Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president in an indoor ceremony in the rotunda of the Capitol on Monday. Here are a few of the highlights you may have missed.
As Trump walked through the rotunda of the US Capitol he greeted his wife, Melania, with what social media users called “the most awkward kiss ever”. He leant in towards her face but was prevented from making contact by his wife’s wide-brimmed hat. After being sworn in, Trump had another — more successful — attempt, managing several pecks on the cheek.
Interestingly, Trump did not actually swear on the Bible, as is customary. It is not clear if this was an intentional snub or not. John Roberts, chief justice of the Supreme Court, began reading the oath for Trump to repeat before his wife managed to reach him with the two copies of the Bible she was holding ready — one given to him by his mother and one used at Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861.
Donald Trump did not place his hand on the two Bibles held by his wife, Melania
MORRY GASH/REUTERS
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Trump raised his right hand, but did not have his left on the Bibles. It hung down by his side instead.
Adam Schwarz, a political historian, said: “I have looked back at decades of US presidential inaugurations and can’t find another example of this.”
JD Vance, meanwhile, swore his oath on a Bible that belonged to his maternal great-grandmother, presented to him by his grandmother, or “Mamaw” as he called her in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy.
Stealing the show
Mirabel Vance, the vice-president’s daughter, was in her mother’s arms and sucking her thumb while her father was sworn in. Perhaps to discourage nailbiting — or just as a fashion statement — the two-year-old was wearing plasters featuring the cartoon dogs Bluey and Scooby-Doo on her fingers.
SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Tech executives (and Boris Johnson) were front and centre
Trump, his wife and their son, Barron, sat in the front pew of St John’s Episcopal Church in Washington on the morning of inauguration day, alongside JD Vance, the incoming vice-president, and his wife, Usha. Behind them was the rest of the Trump family.
But in a sign of their closeness to the new administration, giants of the tech industry were also in attendance: Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive; Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder; Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google; and Tim Cook, the Apple chief executive. Foreign dignitaries including Boris Johnson, the former UK prime minister, were also present.
Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk
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Boris Johnson arriving at Trump’s inauguration
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Zuckerberg was caught on camera throwing more than a couple of glances over at Lauren Sanchez, Bezos’s fiancée. Social media users joked that the Meta chief executive may be sleeping on the couch after he was seen staring down at Sanchez’s décolletage — a lacy white corset under a matching white coat.
A cappella accident
Carrie Underwood was forced to sing America the Beautiful a cappella after issues problems left the rotunda without audio. Underwood was supposed to be accompanied by the Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Naval Academy Glee Club.
Carrie Underwood performing in the Capitol
SHAWN THEW/EPA
She has been an American country mainstay since 2005, when her dynamic voice made her the winner on the fourth season of American Idol.
She received criticism from Democrats for agreeing to perform, but defended her decision, saying she would sing at the inauguration “in the spirit of unity and looking to the future”.
Biden told Trump: Welcome home!
Joe and Jill Biden on the colonnade by the Rose Garden as they prepare to depart the White House
JOE BIDEN/WHITE HOUSE PHOTO/ALAMY LIVE NEWS
-Earlier they welcomed Donald and Melania Trump
JIM WATSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Trump and his wife met President Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, in the White House for tea before the inauguration ceremony — a tradition in the transfer of power.
In a rare display of goodwill and camaraderie between the two arch rivals, Biden shouted “welcome home!” to Trump as his motorcade pulled up.
On the menu
There was no fast food in sight at the inaugural luncheon, which was attended by a select 200 guests. The first course was a Chesapeake crab cake with tomato tartar, bay sauce, pickled vegetables and romanesco.
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For the main course, Trump feasted on steak from Omaha and for dessert he was served a “Minnesota apple ice box terrine” with sour cream ice cream and salted caramel.
Missing Michelle
Barack Obama arrived alone at the inauguration ceremony
FABRIZIO BENSCH/GETTY IMAGES
Michelle Obama, the former first lady, was the most noticeable and highest-profile absentee. Her decision to miss Trump’s formal swearing-in was a break with tradition for the ceremony. Mrs Obama also was not in attendance at a memorial service for the former president Jimmy Carter on January 9.
A source close to Mrs Obama told People magazine that she had decided to skip the inauguration as she did not want to show fealty to a man she did not believe was fit for office.
Obama also attended the memorial for Jimmy Carter alone, sitting next to Donald and Melania Trump
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Biden’s pre-emptive pardons
Biden pardoned Dr Anthony Fauci, the former chief medical adviser to the president, the retired general Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol in an extraordinary use of the powers of the presidency in his final hours in office.
Biden’s decision is thought to be aimed at guarding his allies against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration. Trump has spoken of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The longest inaugural address in modern history
Trump during his speech after he was sworn in as the 47th president
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
Trump’s second inaugural address became the longest in modern history, clocking in at 29 minutes and 48 seconds.
Joe Biden spoke for 21 minutes and 18 seconds, while Trump’s first-term inaugural speech in 2017 ran for 16 minutes and 19 seconds.
William Henry Harrison delivered the longest one, in 1841. His 8,445 words lasted an hour and 40 minutes. He died a month later of pneumonia, some said brought on by exposure to the elements during his ceremony.
Churchill to return?
Furniture and artwork was already being moved into the Oval Office and president’s residence before Trump’s return to the White House.
Among the items that may return is the bust of Sir Winston Churchill, which was removed by Biden’s team as part of redecorations after his 2020 election victory. The Democrat replaced the bust with that of the civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks and the socialist Latino union leader Cesar Chavez.
Flags at full mast
Among the raft of executive orders signed by Trump on Monday was for flags to be flown at full mast on all inauguration days. Biden had ordered the White House flag to fly at half mast for 30 days after the death of Jimmy Carter on December 29.
