Donald Trump inauguration recap: Presidential pardons and executive orders on a big first day in office

We’ll wrap our live coverage of Donald Trump’s second, historic inauguration day there. What a day.

The 47th President of the United States, the nation’s first convicted felon to hold the office, spent his evening dazzling his loyal followers after a marathon day.

Seeming determine to make quick work of fulfilling his campaign promises - and undoing the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration - Trump took market to paper to sign through a mountain of executive orders.

The most shocking included seeking the US to exit the World Health Organisation, another to remove the US from the Paris Accords, pardoning an army of January 6 defendants, ordering federal agencies to revoke the use of “gender”, renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali , and declaring a “national emergency” on the southern border.

The latter was one in a slateof policies to kick-start his hardline immigration crackdown, inclulding another order to exclude children born in the US of undocumented immigrants from birthright citizenship.

He also signed through an order to prolong the operations of TikTok - at least for 75 days so his government can negotiate a deal. He threatened to impose massive tarifs , up to 100 per cent on China if it does not agree to sell half of the social media company to the US.

Thanks for following along. Stay tuned for tonight’s edition of The Nightly for all your inauguration deep-dives.

Trump will end his inauguration night well after midnight with a stop at the starlight Ball at Union Station.

More dancing was on the table for the First Couple, before they were joined by their family and the Vance family for a sway to Frank Sinatra epic tune ‘My Way’

Press access was more restricted at the final ball, but the event was reportedly attended by the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, Vince Vaughn, Jake and Logan Paul and Mike Tyson.

It’s not a Trump event until the Y.M.C.A. is played.

Before he ducked away to the Liberty Ball, President Trump ended the Commander-in-Chief Ball with a song and a sword dance after cutting a large cake.

Trump and his second-in-command J.D. Vance cut the cake, which was topped with a model of the presidential aircraft Air Force One, which the President gestured in offering to the crowd. He joked he would “take a piece home with me”.

Before he put down the sword, the trumpets of the iconic Village People song - which has become a de facto MAGA anthem - sounded and the 78-year-old started to dance.

Melania even joined in with a little boogie as her husband carried on with his much-memed fist-pumping and shoulder-shimmying dance moves.

Donald Trump was three hours late to the Liberty Ball, but kept festive spirits high as he wheeled out his entire family for the second official event of his inauguration evening.

The president’s tardiness was no worry for guests - all Trump supporters - who Politico wrote milled about snacking on meatballs and zucchini while posing for photos with the convicted felon’s mugshot.

Once they arrived the First and Second Couple once again danced on stage to Unchained Melody, before being joined by the whole Trump clan.

The 1970s disco icons Village People then came out to perform their hit sonng ‘Y.M.C.A’ which has become a kind of theme song to MAGA events.

Immigrant and civil rights advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have swiftly filed a lawsuit against an executive order signed on Monday affecting birthright citizenship.

Hours after he was sworn in, Trump signed an order that seeks to strip babies born in the US to undocumented immigrants of their US citizenship.

The group filed the suit in federal court in New Hampshire, arguing the change was unconscitutional - specifically against the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

The president drew loud cheers after promising to “rebuild the entire US military” in his second term to be the most powerful force “the world has ever seen”.

Trump laid out his plan for “peace through strength”, also declaring he would build an American-made Iron Dome like the famed missile defence system shielding Israel from enemy fire.

“Instead of worrying about political agendas, you don’t have to worry about that at all. There’s only one focus: defeating America’s enemies,” he said.

“We’re not going to be defeated. We’re not going to be humiliated. We’re only going to win, win, win.”

Trump added that he wouldn’t let any nation “push us around” on any front - defence or economic - but always strive for “total victory”.

“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end and, perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.

“It’s called peace through strength.

“We do it without fighting through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace. Our friends will respect us. Our enemies will fear us. And the whole world will admire the unrivalled greatness of the United States’ military.”

Trump ended his address with an optimistic prediction.

“This is the dawn of the golden age of America. And tonight, I’m filled with optimism for what lies ahead over the next four years.”

After taking his wife for a twirl on the dancefloor, President Trump addressed the crowd of service members gathered at the Commander in Chief Ball.

The ball is dedicated to the six branches of the US military, hundreds if not thousands of whom were in attendance and given special thanks for the Republican’s election victory.

“That was a big win. That was a tremendous win. We all worked hard for it. And a big part of the reason that I won was because of my relationship with you,” he told the raucous crowd.

He promised the room the US would be “stronger and greater than its ever been before” under his leadership, adding that the day was a celebration of the “enduring strength and resilience of our glorious republic”.

“It’s a celebration, because we’re gonna turn our country around. We’re gonna make America great again.”

Donald and Melania Trump have appeared at the first of three balls to celebrate Mr Trump’s inauguration.

The First Couple scrubbed up pretty well, with Mr Trump wearing a tailored tuxedo and Mrs Trump looking stunning in a pale silver dress with black stripes.

Mr Trump addressed the crowd, but not before he shared a dance with his wife.

The Trumps were joined onstage for a dance with Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha.

Check out the pics below.

Newly sworn-in President Donald Trump was busy signing the huge number of executive orders when he had a remarkable exchange with a journalist who asked if Joe Biden had left him a letter.

“He may have,” he responded.

“Wait — don’t they leave it in the desk?”

Mr Trump searched the desk drawer and discovered the letter addressed to him.

Here’s what happened next.

Among the jaw dropping executive orders signed in Donald Trump’s first-day-in-office blitz is one to rename two natural landmarks to “honour American greatness”.

The President signed an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and revert Alaska’s Mount Denali, America’s highest peak, to be named Mount McKinley - as it was before Barack Obama changed it in 2015.

The order directs Trump’s pick for secretary of the interior, Doug Burgum, to change the landmarks’ names in federal communications and on official maps within 30 days.

Mount Denali was officially named in honour of assassinated president William McKinley in 1917, 16 years after his death. It was unofficially named McKinley in 1896 by a gold prospector.

In 2015, president Barack Obama changed the name to Denali, the name given by Koyukon speakers of the Koyukon Athabaskans in western interior Alaska. Trump’s order called the change an “affront” to the late President McKinley’s life, achievements and sacrifice.

Reversing the name of Mount Denali is said to be particularly significant to Trump, who sees a unique kindship with the “heroic” president.

“President McKinley championed tariffs to protect USmanufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive US industrialisation and global reach to new heights,” the order reads.

After his election win, Trump praised Mr McKinley as a “very good president” and “at a minimum... a very good businessman”.