Politics

Donald Trump to be inaugurated as US president

Published

1 year ago

January 20, 2025

Donald Trump will be the second president to win non-consecutive terms, returning to office after a four-year hiatus © Bonnie Cash/UPI Photo/IMAGO

Donald Trump will be sworn in for a second term as president of the United States on Monday, as the world braces itself for the return of an unpredictable leader. Follow DW for the latest.

Donald Trump due to be sworn in as 47th US president at 12 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) Ceremony in Washington, DC to be attended by outgoing President Joe Biden, Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others Trump vows to issue flurry of executive orders on issues ranging from energy to immigration on Monday

Below you can read a roundup of the latest developments regarding Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025:

Inauguration Day: What you need to know

Trump’s swearing-in ceremony is just hours away.

If you’re wondering what happens during the event, who is invited, or who pays for it all, DW has you covered.

We’ve compiled everything you need to know about the inauguration right here.

Can Trump keep pledge to end war in Ukraine?

During the 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

But since his election, he has not repeated that pledge, and his aides now concede that it will take months to reach a peace agreement.

While there is no fully developed Trump peace plan, most of his key advisers support taking Ukraine’s NATO membership off the table as part of any deal, at least for now. They also broadly support freezing the battle lines at their current locations.

Trump has also indicated that Kyiv may have to cede some territory in order to reach a peace agreement.

In early January, Trump said he was optimistic the war would end within six months. He also said preparations were underway for a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin had received no proposals from Trump’s team for a meeting with Putin.

According to Lavrov, Russia has not yet seen any concrete proposals on how Trump intends to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.

US ties ‘vital,’ says Germany’s chancellor ahead of inauguration

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed the importance of trans-Atlantic relations as well as European self-reliance.

He made the comments in the Rheinische Post newspaper ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Scholz said that “trans-Atlantic relations are vital for Germany and Europe.”

He also highlighted the US’ role in the development of democracy in West Germany and NATO’s role as a guarantor of Germany’s security, reaffirming the US as Germany’s closest ally.

“That is why we need stable relations with the US,” he said.

Scholz also emphasized Europe’s strategic advantages, saying that “as a community of more than 400 million Europeans” the region has economic might and can “build on our own strength.”

The chancellor’s remarks came after a cable by the German ambassador to the US was leaked in which he said that Trump’s presidency would be “driven by vengeance” and that the new US president would undermine “fundamental democratic principles.”

What are Trump’s promises on Day 1?

Trump says he plans to issue a flurry of executive orders and directives on issues ranging from energy to immigration after his inauguration.

The incoming president has pledged to deport a record number of immigrants living in the US illegally, and many of the actions he plans to take on his first day as president are aimed at ramping up immigration enforcement.

The executive actions would give federal immigration agents more leeway to arrest people without criminal records, send more troops to the US-Mexico border and restart construction of the border wall. Trump is also expected to declare illegal immigration a national emergency to free up military funds for border wall construction.

On energy, Trump is expected to reduce support for electric vehicles and charging stations and withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, an action he also took during his first term.

Another move Trump could make is to follow through on threats to raise tariffs on imports from America’s largest trading partners.

He has also vowed to sign an executive order ending transgender rights in the US military and in US schools.

Who will be at Trump’s inauguration?

Outgoing President Joe Biden is expected to attend the ceremony, despite Donald Trump’s refusal to appear at Biden’s 2021 inauguration.

All living former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — are expected to attend with their wives, with the exception of Michelle Obama.

Heads of state are not traditionally invited to US presidential inaugurations. But Trump has sent invitations to the presidents of China, El Salvador and Argentina, plus the prime ministers of Italy and Hungary.

Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are expected to be present.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend, but sent Vice President Han Zheng to represent him.

Three of the world’s richest men — Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg — will also be in attendance.

Donald Trump to be sworn in as 47th US president

Donald Trump is scheduled to be sworn in for his second term as US president in Washington, DC at 12 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Monday.

The inauguration comes two and a half months after the Republican defeated outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.

The ceremony was originally due to take place outdoors on the west side of the Capitol. However, it was moved indoors due to freezing temperatures in Washington.

After taking the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Trump will deliver his inaugural address.

He is only the second president in US history to win non-consecutive terms and return to office after a four-year hiatus. The first was Grover Cleveland in the 1890s.

Outgoing President Joe Biden defeated Trump in 2020 and hoped to repeat the feat in 2024, but stepped down as the Democratic nominee in mid-2024 amid concerns about his age and mental fitness.

Trump, who long refused to concede defeat in the 2020 election, broke with tradition by staying away from Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in January 2021. Biden, however, has said he plans to attend Trump’s inauguration and witness the transfer of power.

dh/nm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Politics

Electoral Reform: Dino alleges senate’s plot to rig 2027 election

Published

19 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.

The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.

In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.

He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.

Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.

Politics

Electoral Act: Nigerians have every reason to be mad at Senate – Ezekwesili

Published

21 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.

Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.

DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.

Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.

“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.

“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”

Politics

Electoral act: Senate’s action confirms Nigeria ‘fantastically corrupt’, ‘disgraced’ – Peter Obi

Published

21 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the Senate’s refusal to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory, saying the move further exposes Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt and disgraced country.

Obi expressed his views in a statement shared on X on Friday, where he accused lawmakers of deliberately weakening Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He explained that his reaction came after a brief pause to mourn victims of a deadly tragedy in Kwara State, where over 150 people reportedly lost their lives.

“Let us first pray for the souls of the innocent Nigerians lost in Kwara. That painful incident is why I delayed responding to the shameful development surrounding our electoral system,” he wrote.

Describing the Senate’s decision as intentional and dangerous, Obi said rejecting mandatory electronic transmission was not a simple oversight but a calculated attempt to block transparency.

“The Senate’s open rejection of electronic transmission of results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027,” he said.

According to him, the action strikes at the heart of democracy and raises serious questions about the true purpose of governance in Nigeria.

“This failure to pass a clear safeguard is a direct attack on our democracy. By refusing these transparency measures, the foundation of credible elections is being destroyed. One must ask whether government exists to ensure justice and order or to deliberately create chaos for the benefit of a few.”

The former Anambra State governor linked the post-election controversies of the 2023 general elections to the failure to fully deploy electronic transmission of results, insisting that Nigerians were misled with claims of technical failures.

“

The confusion, disputes and manipulation that followed the 2023 elections were largely due to the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission,” he said.

He added that the so-called system glitch never truly existed.

Obi compared Nigeria’s electoral process with those of other African countries that have embraced technology to improve credibility, lamenting that Nigeria continues to fall behind.

“Many African nations now use electronic transmission to strengthen their democracy. Yet Nigeria, which calls itself the giant of Africa, is moving backwards and dragging the continent along.”

He criticised Nigeria’s leadership class, saying the country’s problems persist not because of a lack of ideas but because of deliberate resistance to meaningful reform.

“We keep organising conferences and writing policy papers about Nigeria’s challenges. But the truth is that the leaders and elite are the real problem. Our refusal to change is pushing the nation backwards into a primitive system of governance.”

Warning of the dangers ahead, Obi said rejecting electronic transmission creates room for confusion and disorder that only serves the interests of a small group.

He also recalled past remarks by foreign leaders who described Nigeria as corrupt, arguing that actions like this continue to justify those statements.

“When a former UK Prime Minister described Nigeria as ‘fantastically corrupt,’ we were offended. When former US President Donald Trump called us a ‘disgraced nation,’ we were angry. But our continued resistance to transparency keeps proving them right.”

Obi warned that Nigerians should not accept a repeat of the electoral irregularities witnessed in 2023.

“Let there be no mistake. The criminality seen in 2023 must not be tolerated in 2027.”

He urged citizens to be ready to defend democracy through lawful and decisive means, while also calling on the international community to closely monitor developments in Nigeria’s electoral process.

“The international community must pay attention to the groundwork being laid for future electoral manipulation, which threatens our democracy and development,” Obi stated.

He concluded by expressing hope that change is still possible if Nigerians take collective responsibility.

“A new Nigeria is possible but only if we all rise and fight for it.”