JANUARY 21, 2025 – “As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do,” said President Donald J. Trump during his inauguration address yesterday as the nation’s 47th president, alongside Vice President JD Vance.
“America will soon be greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” he said. “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. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.”
“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into,” Trump said.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier,” he added.
The 60th inaugural swearing-in ceremony took place at noon inside the Capitol Rotunda, with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath of office to the new president and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh swearing in the vice president.
In the audience were former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, former Vice President Kamala Harris, members of Congress, all nine Supreme Court justices and family members of Trump and Vance.
Trump thanked Black and Latino voters for helping him get elected and added that on this observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, “we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.”
Trump said he’ll declare “a national emergency at our southern border,” with troops ordered there. Trump also said he’ll reinstate service members who were let go because they objected to COVID-19 mandates, and they will receive full back pay.
Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful,” and Christopher Macchio sang “Oh, America!” and the national anthem during the inaugural ceremony. The U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
The theme of this year’s ceremonies is “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise.”
In addition to the swearing-in ceremony and the inaugural luncheon at the Capitol, the president and vice president are scheduled to review the military parade, which will take place inside Capital One Arena due to frigid weather.
Sunday, Trump and Vance placed wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
Inauguration Day Facts
- Joint Task Force–District of Columbia supported civilian authorities, including the Capitol Police, Secret Service and D.C. Metropolitan Police, by providing troops for crowd management; traffic control points; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response; civil disturbance response; and sustainment operations. JTF–DC consists of 7,800 troops from about 40 states, territories and the district.
- Joint Task Force–National Capital Region orchestrated the military’s involvement in the inauguration ceremony and parade with members from all services participating.
- The election of a new president is of particular significance to the Defense Department, as Article 2 of the Constitution directs that the president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces.
- President Donald J. Trump joins Grover Cleveland as the only presidents to have served two discontinuous terms. Cleveland was president from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897.
- Vice President JD Vance served in the Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, attaining the rank of corporal. His military occupational specialty was public affairs. To qualify for his MOS, he received training in journalism and public affairs at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland. He joins three other vice presidents who are DINFOS alumni: Al Gore, Dan Quayle and Walter F. Mondale.
- Today is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as it is observed on the third Monday in January. This is just the second time that the inauguration occurred on the same day as that holiday, the other being in 1997 at the second inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
- Today is cold, but it isn’t the coldest inauguration day. That would be President Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in, which took place in 1985 when the noon temperature was 7 F.
- The tradition of National Guard involvement in presidential inaugurations dates back to the early years of the republic when guardsmen escorted George Washington from his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, to the nation’s then-capital in New York City for the first presidential inauguration in 1789.
By David Vergun, DOD News