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Donald Trump attends a private party and fireworks show at Trump National Golf Club on January 18, 2025, in Sterling, Va.
It certainly made history in more ways than one.
President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term on Monday as the first convicted felon to hold the office, in a ceremony that reflected his signature mix of grandeur, exclusivity, and grievance. Held indoors in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for the first time since President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, the event broke with tradition and laid out an agenda steeped in divisive rhetoric. For LGBTQ+ Americans, his inaugural address contained particularly alarming statements about rights and identity, setting the tone for a presidency likely to challenge hard-won protections.
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Here are 11 key takeaways from the inauguration:
In one of the most jarring moments of his speech, Trump announced that “as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” making clear that his administration intends to strip federal recognition of nonbinary and transgender identities. Trump also promised to reinstate service members who were discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccines while vowing to eliminate what he called “radical political theories and social experiments” in the military. Trump had said previously that he intends to reinstate a ban on transgender people’s participation in armed service.
The Trump inaugural committee announced Friday that the ceremony would be moved indoors due to cold temperatures. About 1,800 guests attended the event — some seated in the Rotunda and others in Emancipation Hall, an overflow room beneath it. Outside, approximately 20,000 supporters gathered at Capital One Arena to watch the proceedings on large monitors, far fewer than the crowds typically seen on the National Mall.
The seating arrangement in the Rotunda spoke volumes about the administration’s priorities. Tech moguls Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post; X, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Tim Cook, the gay CEO of Apple; Shelley Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson; and Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, occupied the front row, ahead of Trump’s cabinet members.
Outside the Capitol, members of the far-right Proud Boys were seen walking the streets in their signature black and yellow colors. The group, which played a key role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, remains a symbol of the political unrest that has defined Trump’s presidency. The leader of the group, Enrique Tario, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the Capitol riot.
Trump claimed “national unity is now returning to America,” but his rhetoric leaned heavily on exclusion. He invoked Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, promising to fulfill King’s dream, yet dismissed systemic inequities with calls for a “colorblind and merit-based society.
Trump declared January 20, 2025, as “Liberation Day” for American citizens, framing his presidency as a moment of national redemption. Invoking his survival of an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year, he said, “I was saved by God to make America great again.” He painted his reelection as a mandate to reverse the country’s “decline” and promised that “from this moment on, America’s decline is over.”
Trump announced several hardline policies, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and deporting “millions and millions of criminal aliens.” On energy, he pledged to “drill, baby, drill,” end the Green New Deal, and revoke electric vehicle mandates.
Trump used his address to rail against what he described as a “radical and corrupt establishment” that has allowed the country to fall into “complete disrepair.” He criticized emergency response systems, the public health system, and education, claiming they have failed to protect Americans and instead promote anti-American values. “All of this will change starting today,” he promised.
In a dramatic moment, Trump proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and reclaiming the Panama Canal, calling its transfer to Panama “a foolish gift that should never have been made.” He also pledged to “plant the Stars and Stripes on planet Mars,” drawing cheers from Musk, whose company is deeply tied to America’s space ambitions.
In his final moments as president, Biden issued full pardons for five family members, including James S. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, and others. Biden defended the move, calling potential GOP-led investigations targeting his family “baseless and politically motivated.”
The ceremony faced minor delays. Vice President JD Vance took his oath, administered by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, at 11:59 a.m., while Trump began his at 12:01 p.m., administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. The Constitution specifies that the president’s term begins at noon.
