President Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. He is only the second ever to be elected to serve two non-consecutive terms.
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to Trump as now-former President Joe Biden looked on in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.
Vice President JD Vance was sworn in by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Trump refused to attend Biden’s inauguration four years ago after falsely claiming for weeks that he had only lost to the Democrat as a result of widespread ballot fraud in the 2020 election.
A few hours before being sworn in as President of the United States, Donald Trump and his wife Melania attended a service at St John’s Episcopal Church near the White House in Washington.
The traditional pre-inauguration service was also attended by Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and his wife Usha, as well as members of the Trump family, including son Barron.
The Trumps later headed to the White House for a coffee and tea with outgoing President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden after the service.
The two men and their spouses finally rode in a joint motorcade to the Capitol before the swearing-in ceremony.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration hours before the ceremony.
During a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Putin said he was open to dialogue with the new US administration on Ukraine and nuclear weapons.
Putin also said he wanted to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine, rather than a brief ceasefire.
