Trump sworn in as 47th U.S. president

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump, on Monday, January 20, 2025, began his second term in the White House after taking the oath of office.

Trump, who defeated outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris in November 2024 presidential election, was sworn in at an indoor ceremony amid frigid weather in Washington D.C.

Trump was sworn in for his second term as U.S. president at 6:00 p.m. (Nigerian time) at the US Capitol, where crowds of supporters were gathered.

He has promised a barrage of executive orders on his first day in office, vowing to act with “historic speed and strength”.

Outgoing President Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons to shield Trump foes from prosecution, including Covid-19 advisor Anthony Fauci, officers who testified over the January 6 Capitol riot and members of his close family.

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Trump lashed out at Biden’s administration for giving “unlimited funding to the defence of foreign borders”.

He added that the outgoing president “refused to defend American borders, or our people”.

Trump said he returns to the presidency “confident” and vowed the “golden age of America” will “begin now”

“Every single day, I will very simply put America first,” he added.

On immigration, the president vowed to deport “millions and millions” of “criminal aliens”, saying: “All illegal entry will immediately be halted.”

He added that he would declare illegal immigration a national emergency, send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, and reinstate his “remain in Mexico” policy as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown.

The Star