunday. It was. Mr. Chu is also expected to join other tech executives at President Trump’s inauguration on Monday, including Mr. Trump’s top aide and the world’s No. This includes billionaire Elon Musk.
President Trump took credit for bringing TikTok back online and said the United States would work with bidders to save the app in a “joint venture.”
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden on Sunday made his final official visit as president to Charleston, South Carolina, in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also on Monday. He attended a service at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church and spoke about Dr. King’s accomplishments, while also calling on disappointed Democrats not to give up hope.
Trump is scheduled to take the oath of office inside the Capitol Rotunda after organizers moved the ceremony indoors due to cold weather. Approximately 25,000 law enforcement personnel will be on hand for security.
