5 takeaways from Trump's inauguration eve rally
President-elect Trump on Sunday rallied with supporters in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his second inauguration, taking a victory lap and teasing an expected barrage of activity on his first day in office.
Here are five takeaways from Trump’s rally at Capital One Arena.
Trump takes victory lap
The president-elect opened his rally by simply declaring to the crowd, “We won.”
"I’m thrilled to be back with so many friends, supporters and true American patriots on the eve of taking back our country," Trump said. "Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride."
Trump recounted how he swept the seven battleground states in November’s election against Vice President Harris, and how the entire country tilted toward Republicans in its voting trends.
Earlier speakers, such as top aide Stephen Miller and some of Trump’s children, spoke about how the president-elect overcame an assassination attempt and multiple indictments to win a second term.
Sunday marked a rare instance of Trump rallying supporters in the nation’s capital, which is solidly Democratic. But thousands of supporters and allies had descended on Washington for the inauguration, turning the rally into a celebration of Trump’s second term.
"But I truly believe the opportunity we have now … in conjunction with the knowledge of the last four years, we can truly make a difference forever,” Donald Trump Jr. said.
Trump previews busy Day 1
President-elect Trump promised a blitz of executive action on Day 1 in the Oval Office, including sweeping repeals of Biden administration policies, and pledged that his followers will “have a lot of fun” watching the barrage.
“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed within hours of when I take the oath of office,” Trump said.
“Oh, you’re going to have a lot of fun watching television tomorrow,” he told the crowd. “Somebody said yesterday, ‘Sir, don’t sign so many in one day. Let’s do it over a period of weeks.’ I said, ‘Like hell we’re going to do it over weeks.’ We’re going to sign them at the beginning.”
The president-elect is expected to push forward executive actions around energy, federal workforce rules, the border and immigration enforcement after he’s sworn in around noon on Monday.
The 22 executive orders that President Biden issued in his first week on the job marked a modern record, but Trump has hinted at plans for a historic surge of moves.
Trump praises TikTok after short-lived ban
Trump touted the return of the social media app TikTok after it briefly went dark in the U.S. because of a law requiring its China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the app.
“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump told the arena crowd. He riffed about having done “a little TikTok thing" during the election.
“Republicans have never won the young vote, the youth vote. ... We won the youth vote by 36 points. So I like TikTok,” Trump said.
The app, which has been the subject of national security concerns, suspended services in the U.S. on Saturday night, shortly before the ban was to take effect. But on Sunday, the app was back up for American users, and the platform shared a message that gave credit to Trump’s efforts.
Trump said Sunday that he plans to issue an executive order postponing the ban on TikTok, giving ByteDance more time to divest.
“Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it,” Trump said of the app. He also echoed an earlier proposal that the U.S. should have 50 percent ownership in a joint venture to keep the app afloat.
Trump hints at Jan. 6 pardons
Trump hinted that he was set to take action on his first day in office to pardon individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
"Tomorrow, everybody in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages," Trump said. "I think you’ll be very, very happy."
Trump supporters stormed the Capitol four years ago to try to stop the certification of President Biden's victory. Hundreds have been charged by the Justice Department for their role that day, and hundreds pleaded guilty. The president-elect has suggested that the House members who served on a special panel to investigate the attack on the Capitol should face criminal charges. He also indicated Sunday he still has not accepted his 2020 defeat, referring to that election as “rigged” multiple times.
Trump to visit Los Angeles on Friday
Trump confirmed during the rally that his first trip outside of Washington as president will take place at the end of the week to see damage from the wildfires in Los Angeles.
“I also want to send our love to everyone affected by the terrible wildfires raging in California," Trump said. "I’m going to go out there on Friday to see it and to get it moving back.”
Swaths of Los Angeles have been ravaged in recent weeks by wildfires, which have killed dozens of people and destroyed communities. Trump has attacked California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), suggesting his water and environmental policies worsened the fires.
Many Republicans are demanding conditions on any new emergency funding for Los Angeles, blaming Democratic leaders in California for exacerbating the crisis. Democrats are pushing back, accusing Republicans of exploiting the disaster to score political points and noting Congress typically passes disaster aid without conditions.
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