WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump used a raucous rally Sunday on the eve of his inauguration to promise swift Day 1 action remaking the federal government, shifting federal priorities at breakneck speed and ensuring that “the curtain closes on four long years of American decline.”
Supporters filled nearly all of the 20,000-plus-seat Capital One Arena in downtown Washington for a “Make America Great” victory celebration, and cheered as Trump said he’d take quick action on everything from cracking down on the U.S.-Mexico border to promoting oil drilling, reining in the federal workforce and eradicating diversity programs.
“We’re going to give them the best first day, the biggest first week and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history,” said Trump, who also promised to roll back executive actions by his predecessor, outgoing President Joe Biden, “within hours.”
In an unusual move, Trump entered at the arena’s concourse level and deliberately made his way down the stairs before his speech, stopping frequently to pump his fist and pose for pictures with rallygoers. It was even more surreal after he finished speaking, when the Village People took the stage and the president-elect sang — and even briefly danced — along to “YMCA,” an unofficial anthem of his campaign.
Trump said he'd jump start his agenda with a series of unilateral actions from the White House, telling the crowd, “You’re going to see executive orders that are going to make you extremely happy. Lots of them.”
Sunday was Trump’s first full day back in Washington since his Election Day victory and gave him a chance to energize core supporters before the official pomp of Inauguration Day. Unlike when Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol and tried to retain power in 2021 after his loss to Biden, officials did not expect massive protests, unrest or violence.
Instead, jubilant crowds reveled in Trump’s coming second term and MAGA’s total control of the Republican Party.
Yet even with a comfortable Electoral College victory and his party in full — albeit narrow — control of Congress, the incoming president is one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history, with nearly as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters. That means it could be difficult for Trump to fulfill postelection pledges to promote bipartisanship while healing political differences.
Trump has nonetheless insisted that unity will be a theme of his inauguration speech Monday, along with strength and fairness — despite spending months as a candidate saying that if elected he would seek retribution against political enemies.
That was the theme of much of his rally speech Sunday, when Trump returned to the greatest hits of his campaign — as if the race against Vice President Kamala Harris weren’t already long decided. Trump denounced “migrant crime” by evoking one of his favorite fictional characters, Hannibal Lecter, and promised to stamp out “woke” policies and oppose transgender rights.
“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 said, adding, “Once and for all, we’re going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington."
The event also featured a performance by Kid Rock, who performed “All Summer Long” despite a cold mix of rain and snow falling outside. Others taking the stage included singer Lee Greenwood, whose “God Bless the USA” is a Trump favorite.
Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk — who Trump has tasked with helping run a special commission to make the federal government more efficient — took the stage and said “we’re looking forward to making a lot of changes.” Jon Voight, an actor named by Trump as a special ambassador to Hollywood, declared the president-elect “our hero. A man who never gave up on the American people, and we the people never gave up on him.”
Stephen Miller, Trump’s pick to be deputy chief of staff and a key architect of the administration’s promised hard-line immigration polices, vowed that “justice is coming.”
“We are about to get our country back and our democracy back,” Miller said, adding “Donald J. Trump is about to save this country.”
With frigid temperatures expected Monday, Trump directed most of Monday’s outdoor events to be moved indoors, and officials held a rehearsal Sunday for his swearing-in in the U.S. Capitol's Rotunda, which holds only 600 people compared to the 250,000-plus guests who had tickets to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds.
Also Sunday, Trump had breakfast privately with Republican senators at Blair House, the president’s official guest residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and took to his social media site to comment on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the U.S. ban on TikTok.
“Hostages starting to come out today!." Trump wrote.
Overnight, millions of U.S. users of TikTok lost the ability to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the app took effect. Though the site later began working again for some users, the disruptions reflected a new law requiring its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest for national security reasons.
The company made a personal appeal to Trump to intervene, posting a message saying, “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."
Trump subsequently posted, “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!" He promised to issue an executive order Monday "to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.” The president-elect also wrote that he was interested in the U.S. owning 50% of TikTok in a “joint venture” model, though he did not offer much detail on what that would look like.
Another stop for Trump on Sunday were snow-covered graves at Arlington National Cemetery, where he and Vice President-elect JD Vance — each wearing dark overcoats and red ties — walked together to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a wreath-laying ceremony that included the playing of taps. Trump mouthed “thank you” after placing the wreath.
The pair later spent nearly half an hour in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, talking with families of soldiers who died in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing.
The scene was far different than in August, when two Trump campaign staff members reportedly verbally “abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60.
Will Weissert, Fatima Hussein And Josh Boak, The Associated Press