BBC News Briefing

20 January, 2025

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes. She is angled away from the camera slightly, and is wearing a green top

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. Donald Trump has officially started a second, non-consecutive term in office as the 47th US president. Bernd Debusmann Jr summarises the key points of his inauguration speech. Gary O'Donoghue is reporting from the Capital One arena, where a crowd of Trump supporters is awaiting the president's arrival. And finally, check out mesmerising ice formations as freezing conditions sweep through parts of North America.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Trump's scripted and off-the-cuff remarks

Donald Trump takes the oath of office as his wife Melania holds two Bibles in her hands, and his children look on.

Trump said he will declare a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and a national energy emergency. Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump's inauguration speech was delivered from inside the Capitol Rotunda in front of a crowd including his family, former presidents, and tech billionaires. Trump listed his executive order priorities, from immigration to energy. He also pledged to take back the Panama Canal, to expand “our territory”, and to plant the US flag on Mars. After waving goodbye to Biden, Trump returned to the Capitol building to speak to supporters in off-the-cuff remarks in which he repeated false claims of a rigged 2020 election.

Speech key points

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AT THE SCENE

Washington DC, USA

Reactions from Trump supporters

A crowd of people applauds. Many are wearing red hats with a US flag emblazoned on its side.

Ahead of Trump's arrival, arena attendees heard from speakers including Elon Musk and Kash Patel. Credit: Reuters

Trump is expected to deliver another set of remarks to a crowd of his supporters who have gathered at the Capital One arena. They were able to watch the inauguration speech, and made their feelings about some of the attendees known.

Gary has short brown hair. He is wearing a suit and tie.

Gary O'Donoghue, senior North America correspondent

The crowds here are watching it all on a giant Jumbotron hanging from the ceiling - with big boos for pictures of Mike Pence, Donald Trump's former vice-president, who of course had to flee for his life from the Capitol on 6 January 2021 - when some protestors chanted "hang Mike Pence"- over is refusal to halt the certification of Donald Trump's defeat.

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There were even bigger boos, not surprisingly perhaps, for the Clintons and President Obama. The various billionaires, Elon Musk aside, extracted very little by way of crowd reaction - with a smattering of applause for the controversial Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green.

Get the latest

Final act: Before leaving office, Biden issued a number of pre-emptive pardons, including to members of his family. Here's what to know.

In pictures: Here are some of the most striking images from the day so far.

Inauguration fashion: On a day of pomp and ceremony, clothing choices make their own statements. Take a look.

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Poison with a purpose

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And finally... in the US