Trump inauguration day LIVE: President to take oath of office at Capitol ceremony

The former first lady has made it clear she wants nothing to do with Donald Trump, having warned at the Democratic convention last year that he poses as a threat to American democracy.

Here’s a look at the reported reason for her absence from today’s proceedings from Rhian Lubin.

As the president-elect takes his oath of office later today, he will be serenaded by a host of performers, including Christopher Macchio, who will belt out the national anthem.

Macchio, 46, a classical-crossover vocalist from New York City, takes on the honor from Lady Gaga, who performed the national anthem at Joe Biden’s 2021 swearing-in ceremony.

Here’s Inga Parkel’s profile of the singer.

Carrie Underwood might not be Beyoncé or Garth Brooks in the celebrity superstar ecosystem.

But the singer’s participation in Trump’s inauguration is nevertheless a sign of the changing tides, where mainstream entertainers, from Nelly to The Village People are more publicly and more enthusiastically associating with the new administration.

Eight years ago, Trump reportedly struggled to enlist stars to be part of the swearing-in and the various glitzy balls that follow.

The concurrent protest marches around the nation had more famous entertainers than the swearing-in, which stood in stark contrast to someone like Barack Obama, whose second inaugural ceremony had performances from Beyoncé, James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson and a series of starry onlookers.

There were always some celebrity Trump supporters, like Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Jon Voight, Rosanne Barr, Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone and Dennis Rodman, to name a few.

But Trump’s victory this time around was decisive and while Hollywood may always skew largely liberal, the slate of names participating in his inauguration weekend events has improved.

Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Village People and Lee Greenwood all performed at his MAGA-style rally on Sunday.

Those performing at inaugural balls include the rapper Nelly, country music band Rascal Flatts, country singer Jason Aldean and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw.

“The people who are coming out and participating directly are still a small subset of the entire universe of what we call celebrity,” said Robert Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University.

“But we’re seeing a lot more celebrities who are coming out and supporting Trump. There may not be that distinct division that we saw before.”

In case you missed it, the president-elect hosted a “Make American Great Again Victory Rally” at Washington’s Capital One Arena on Sunday, which saw him wrap up his final speech as president-elect by dancing on stage with The Village People to their 1978 disco hit “YMCA”.

Say what you like about Trump but you never got this with Dwight Eisenhower.

Pope Francis has condemned the president-elect’s plans for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants from the United States, calling his plans a “disgrace” in an interview on the Italian talk show Che Tempo Che Fa on Sunday.

“If it is true, it will be a disgrace, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the unpaid bill,” his holiness said.

“It won’t do. This is not the way to solve things.”

The Wall Street Journal has got hold of an exclusive extract from the speech will deliver at the Capitol later today, which reveals he will promise a “revolution of common sense”.

The newspaper quotes Trump’s upcoming remarks as follows:

“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success.

“A tide of change is sweeping the country.

“My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization.”

The Republican will reportedly deliver a more upbeat address this time far removed from his “American carnage” speech of eight years ago, which appeared to lift beats from Batman villain Bane in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, as he spells out in blunt terms what he believes the country needs as he presides over an administration focused on the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, exposing steep international trade tariffs and slashing the size of the sprawling federal government.

Former Republican presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is reportedly expected to leave his post alongside Elon Musk at the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before it has even kicked into gear, with “friction” with staff cited as the reason by CBS.

Ramaswamy has also been linked in recent days with a run to replace Mike DeWine as Ohio governor once his final term is concluded.

Katie Hawkinson has more on the palace intrigue below.

The second Trump administration will start with fewer key staff in place than when the president entered the White House for the first time eight years ago, with just a quarter of the political appointments made and ready to go when he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States today.

The Independent has learned that only 1,000 people have been hired to fill a fraction of the 4,000 important presidentially appointed roles atop the federal bureaucracy, many of which can be put in place without the need of Senate confirmation.

That’s roughly 300 fewer than the number of appointees hired during Trump’s chaotic 2016-2017 transition effort.

David Maddox and Andrew Feinberg have this report.

The president-elect is set to sign more than 200 (!) executive orders into action on his first day in office, according to new reports that emerged last night.

That’s double the total that were previously being anticipated, promising a seriously chaotic news day on Tuesday.

Oliver O’Connell has the very latest.

Donald Trump and his team will be in “a two-year race” to change the US – and the world – from the moment he is inaugurated inside the Capitol on Monday.

Sources close to the 47th president of the United States of America have privately noted that he has until the midterm elections in November 2026 to fulfil his policy agenda while the Republicans still have control of the Congress and Senate.

After that, the tone will probably switch to who will succeed him as the Republican nominee in 2028, with Vice President JD Vance currently in the driving seat but not guaranteed.

David Maddox has this report.