“From this moment, the decline of the USA ends” – Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. Here's how the ceremony unfolded.

Donald Trump has officially assumed the role of the 47th President of the United States, taking the oath during a ceremonial event.

According to the U.S. Constitution, Joe Biden's presidential powers ended precisely at 12:00 PM Washington time, at which point the authority of the head of state transferred to Trump.

The key part of the ceremony is the oath taken by the elected president. Although Trump won the election back in November 2024, he only became the incumbent 47th President of the United States after uttering the following words:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

J.D. Vance, Trump's vice-presidential candidate, also took office only after taking the oath.

This marks Trump's second inauguration: he served as the 45th President of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

The ceremony took place in the rotunda at Lafayette Square in Washington at noon local time (7:00 PM Kyiv time). Trump and Vance recited their oaths with their hands on the Bible.

Following the oath-taking, Trump, who officially assumed the presidency, delivered an inaugural address outlining his goals for the next four years.

Afterward, the president will sign key documents and attend several official events throughout the day, including a luncheon organized by the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies and three official balls across the city.

Main points from Trump's speech:

* “A golden age of America is upon us. No one will take advantage of us as they did under the previous administration. From this day forward, our country will be the most respected in the world. All nations will envy us, and we will not allow anyone to profit off us. Our sovereignty will be restored, and our security will be reinstated. The decline of America stops here and now.”

* “I will declare a state of emergency at our southern border with Mexico. We will begin to return all criminals to where they came from. I will deploy our officers to the borders to stop this invasion. We will recognize cartels as international terrorist organizations.”

* “I want to stop illegal immigrants who have come to us from mental hospitals and prisons around the world.”

* “I promise to declare a state of emergency in energy and initiate extensive oil drilling to lower energy prices.”

* “Instead of taxing our own citizens, the U.S. will impose tariffs and taxes on foreign countries to enrich our own citizens. An external tax service will be created to collect all tariffs, duties, and revenues. This will bring in huge sums of money from foreign sources.”

* “I want to be a peacemaker and unifier. We will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. We will reclaim the Panama Canal.”

* “From today, the official policy of the U.S. is that there are only two genders – male and female.”

* “The U.S. will end wars we are not engaged in and build the strongest military.”

* “American astronauts will be the first to set foot on Mars.”

“I will sign an order to immediately stop all government censorship and restore freedom of speech in America.”

Background. Let us remind you, Trump announced which orders he would sign first – particularly shocking for the global economy could be the tariffs on all imports to the U.S. if the order is indeed signed.