rocket. when astronauts get stuck in space they call elon to get them unstuck. he is involved in our government whether you like it or not. >> i mean the satellites, you know, being used in ukraine. >> starlink. >> on and on. >> the innovation of that in terms of the space program is important. i wonder if the space program will be on the d.o.g.e. list to make budget cuts. probably not. the thing about elon musk, just alone, not zuckerberg, not -- there's 106 million u.s. people living in the united states on x. only 154 million voted in the past election. x is basically engaging with the same amount of people deciding to engage in our democracy. about a third of our population. the algorithm is tilted. so we are really in -- talk about an information wave of who is going to be controlling the narrative. donald trump is going to be setting the narrative.

>> i wanted to say that the pandemic divided us further and that was because of misinformation, and, we face a situation now where as david mentioned, we are going to have a monopoly of information control . by people who have an interest in not looking like they are stupid in fact, that they made a mistake and bet on the wrong course, they have an incentive to tell people the economy is better because of trump, tell people the reason these hostages were released was because of trump, in other words, to reinforce the that donald trump wants to share, and i think that's dangerous because what are the sources of information, that's what i wond

welcome back, we are tracking all of the events on this historic day, the inauguration of president donald j trump, the 45th and 47th president of the united states. right now, the luncheon, just wrapped up on capitol hill, for the president and the vice president. the president is now going to emancipation hall for the first honors ceremony involving members of the was military. he heads to capital one arena, after that, and we are expecting remarks and also,

some executive orders. we are expecting him to be signing those and announcing what they are, specifically, in front of his. of supporters, you know, they came here to washington, hoping to watch the inauguration in the outdoors, there was of course a forecast of dangerous weather and it has not turned out to be as cold compared to previous inauguration, still the president and his team heeded the advice given to them. dana ash and abby philip are with me, what are we expecting, in terms of what these executive orders are about and what he's going to announce to his adoring fans? >> even in his inaugural address, he gave us a hint of what he says he's going to do and he's been doing it throughout the entire campaign that he ran, which is, a whole series of executive orders on immigration, first and foremost, he's going to do away with an asylum program, a

lot of people are using it right now, that the biden administration put into effect, to use an app in order to get information, he will move the whole thing back to mexico, he called it the remain in mexico policy. that's just one example of many that he is going to do on immigration and then he's also going to put a series of executive orders in place regarding federal workers, regarding american energy policies, largely in the short term, to overturn some of the executive orders that joe biden did. so you are seeing a lot of ping-pong back and forth on a lot of these, of course, among the most controversial that he's going to do is what he signs for the january 6th terminals, those who have been convicted, we don't know how many of those sentences he will commute, sounds like according to evan perez and paula reed, he will commute some, and just

pardon those who he does not believe committed actual violent crimes. >> one of the things that evan perez and paula reed made clear is that donald trump is not only thinking of pardoning january 6th criminals, who maybe trespassed but didn't commit acts of violence, he's actually thinking of commuting the sentences of people who actually did commit violent acts, we just don't know if that is going to include people that had violent acts against a window versus someone who committed a violent act against members of law enforcement, many of whom were severely injured on that day. >> trying to parse those distinctions, it actually is part of the trump play here, but really, what we should be talking about is the fact that the people who have been convicted have been adjudicated, they've either taken plea deals or been adjudicated in the court of law and they've been adjudicated

of doing something that at the time, republicans, many of whom are big supporters of donald trump's now, said he was responsible for lying to them and bringing them to the capital, and instigating an insurrection. and so, even just this discussion about who should get pardoned and who shouldn't, i think it's part of this process of trump normalizing the idea of him circumventing the law around the specific event which is at the core of his failure, even to this day, to acknowledge that he lost the last election and lied to his supporters, that he fomented an entire conspiracy that still lives on around that lie, and now he's going to pardon people for acting on it. >> i'm told the sermon is about to begin and we should listen in. >>

>> this is the first honors ceremony that president trump will participate in as 47th president of the united states. normally, these activities take place outside, this is the first time since i guess 1985, when ronald reagan brought his ceremonies and doors that we've seen such a thing taking place inside. >> and we have a list of the

representatives chosen for a reason by president trump including butler county first responders from butler, pennsylvania, the first responders being among those who were involved in the assassination attempt against donald trump, back over the summer, and of course, one of the members of the community, of the first responder, a first responder, lost his life and then there are other representatives from in and around the country. there is america's patriotic tractor it says, from west of mine, i will, people coming from tennessee, michigan, and also a couple of places in new york and his adopted home state of florida. >> there's a big overflow crowd at the capital one arena

that would have liked to see some of this. normally where we are right now, this would be happening right outside of the white house, and there would be thousands of people in the stands, watching all the pageantry. there will be fewer people witnessing it in person, but this is part of the tradition of american inaugurations that really displays the scope and the scale of the united states military, and has symbolic meaning for the president of the united states. he gets a chance to honor the people who have significance to him politically and other ways as well. >> there are other one that is from cornwell academy also middletown high school, their marching band and cheerleaders, jd vance went to middletown high school. a lot of touches that are specifically personal

to the president and vice president in terms of their childhoods, and their upbringings but this is specifically, is army marines, navy, coast guard, and merchant marines. >> it's interesting to see in emancipation hall which is a relatively new area in the capitol. it's part of the visitor center, which didn't exist i don't know, a little more than a decade ago, and it was built and i'm sure they're very thankful that it was. but you're right, abby, we are obviously looking at the screen, as we should be but the three of us are sitting over a very sunny, a cold, but sunny white house, where it could have been a very beautiful

moment to have this kind of ceremony in front of the actual white house. >> i do suspect this is the last day we are going to have in this town for a long time where, politics does not rear its head because everybody that has been on their best behavior, except perhaps the president, and people have been singing the praises of vice president jd vance at the luncheon and all the democrats held their tongue when they sat at the table and he signed those executive orders but president trump is enacting a very aggressive agenda. is a agenda that voters cast their ballots for in terms of a tougher border and tariffs, but it's also going to be met with some resistance on the hill.

>> this is really pomp and circumstance, that you don't see that often in our country. i mean, i'm looking at this, and i'm wondering, yes, of course, he is the commander in chief. there will be representatives, i was mentioning the army but the u.s. marines, navy, air force, coast guard and merchant marines academy who are there, but it's almost reviewing the troops symbolically, that we've seen and we still do see in other countries that don't have democracies, this is obviously very ceremonial and it's a way to honor all of the divisions of the us military

who report once again, to donald trump, as commander in chief. >> there's plenty more day to come, plenty more opportunities for there to be partisanship that comes into this, especially as trump starts to do as he promised, which is to get to work immediately. he wanted this day to be significant, in terms of the things that he is doing, not just the ceremonial part. he wanted to do the meat and potatoes of his promises and his agenda and there's still quite a lot that they promised that has not come officially and wait will be expecting them in the coming hours. >> the president is running half an hour, 40 minutes late. he was supposed to have arrived at about 3:38 p.m., roughly, 20 to 30 minutes ago. but, these things happen. one of the interesting things, do you remember from the earlier ceremony, carrie underwood, there was some sort of snafu with the music, she was supposed to sing america the beautiful, with musical accompaniment and there was some mistake and so she just ad-libbed and asked everybody

to sing with her, that does happen. in 1961 which was the last time there was an address as long as the one the president gave, robert frost, who was there to read inaugural poem, couldn't read the poem because the sunlight glare was so strong and i guess the ink in his printer was so faint that he couldn't read the special poem that he had written for jfk's inauguration, so he just recited a different poem that he had written from memory, i wouldn't say that's exactly what carrie underwood did today but you've got to roll with the punches. >> it was amazing, and it was actually very poignant because she asked everyone to sing along with her. it was a nice moment, actually. >> i just want to say, just to

be clear, when i was talking about with regard to the butler county first responders, i believe that's going to come a little bit later, during what was supposed to be the actual parade but now is going to be in the capital one arena. >> that was part of the parade, will split -- we will assess what's going on, john king, let me start with you, what is the biggest difference that you anticipate between the first trump administration and now the second trump administration? >> this is going to be team loyalty, team trump, this will be, when he says jump they are going to say -- >> hold on a second, john, let's fix your microphone's our viewers in the united states and around the world can hear what you are saying. jamie, i hope we can hear you. >> let me tell you what john king says, because he was absolutely right. he is going to be surrounded by team loyal,

we've talked about, there are no guardrails this time, there is no general kelly, there's no general matters, he surrounding himself with people who say yes, or as john says, when he says jump, they say how high. i think the other thing you can't forget is he knows the routine. he's done this before. when i spoke to officials and staffers in trump 1.0, they said to me, the first six months, he was nervous, he was hesitant, he wasn't sure what he could really do, he now knows what he can do, and i think he is confident, i think he's going to be aggressive, and there's a new player in town, and that is elon musk, who is going to be front and center. >> we are showing our viewers

live pictures from capitol hill, we see the leader should be getting to walk in and president trump will be walking in momentarily for this next event where he will be honored after becoming president of the united states, once again, earlier today. these are all very important, dramatic developments that are unfolding, very historic , when we see the president of the united states being honored in this way with music and words. >> one of the things that i was thinking about today is some of this is very normal, in that we are watching the transition of power, a peaceful transition of power, we did not notably, see that four years ago, donald trump did not show up, he got out on air force one early and headed down to florida. so, in one sense, this is very normal , in the ceremony and the pomp and circumstance. >> here comes the president of the united states and the first lady, they are walking in right

now, john? >> -- all right, this ceremony looks like it's about to begin, let's listen in, briefly. ♪ ♪

♪

>> as the president leaves the capital after his first honor ceremony, he is now going to head over to to capital one

arena where he will greet supporters, their tens of thousands of them who have come to washington, d.c., many of them watching the events inside since it was relocated inside because of the forecast, of extreme weather. and he will sign some executive orders, talking to his supporters about what he is doing, his agenda for this country, let's send things over to erin burnett, what is the scene like where you are? >> everybody was watching, exactly what you and wolf were talking about . the review of the troops and they were very engaged. it's been a couple of hours, there's been a whole program that was expected to finish and the president would come but he says he's been

delayed, there was a period where they were waiting and everyone was fully engaged with that. and that is where we are, because everyone in this room knows as they are watching this, they know he's coming here afterwards. but fully engaged right now, and watching this pumping up on the big screen here, and there was a point where they seem to be chanting, audio when the audio is not up, they clearly are very engaged and wanted to watch the program and for any of them have been to a trump rally, them having to wait for quite some time is not an unusual experience, presidents of course, if you cover a present closely you have a schedule, bush was a morning person, donald trump is in evening person, he tends to run late, bush ran on time. but as we've been discussing, this really does have this rally feel and wandering around behind the scenes, you can see the lucky few, not all, that's

my understanding, of the people who were invited to play or participate in the parade will be able to participate in the more limited one. behind-the-scenes, you can see high school marching bands, people from all over the country, gathering, hitting themselves together as they prepare for what considering the venue, may look more like an olympic opening ceremony then you're typical inaugural >> here, there is something so somber and profound about watching this. no matter your political persuasion or your feeling about this day, watching the troop's that is something moving for all

americans, everybody is engaged in a way that frankly over the past hour as they been waiting, they have not been. >> there's just a reference for a scene like this, there's been reverence for the star-spangled banner , and again we've been talking about this tension, this contrast between the moments that are playing out in the capitol, the moments that show us and help us believe that we are all part of the same country, we are all protected by the same group of men and women who sacrifice for us and we have some of the same norms and traditions and when you are in this room, some of the things that have been coming from the stage here have been much more focused on the things that divided americans and may divide them in the early days of the trump administration. you hear the cheer, they know that he's at least according to schedule, now supposed to be coming over here to where we are. and as casey said, it'll be more like an olympic review that the, at the dais, where he will review

some of the groups and you can only think about the disappointment that many of the groups feel, it would be heartbreaking to think that you are going to be a part of this and not be able to but coming here -- i was in a high school marching band, it would have been disappointing. >> wolf, also, for the country, a crucial moment here, and that will be the signing of up to 200 possibly executive orders, that's been the advertisement here, we will see what it means at a red desk that he has set up at the foot of the day is for the president to sign, all of these executive orders, and they've given us a hint of what some of them will be, we know immigration, gender, a variety of things of that nature, that they've been

talking about with the likes of elon musk and kellyanne conway, they are just awaiting the president of the united states. >> he will be arriving very soon, because the drive from capitol hill to the capital one agreed to -- arena, that's where the basketball team plays. it may take 5 to 10 minutes tops. he will arrive there very soon for the next event and there will be a parade inside the parade, it was supposed to be of course, down pennsylvania avenue but outside, it's cold in washington today so they moved everything inside and we will see what's going on at the capital one arena very soon. as we wait for the president to get in the motorcade and make the quick drive over. i want to go to her chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins, you just saw elon musk at the white house, give us the latest. >> i'm back here at the white house and a lot of the senior

staff are already here awaiting his arrival because after he goes to the capital one arena and as you see him here in the motorcade, traveling over after he was having that conversation with the republican senate majority leader, he will go to the arena, we know that he will sign executive orders but he will come to the white house and typically, the inauguration was held outside and he would have traveled down pennsylvania avenue, greeted his supporters and come up the driveway and walked to the east wing of the white house with the first lady, things are a bit different looking tonight, as he's coming over here in a bit but we will see president trump in the oval office just a short time from now where he will sign more executive orders here at the white house, you can see inside his motorcade, some of his secret service agents, he's in the backseat, obviously and has a jampacked day already but diesel -- susie wiles, she's already here, caroline leavitt was going to be white house press secretary also on hand, and peter morris

just spotted elon musk walking into the eisenhower executive office building, that's right next door to the white house, technically still on the grounds but that's where the vice president's office is, and a lot of the other white house staff, where they stay, so that is where elon musk is reasonably going to be running his doge operation, there's been questions about if he will seek office space inside the west wing as well. proximity to the oval is really everything, and setting everything up, they switched out the oval office earlier today while president biden and president trump were on capitol hill that means they change the artwork, they change the us, sometimes they change their rugs including reassembling the resolute desk, those are all the preference of the president and the white house staff is good at changing that over quickly but also, we saw them taking in computers

inside and out of the west wing, they are all shifting over this white house so that when trump does arrive here just a short time from now, everything is to his liking. it's pretty amazing to watch them actually do that behind the scenes but as soon as he gets here, he will be back to work, citing the executive orders, as we are waiting to see what that looks like, in addition to filling out his cabinet staff, none has been confirmed though senator rubio is expected to be one of the first, and as you know, that means and acting official is in charge of those agencies at this time, so there's a lot of moving parts still in place, as all the senior staff is just getting to their computers and getting logged on and awaiting the arrival of president trump. >> you can see the motorcade having left capitol hill now and making its way over to the capital one arena. thanks very much, kaitlan is the new chief white house correspondent also cnn anchor, and president trump

is expected to sign several executive orders pardoning what are called nonviolent offenders convicted in a january 6th insurrection and commute the sentences of others convicted of more serious offenses, and that could all happen starting tonight, joining us now is the former chief of staff to then vice president mike pence, mark short. first of all, what is your reaction to president trump planning to pardon, pardon, nonviolent january 6th defendants, he calls them hostages and commute the sentences in other words reduce the sentences of others who were engaged in violent activity? >> wolf, i think there's been a lot of revision around that day, and you know, in the immediate aftermath of the violence at the capital, president trump referred to those folks conducting the violence as an teeth the and said they had infiltrated his supporters and today, they are

considered patriotic heroes, and i think there's millions and millions of patriotic supporters of trump and his agenda don't need to embrace the notion that those who violently assaulted police officers are somehow patriots. i think it's unfortunate that they would be considered pardons, it's important to remember even though i accept the point that the biden department of justice was very politicized, i think many of these convictions were done by trump appointed judges, of those who assaulted police officers on the day of january 6th. for a party that stood for law and order, i think it's unfortunate to be pardoning those who assaulted and harmed police officers in the cabinet that day. >> mark short , you are the chief of staff to then vice

president pence, how remarkable for your perspective was it for you to see mike pence at today's inauguration given that many of us remember what happened on that day. we heard chanting of hang mike pence, was it extraordinary for you to see mike pence show up today? >> not really because mike is a traditional person, he believes in protocol if he believes in the peaceful transfer of power and he wanted to celebrate democracy in action, so, no, it was not a surprise for me to see him there at all. >> let me get your thoughts to the decision by president biden tuition -- issue last-minute pardons for several members of the january 6th select committee and others. do you think they were necessary? >> i don't. i think it's outrageous, to be issuing pardons preemptively, that creates a presumption of guilt in the first place. pardons should be reserved for people not just convicted but people

who have expressed remorse, and it creates a terrible precedent for future presidents. and as we talk about but in -- trump pardoning police officers, i think the notion that biden does these preemptive pardons, clouds the narrative of the story so no, i wouldn't support on a policy perspective. it creates a terrible precedent moving forward for future presidents. >> standby, i want to bring in more members of my panel. from a legal perspective, what is your reaction to those preemptive pardons? >> john and jamie were talking about the normalcy. there's also a highly abnormal development, this is the most abnormal day we've ever seen in the history of the pardon power, we started off of joe biden in his last minutes in office, issuing blanket printer

pardons to five of his own family members, now, what is to come, the pardons trump is going to exercise are best understood as a raw exercise of political power, there's no legitimate law enforcement behind the pardons to january 6th rioters, i'm looking for two things, where does donald trump draw the line, will he only pardon people convicted of misdemeanors, people convicted of violence against police officers, how are they going to draw the lines, there are 1400 people who have been charged and what does the justice department do with the hundreds of still pending january 6th cases, so the stakes are enormous, we are at a new moment in u.s. history. >> i think we have to go case by case, for people who may have committed or found guilty of misdemeanors, i think for the average person they can understand. overall, the american people had an opportunity to assess all of

this when they voted last year and they made the determination and they said there are more critical things that were important to them, whether it was economics, whether it was restoration of american values, that i would argue, my liberal friends, i believe it was rather food, many american say wait a minute, we are more of a center-right leaning country more than central left, we want trump to put up a roadblock around these provisions that we think have gone too far, so i think the average person out there, is looking at this thing very differently from people in washington, they are looking at their everyday lives, looking at their children going to school and thinking about the future and the future under the last administration, it looked bleak for most people in the think about the past and they think may be there's something

that i was uncomfortable with but overall, my life felt good, i was secure, i looked at a future where i felt my kids and grandkids had a future better than mine and i think that's why the president ultimately won and that's why he feels that he has a mandate, black men, hispanic men, latino women, you cannot dismiss these things. >> under the constitution the president of the united states, they have the right to issue pardons and commute sentences so legally everything is in place. >> i think we should separate the pardons that are happening today. so the reason why joe biden pardons the january 6th committee and other people, fauci, mark milley, retribution is not a part of the constitution, so we put those in place, i think it's

unfortunate that he pardoned his family today. i'm a democrat, i think it does cloud what he did, so i think you should bifurcate those two, also i think the pardons for january 6th are completely different. the reason why today feels so abnormal is because of what happened four years ago on january 6th, something that none of us in our lifetime have ever seen, so on your day one when you talk about not you, shermichael but when trump talks about lowering the cost of eggs, you let people out who who undermined the election, people who felt like their life was not better under donald trump in 2020, they wanted a different four years and that's why they elected joe biden, so i want to put those pardons in separate buckets and we should be talking about them differently because all pardons are not created equal, in my opinion. >> let us not forget that a large part of this country did not want donald trump to be

president and to be back there today, they wanted kamala harris, there are people who are watching this, who are appalled, who are worried, i was frankly texting with their mother of brian sicknick , the capitol hill police officer, he died the next day, she is watching all of this, and she is in so much pain . and think about, you know, there were other people who died that day, other officers, officers who were injured, i mean just rudely, brutally injured, they are sitting there, waiting to see what these pardons mean. and to your point, elie, will people convicted of violence against police officers be getting pardons? it is very, very hard for a lot of people.

>> number 1, we are old enough to remember sometimes -- donald trump did win the popular vote, shermichael is right, no one should be surprised when he pardons january 6th defendants because he said it repeatedly during the campaign but we should at least applaud a politician who says what he's going to do. i think the question is, who, what is the standard they set and i will apply the same test when they get into mass deportations, donald trump's base is for those things but donald trump won the popular vote and one the seven swing states because he expanded his coalition. but people decided to go back to from, if he loses the support of those people, he can't run away again but his party will be in trouble. if you have

video of this person is pardoned and there's video of them violently beating a police officer, that will be a problem. if you have mass deportations and they are rounding up people in orderly fashion and busing them out, some people oppose that but his supporters will say okay, and if it gets chaotic if you see families being separated, women and children being forced on buses, that is going to test, the test for trump's governance, it was failure to govern during covid that opened the trap door below him and now he gets a chance again, can he do it? >> everybody standby, we are beginning our special coverage, right now, back to jake. >> thanks so much, and wolf, please tell shermichael that all of us here at this desk are sending him the best, on the birth of his little baby girl, we are all excited and can't wait to see the pics but until we get those pictures, there he is, look at that proud poppa. congratulations. i would be holding up a photo if you would

send me one. >> i will do that in a few minutes. i can't wait to see her, congratulations. >> i saw the photo and she's adorable. >> she named her after you, wolf, that part is not true that part is fake news but we are happy for you, thank you so much. i want to bring an james clyburn of south carolina, congressman, thanks for joining us, what was your reaction as he watched former president biden leave the white house today. he spent i guess it was yesterday in south carolina, you guys are so close, you've done so much for him and his political career, tell us what it was like watching him leave? >> thank you very much for having me today. yesterday was very, very almost surreal, i was there with my three daughters, we worshiped at royal baptist church in north charleston and we spent the afternoon at the international

african american history museum and joe biden had a lot to do with the effort to bring that into fruition. we worked on that for 23 years, we finally got enough money to break ground and then, we got a deal, we spent time at the museum, taking in a little bit of the history of charleston reminisce with the people who launched him into the presidency, so to watch the tears and the laughter and the handshakes it was really, really good to see people doing their appreciation

for it. something was said at the church that like to repeat. 50% -- they said he will have one of most consequential elections in our lifetime and i'll believe that. so it was really good yesterday to spend that time with him. >> so, today is martin luther king jr. day, as long as you are mentioning the african history museum and in his address, president trump talked about the black community and the african american community and the latino community and talking about you know, appreciating those communities, he said that he hoped that we would realize dr. king's dream

, i wonder, what you thought of those remarks? >> well i listened to them, i was there, and i started thinking about kings letter from the jail that was written earlier that year. it was 1963, the march was in august, he sat in the birmingham jail, i think it was march or april of that year and he wrote a letter to eight white clergymen, who asked him to leave birmingham, calling him a disruptive force. they said to king in the letter, that we just think your timing is wrong, king said to them in his answer, time is neutral, time is never right and time is never wrong. time is always what we make it. and here's what i thought about today. king said the letter

that he was coming to the conclusion that the people of ill will in our society are making a much better use of time than the people of goodwill. now when i listened to that speech today, and the invention of king, i thought about that letter. will the people of goodwill make better use of their time going forward than the people of ill will? january 6th, four years ago, the people of ill will overtook are capitol, tried an insurrection, tried to get us to throw out the constitution. this time, i heard a speech from the new president that gives me reason to have hope, that this time, the people of goodwill will make better use of their time and going over

the next four years, hopefully they will restore the true meaning of this country that all men and women are created equal, endowed by their creator to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that, is what i hope this day means. >> ) clyburn, democrat from the great state of south carolina, always an honor to have you on. i want to send it back to erin burnett at capital one arena. >> all right, jake , i'm here with kasie hunt, and you can hear the band and we understand that the president of the united states is here with us in this arena, we anticipate he will come out any minute. they expect him to come right back from that corner. everyone is standing and waiting, and ready, not just for the parade

of several bands that will come out in a truncated performance, as opposed to the actual. but the executive orders, there's a desk back there in front of the dais, pens have been put out and the people here said in the preamble, hundreds of executive orders. >> that's right and that really lines of policy lies with the kind of rhetoric we've been hearing from the speakers who have taken the stage, the people that have come through here have been a who's who of previous trump supporters, who were sometimes punished for actions they took while he was in office, peter navarro for example, others, sarah huckabee sanders. >> peter navarro kicked it off

here. >> these orders are policy incarnations, there are things here that he has said repeatedly, he's told america what many of these orders are going to be. many of them are things that speak to his core base of supporters and what they had asked for him to do but there are also instances, that we of course focused on things like mass deportations and what that might need for some families, but it is worth noting, immigration is an issue where many people say, more than half the country says they trust republicans, it was a message they sent to the democratic party, you've seen mcgrath like fetterman saying democrats need to listen, many of these executive orders will be explicitly undoing what were some of the first executive orders that biden made when he took office, which were to roll back some of the things in title 42, that was what prevented many migrants from coming into the united states in the covid era because of some of the restrictions. think many democrats i talked to said that is something they may regret, that may have hurt them

in the long term, so that will be some of what we will see. >> and he will sign, we heard the cheering, when he was giving his speech, they cheered genders, mass deportations and that's what we expect to see signed. this is the room. people watching they wonder, some of these pictures also show you the crowd. and the crowd here, they've been expecting up to 200,000, it's unclear how many people would have come to the mall but you can only fit about 20,000 here, and these are ardent trump supporters who are here to celebrate the inauguration of donald trump and they've got their hats on, there trump regalia on and there seems to be different sections even here where they are sitting, but unclear exactly, or what do you know about sort of who is in here, who are the coveted 20,000? >> we don't know exactly how

these people were allowed to come in, certainly everyone was carefully screened by the secret service, traditionally, there are some areas on the national mall that would be ticketed. a member of the public have come without a ticket and kind of see what's going on, far away or at least that used to be the case but there are areas closer in that can be tens of thousands of people, your ticket is color-coded based on how important or not you are, my question is, did they use that ticketing system to get people in, as i was walking in here, there was someone who i thought the press entrance was the vip entrance for attendees but that was not what it was, the line was moving rather slowly, so clearly there are some groups of people and there are some who are seated on the floor, it does seem that there are vips explicitly invited to be here. >> not a lot of opportunity for people to get into something like this. >> you hear scattered shouts of

trump, trump, just the way everybody is facing, you do expect him to walk out from behind the right side of the dais, it appears, from what everyone in this room is looking at that, they are looking at the entrance, this is the moment they've been waiting all day for, as they been watching on the big screen, and the audio pumped out with the inaugural address. >> there are some people here, sitting at the top, the camera shot is too wide for me to be able to identify who they are, but they are having stairs that are there, >> the dais itself, they had likened it to an olympic viewing podium and it seems to be that but there will be the family and people will come to view because there's a space, as the camera films around, all

of the bands that will be at the parade will literally parade through past the dais and when i say all, i mean the bands that we will see, it's only a fraction of the bands that would be able to perform, and then, we anticipate the president will sign those executive orders. it's likely that he will speak at the podium . >> has he gone to an arena and not spoken to the crowd? >> it's a question of how long. jeff, from your vantage point you can see what we are looking at, both where the president will speak and the table where he will sign the executive orders which i will note, has a microphone right in front of it, so he can engage with his supporters, as he signed these orders that are incredibly popular in this room. >> no question about it, donald

trump has been talking for more than two years at campaign rallies that feel very much like this, what he plans to do on day one and now, his supporters are going to see him and rally format, the same venue that wrought him to the presidency eight years ago and returned him to the presidency now. i don't know if you can see the dust, there is a microphone, he will talk to the executive orders that he's signing. we've got conflicting guidance, of course there's not time to sign all 200, he has a couple of inaugural balls to hit but he is going to use this rally as a working moment, so, he is in the arena right now. his supporters have been waiting for him for several hours, it's warm in here but they are ready to see him, and ready to see him get started. there is going to also be an indoor feel of a parade, there will be a band from tennessee,

there is going to be really, some touch tones of the president's childhood and life as well as jd vance, the middletown ohio band is expected to be here. this is now the celebratory afternoon phase but there's going to be some work done as well and the crowd is absolutely ready they are. you could hear the chants of usa and i was chuckling and you said it is warm in here. it is not. it is freezing. >> i guess it is warmer and in fairness he was out in the cold. >> we do love your hat. all right. so we talk about who is inside and there are still people desperately trying to

get in and now every seat it looks like is taken and sometimes during the day there were some empty as people were walking around the arena but everybody is waiting now and here we are right outside of where we are and as we talk about who got in an who did not, obviously the people in this room while it is full it is a very small fraction and the people who desperately wanted to see donald trump in this special moment. >> absolutely. we talked to a lot of people who had tickets for the mall who could not get there and wanted to try to get into the capital arena behind me for this inaugural parade on the rally next -- last night who could not get in and people were talking about chaotic scenes last night as they tried to get in for the rally and it was crazy. this is the security posture with fencing all over and the arena there and nobody can get that close to it at all but there were large crowds coming in and getting a glimpse of the president and this is matt from pennsylvania and you came here to get a glimpse of

the president ? you did have tickets to the mall and you couldn't get in and what was your experience? >> the lawn at the capital and i was disappointed to hear the news of the move on friday but we did have plans for the weekend and we thought we would come down and see what it was and do it the best we can and it was a great experience and the crowds were huge and the support and enthusiasm , it was fun to be around and be a part of. >> there was a lot of disappointment like you had not being able to get on the mall but a lot of energy around this venue and others? >> we were not the only one disappointed but we were altogether and we came here to celebrate the inauguration of president trump and pulled for him over the last eight years and happy to see him and a new start and being around everybody it has been a party atmosphere and fun. >> what is your impression of the city and the police in the management of the venues how they have handled it because we heard scenes of chaos outside the arena yesterday with people

pushing to get in and did you have any experiences like that? >> we came round yesterday morning around 8:30 to find where the line was which was a mess with tens of thousands of people but we wanted to experience it and we wanted to wait three hours and decided it was a futile effort for us and we ventured out with some people we met locally and friended up with and bounced around town the rest of the day. >> you are here to see if you can get a glimpse of the president? >> we hope to see the motorcade apart and we are checking out some vendors and great to be in the city during this fun exciting time. >> thank you for talking to us and we hope you can see something. this is an experience we saw play out and what is interesting you hear people talking about how disappointed they were not getting onto the mall or getting into the arena and there is disappointment but you don't see a lot of bitterness

and i didn't encounter too many angry people. we talked to a lot of people frustrated of not being able to get into these venues but not a lot of anger here and you heard matt talk about it and they are happy to be here and experience the energy of the city. >> the people who are here are incredibly proud and happy and joyful in this moment and here and waiting for the president to come out. as we await that, they are standing and looking toward the back of the arena where they expect the president will come out momentarily. >> one thing to note is some of the families of the israeli hostages that are still being held in gaza are here holding pictures of their loved ones holding yellow scarves and position of honor right here near the floor and it's worth taking a minute to note because they have given president trump credit. >> let's pass it back as we

await any moment in the president coming back and speaking to this crowd. >> thank you to aaron and casey as well. we are awaiting some meat on the bones and we are waiting for president trump to come out and not only addresses supporters and i am sure he will give them a lively speech that they are waiting for but also he is anticipating to sign executive orders that will radically change the shape of the united states as it exists right now if you are a supporter and that will be something you are looking forward to , presumably and if not, it is something you are dreading, but let's talk about what we expect. we don't really know, dana bash, the details of these executive orders and we are waiting to hear what they are, but we do think they will dramatically reshape the border. we do think they will dramatically reshape

deportations, and we do think they will dramatically reshape immigration policy and also a number of executive orders that could touch on energy policy in the united states and touch on tariffs but we are told by tom homan the borders are in the white house that starting at 6:00 tomorrow morning, the executive orders that he signs, perhaps even minutes away will have a direct impact on the united states. >> they are key buckets that he campaigned on, as he said, starting, like you said first and foremost when you look at executive orders with immigration and a whole slew of changes, big changes, at least the ones he thinks he can do without congress and the stroke of a pen and also with regard to the economy and specifically energy and oil. there is the so-called culture wars. we did get an email, a story out from

our colleague reminding us that one of the things he promised to do in the inaugural address and executive order, making clear that the law of the land in the united states is there are two genders, a man and a woman and the immediate impact will be crossing the federal government even what we think of as minor than what it says on some people's passports with has -- which has the option for the letter x if you don't believe you are a man or woman and maybe to some people they are small changes and changes that have a bureaucratic ripple effect and never mind a cultural change and a lot of people who voted for donald trump are excited for that and less than half of the country and it has no effect on the price people pay for groceries and the rent

their apartment goes for and those things but it is important for the base assembled in that room that we are looking at and donald trump said something interesting when he was speaking to his supporters in the overflow room and said people kept telling him to talk about inflation and how expensive things got and he thinks the thing that people should focus on and did was immigration which is why what we see today is such a heavy focus on the issue of immigration because trump himself believed that more important than even the state of the economy and more important than the prices people pay and bringing those down as he promised to do is following through on these immigration policies. already, right now, the changes have gone into effect. this app which migrants were able to use in order to get in line for an orderly process and not just

across the border illegally, that has gone down. people who had been waiting in line no longer have that avenue. on the other side of the border, trump taking office at 12 noon today has already had a pretty profound effect and much more to come in these executive orders he is putting in place. >> he did say in an interview and i forget with whom and it may have been with kristen welker when asked why he thought he won and he said grocery prices and groceries and that really was a moment of clarity because i do think that is a correct analysis. i think inflation was a major driver and i think immigration was legitimately an issue. >> he did say it today. i do think immigration is a big issue because not only is it a motivating issue for his base but one of those issues that on top of prices, i think it led

to a huge amount of dissatisfaction around the country especially thanks to his allies in texas and florida sending migrants into major cities which really spread out the dissatisfaction with the spreading thin of resources and cities and suburbs across the country and trump fundamentally believes not just in the selection but in 2016 that that is the issue for him that separates him fundamentally from the rest of the republican party and created this movement that he is now riding to the presidency again. >> we will squeeze in a quick break while we wait for the president to come out and find some executive orders that we think will reshape the united states of america as it is right now and stay with us. we will be right back.

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welcome back to our special coverage of the inauguration of donald trump and any minute we expect the president to take the stage and speak to a crowd of supporters inside capital one arena and is set to sign a slew of executive orders and you see his adult children there from left to right. and there is barron trump and his

son 10 years old when he first came to the white house eight years ago and now a college freshman and next to lara trump you see ivanka trump and tiffany trump and the adult children and one in law and i believe in between don junior and barron trump is the father of melania trump and melania trump sadly lost her mother roughly a year ago. this will really be the substance amid all the pomp and circumstance of american democracy and the celebration for his fans of donald trump and his presidency and this is where we will really see what this means and starting tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. according to trump's borders are, we will see the results of the deportations and the like that will no doubt append the american society in

some ways and some of them will be criminals and we will all be happy to bid a do and it will not likely stop there. >> it is an interesting decision to do some of the signings for the executive orders in front of supporters and it is actually a nice touch so people can actually see this moment happening and i am watching this in the stands at almost exactly the way they have it set up where the family and dignitaries and it was kind of a rotating cast of trump characters in those seats. they basically set up something very similar so it will feel like opening up some of that process to regular americans, supporters and people who came from all over the country to witness this moment. i think that as steve would cost -- could just helped trump in the biden ministration negotiate a

cease-fire and a hostage deal with israel and hamas and one other thing you noticed that he promised deportations and there has been promises about what it would entail and there was reporting and he confirmed there would be raids in cities like chicago and others and they questioned whether they would do that because that would news have gotten out and make the raids ineffective so unclear what we will see this year as they do try to have a moment of shock and awe and talking to democratic sources on the hill, you won't hear a lot of pushback from them about deportations, as you said, of people who are criminals and you have final orders of deportation. they are waiting to see what else trump does and pick battles carefully because there is a lot going on. >> the democratic party seems so browbeaten and they seem defeated and obviously they

lost the white house and look, contrasted to eight years ago where you had the women's march and a group of the resistance and i don't expect it today because it is inauguration day but you don't even really hear much in terms of what was said about where we will stand up against this or that. >> they are trying to let them figure it out with lessons learned which is a very different and a lot of democrats have very different points of view on how to deal with it and someone two, especially the leaders, want to take a breath and be very strategic about what to push against. meanwhile, what we are looking at right now and you are talking about how this looks like the rnc but a very

quick change into what was supposed to be what is behind us now and we are across from the white house, which is a reviewing stand for a parade that at least in history has been outside. now it is not because of the cold weather predicted and it is inside in that arena. >> it is interesting you mentioned steve witkoff, whom the biden team worked closely with and trying to get the cease-fire and hostage deal and casey messaged that some of those families are there at the arena. it is funny because biden and trump have gone back and forth about who gets credit for the deal and obviously negotiated in large part by the biden team but were it not for the threat of trump and democratic insiders it would not have happened because hamas didn't think he would get a better deal and he was

threatening that all would break loose if they didn't release the hostages and benjamin netanyahu wants to be on trump's good side but he did play a big role in it but steve witkoff and the biden ministration and officials have been gracious about working with the others >> there is this overlay of ego and politics with principles but behind the scenes that only has he been public with the cooperation but antony blinken the secretary of state and others at the negotiating table. but it is also a fact that the deal they ended with was the one that had been on the table for some months now at the biden administration put on the table. so, yes, it probably would not have happened if both sides, hamas and israel , hadn't been cognizant of the fact that donald trump came in and said he wanted this done before he took the oath of office. the

hostages are not all home and there is a plan and process in place for them to come home over the coming weeks and months. >> erin burnett is here and tell us what you see. >> sorry. and it is hard to hear you. what we are looking at here, it is a performance, a score written for the 47th president. they are performing it here and an announcement for the parade and they started announcing it is the first family has come in and we are still awaiting the president as we sit here together noticing a few things as the family filed in and the pictures are put in the big screen they get a resounding massive applaud and we don't see jared kushner sitting there. you do see the children along with eric's wife lara trump but jared kushner is not out there yet

and tiffany trump's husband isn't sitting in the front row so not clear what the seating is but mostly you can see this is filled out. >> we heard this song brass and glory and according to what we heard there. of course, these are the opening bars, potentially, of hail to the chief. >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome the 50th vice president of the united states of america, vice president jd vance. ♪

>> that is the brand-new vice president jd vance and his wife, the first -- second lady, usha vance and their three

children and their daughter was covered with something familiar with anybody who has had a toddler and atring-in remony . >> she does still have them on. >> that is relatable. you could see her ban-aids on her hand. >> i don't know if they are princess ban-aids but good luck getting them off or telling her she can't have them. >> you don't often see the three little ones with their parents and obviously it is very difficult to have young children out and about in this kind of political environment. >> i am trying to think of the last time there were children so young and there is president trump and the first lady, lonnie a trump. they are entering the arena greeting his adoring fans many of whom came thousands of miles to attend this inaugural and were

disappointed to hear that it was being moved inside with a severe weather forecast. but they are happy to see him. they are happy to see him and delighted to see him. he is doing something that i don't know has ever happened before which is the signing of the executive orders for the crowd. >> even to see him walking through this crowd, it feels a little unusual that he is up close and personal with his supporters. again, with the trump these days, you are reminded that there is this incredibly heightened level of security around him, but they have allowed the supporters to get close at this moment and for these people it's the time of their lifetime. >> erin burnett is inside the arena. tell us what it is like. >> look , it is electric and ecstatic in terms of the people

in the room to see him. they are watching from the side where we are sitting and you can see the president walking down but you could also seal the people watching on the big screen who are not exactly at the spot where he is walking down and don't have that experience and maybe not that close from what i can see. but you may be able to hear little bit of that roar that went up and they are now waiting for the entire crowd there. >> he is pointing to executive orders it looks like of what he is here to sign and i think it is interesting that if you walk down through the supporters it was an explicit choice to be with those people because obviously he easily could have come from any one of the entrances of the floor that isn't available to the press and walked out onto the floor and not been among the people that you can hear the crowd going up as melania trump waved and we saw that as the camera

shot and panned from one to the next in the crowd responded and blew kisses from the crowd and donald trump junior making a joke of whether he did that and the chanting of usa throughout the arena. the president is right now standing in the middle of the day as -- dais and maybe it was his remarks because he stopped on the podium and now he is walking toward this desk and he may sign more executive orders and it had stacks of folders sitting on it and you can see the pens, the ceremonial pens which is also part of this and each one will often be given to somebody as a souvenir. >> we do know he will be signing those and there is a microphone by the desk as we

have said. he is going there with first lady and will take their seats and it seems like they will view the actual parade and is accused -- opposed to going to the stadium here he is going to watch. >> this is very reminiscent and not that long and he came to the initial night of the convention internet after and watched with the family and it sounds to me like they are chanting fight fight fight which of course is a rallying cry with the fist in the air and that word fight came out of the assassination attempt in butler, pennsylvania after the president-elect and i guess now the president of the united states and then candidate for president barely dodged that bullet and the presence of mind

to fight as the secret service tried to protect him going forward and it does remind us of that first night at the convention where he came in and the first time everybody had really seen him in the wake of that in the difficult situation and clearly trying to replicate that. >> there is a feeling in the room and i know so many are familiar is that this is somebody that when people in this room there is adulation and an incredibly important moment and this is the parade and this is what we are watching on the dais and the president observing several of these who would be marching down the streets of washington the parade and now will be in a giant u and we can see them and they are going to come up right in front of the dais and walk around the other side and let's listen in. ♪

>> those are the butler county first responders marching in. one quick note because we were talking about it earlier but apparently the bandages on mirabelle vance are bluey and

that is very popular in my house but she put a button on it earlier. >> it's approachability for jd vance which is a great appeal for many. >> we have lost the shot but we should reflect on this group from butler, pennsylvania with the uniform of the person killed during that assassination attempt. >> i believe, jeff, were you are standing, you're looking right over where they will parade and one after another? >> we are, indeed and as casey was talking about , these are the butler county, pennsylvania, first responders and we are told there will be a moment of silence so we will be respectful and on guard for that but after this , there

will be somebody from trump's history, the new york military academy which trump of course was a 1964 graduate and also the palm beach police and fire guard unit and the high school marching ban of course with jd vance in middletown ohio and some very specific moments of that but they are now paying service to first responders nationwide and you can hear the crowd really cheering and this is an unusual parade but a parade it is and they are walking around a fairly small center of the arena where the wizards normally play which it is an indoor parade. >> just from the pure pageantry and pot -- pomp and circumstance of what they can pull off

>> but as take a moment of silence in honor of corey comperatore. >> he was killed in the assassination attempt against the president and those with a first responders from butler that we were watching as part of that. >> they carried what appeared to be is uniform in front of them the way you might carry a flag for a fallen soldier or sailor or airman and marine and it was worth noting here for the new york military academy here and they were announced or

at least the crew from butler were announced as they turned the corner and essentially presented to president trump. >> the new york military academy was one and there were many bans that were supposed to be performing in the parade and weren't able to because of the truncated nature of this location and the timing but cornwall and hudson, new york is where president hudson went to school and graduated in 1964. they were able to make that cut . >> it does make sense and they are saluting that president's they do walk by. >> the bans that are performing here for the president , for everybody to understand, the ones that actually made the cut

because of this truncated nature are all very connected so the first responders and jd vance is high school, trump's high school. there is a connection with the police and fire rescue coming out now. you can watch and see the very clear direct connections between who is performing and between the president and vice president on the dais. >> i don't envy the staff who had to make the calls for those who didn't make the cut because as we noted so many people from all of the country regardless of how anybody may feel about the president and this of course is a part to take part in american moments but of course was unfortunately not to be for so many people who made the trip. >> you did hear that.'s home

of the most prestigious people in the united states including president trump. he was doing the actual announcing. >> of course you can see the president speaking with his vice president, jd vance an interesting and one of the things that we have noted throughout his how much jd vance has receded in some ways from the public eye compared to where he was during the campaign in favor of people like elon musk and the other billionaires who were of course on the dais with president trump and of course in his place the same way he was at the convention with his family sitting next to the now president of the united states and he is good friends with donald trump junior who of course is a few seats down. >> elon musk spoke earlier today to a standing applause, ovation and a hero to this crowd. the city of new york police department, one of my favorites, the bagpipes. we

will take a very brief break here and be back in a few moments here as the coverage continues of the parade and in a few moments the crucial signing of these executive orders in front of capital arena.

>> the inaugural parade is going on behind us and here it will be performed by the middleton ohio marching ban which is where jd vance went to high school. >> a moment if you do take a step back to think about any high school student in america could have one day and just to think about how jd vance feels looking at that and remember being in high school and i think it's worth remembering in this partisan divide and anger and frustration that everybody people feel and no matter as people feel that has to be how he feels right now is pride. >> it is absolutely remarkable and when you think about the what the american high school experience can play in your imagination as you live out your entire life to be able to sit there on the dais and know that you came from there and this is where you are now and

all of your children and your wife looking on as well. >> he basically wrote hillbilly elegy and people know a lot about his past and he is talked a lot about that and it is a moment like this to think about the reason that americans are so proud of being americans which is anybody can be sitting up in a dais like this or become president and vice president. >> it is true. and in the case of jd vance, there is so much discussion and joe biden will talk about this and in some ways come across like you had a chip on his shoulder and the ivy league is often the ticket to a position like this and jd vance found himself in the ivy league eventually, but he did get there from a background without having people in his life who were able to pave that path and of course he said he came from a very difficult background and a very difficult past. he found his way here to the vice presidency a heart rate away from the presidency

of the united states and of course you remember back to that moment when he actually -- the night he was introduced at the republican national convention when he gave his address his mother, who of course struggled with drug abuse and addiction when jd vance was a child and he was raised ultimately by his grandparents, she made an appearance at the convention and it was a very emotional moment where he said he was proud of his mom and has gotten clean and changed her life and it's a story quite frankly that too many americans can relate to of having somebody in their lives that they love being impacted by the horrible drug epidemic that so many have faced. >> she was there with them today hopeful. >> it is a big marching ban from middleton ohio.

>> and i don't have much to say about ohio as somebody from michigan myself but i have plenty of things to say about the midwest. >> a very big moment for them and we will take a brief break and come back in a moment and we do anticipate a few more performances hear from the ban and executive orders on the red desk you see to the left of the dais for the president will be signing with a microphone talking about a slew of executive orders from immigration to gender to deportation in just a

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>> welcome back my panel of experts and analysts joining me to discuss the historic developments. jamie is a special correspondent and john king is the chief national correspondent and the cnn anchor in chief and elliott williams is a cnn analyst and warmer prosecutor and tim a cnn presidential historian and the former director of the nixon presidential library and the parade, the abbreviated parade indoors at the arena is about to end and then the president of the united states will be introduced and he will have remarks and do some signings of executive orders and put in place today some new laws if

you will and give us a sense a history of what is unfolding. >> number one you see what is normally outside and again whether you voted for trump or not, everybody involved in the remarkable let's turn this outside into an inside display did a remarkable job and the president deserves the parade and he gets his parade and his supporters deserve to celebrate and it is abbreviated and truncated but we have done this ourselves a few times and what happens outside directly across the white house and where the family is sitting looks very much like the booth they set up for the president right outside the white house. the substance and the ceremonies are great and a good signal to the country in the world but this desk off to the side will tell us the details and we know that immigration and energy in the whole bunch of issues the president wants to take action on on day one and we don't have the details. it doesn't deal with birthright citizenship when it comes to immigration and what is it say when it says who's to point to the border and he will restate the stay in mexico policy but what is it say and trump often talks in broad strokes but on

these policy issues it will be the details because almost all of these first big issues will end up in court and will be challenged and already just changing the app challenged in court so number one it will tell us a little bit about the level of detail his team is ready to do and exactly what it will do and how bold and controversial will they go and then also it will tell us where the battle will play out in this country and one of the giant questions and this is donald trump today and with this one of the giant questions is what about the democratic party and who emerges, were to pick their fights we saw this dating back to the obama administration when the republican attorneys general happening every time the power has changed the other parties attorney general and the governors and mayors go to court to challenge the present administration's policy and one of the tests of how the democrats fight and who becomes there big leaders that will be in these fights against these executive orders as they play out in the courts.

>> there was a keyword of how controversial. so in trump's first administration, he was chaotic and controversial and a lot of people have asked me do i think that trump the second time around will be what we saw the first time around? i do think the safe answer to that is we don't know. but there will be new chaos and new controversy but to add a third c word, there is a lot of confidence that trump has been going forward with these things. he simply doesn't have the guardrails at these institutions. he has picked a cabinet that will say yes to him. >> he also has congress now and the trifecta in government that will be supportive of him undoubtedly but no doubt there will be lawyers who are

chomping at the bit anytime the president issues executive action and we want to see if the president has gone beyond the authority to do that and have they done something for example trying to privatize the steel mill in a way that says you can't own things that happened in congress and will there be a birthright citizenship aspect where you have the president of the united states trying to do away with this and all very important things and again we are still waiting for that promise for the january six pardon and what will that look like? or the category of people who may be included? we talking about violent versus nonviolent and how do you define that? there were people accused of conspiracy and outside of the actual day and weren't present and had some of the toughest penalties. how will he look at this? today's pardons that came out preemptively from president biden may give some cover at least for the narrative that suggests, okay,

if all gloves are off we will do what we like and the legalfor tat. >> we all know these parades take place outdoors down pennsylvania avenue from capitol hill toward the white house but because of the cold weather this is an abbreviated parade inside the capital one arena in washington and we will monitor these developments and standing by for the president of the united states to sign some executive orders and then delivering remarks in the schedule put out says 15 minutes of remark and this will be the third time today that he will be speaking and i am curious if he will be speaking from an advanced script or ad lib. and go as he did the last time and go very very hard against the democrats against the outgoing former biden ministration and we will see what is going on and continue this special coverage right after a quick break. >> you do make good choices and

always planning ahead and not just chasing a career but one day following your heart. and with ambition like that you do need somebody who has advice and elevates it to a craft and here we match with expert expertise.

>> the state university ban is playing and this is going all around here and the freeze-frame being chanted out and i believe this is the last ban we anticipate in this viewing we are looking at. >> the truncated version but the indoor version, the indoor parade. >> it does look like they are arranging themselves here with a proper college marching ban with quite a student section here and melania trump is now seated and most of the attendees have remained standing as we watch usha vance as well. >> there was a comment earlier about his heels. >> they were hurting her and that maybe why but she is the only one who is sitting. he is watching what i believe will be from the information we have the final ban . and we already

do see a pool of photographers who have assembled around that executive order desk where the next portion of this will begin which is the sign of many executive orders and you are standing and you can see this ban from the other angle filling the entire floor of the arena. >> this is a marching ban that is normally on a football field or marching down pennsylvania avenue and looking at the expressions on the faces of these young students . they are excited to be here in washington and were invited to this inaugural parade some time ago and a historically black university, mississippi valley state university. you can see president trump there watching the ban and the crowd is getting into this. this is a moment for this ban and a moment for this inauguration and was said earlier this is

part of an inauguration ceremony that is good, celebrating the transfer of power. yes, there will be substantive executive orders to come but at this moment at least, having an hbcu ban is also a reflection of what trump leaves was his coalition and he did indeed expand his coalition to more voters of color and that is one reason they are here. it was nothing more than an hbcu ban and here it is nothing compared to this. hbcu drum lines, dancers there are the best of the best. so we should watch this and take it in a bit and we see the drum majors over there. this is high theater. president trump certainly seems to be taking this in and only a day ago on that exact same stage, he was standing there as ymca was played by the village people and now it is mississippi state valley university marching ban

, and hbcu. >> the worst those -- there are those dancers that we were talking about this is really a performance. >> it really is. i had no idea. a perfect thing for this moment.

>> here back up after this. >> casey, there are at least a hundred performers. and there were multiple dance routines going on and this was by far the biggest we have seen. >> i am officially a fan of this marching band. they are quite impressive. and again, everyone on the dais, all standing up.

♪ ♪ >> one, erin and i are talking here, one notable fact, apparently -- >> nfl hall of famer, jerry rice, a graduate of this hbcu. >> thank you to our photojournalist and producer for that particular fact. ♪ ♪ >> one thing we're noticing here is that j.d. vance -- >> now they're showing them dancing. the pool, there's one camera, so viewers understand, that is controlling the shots, so you can't see all the

dancing we can see. >> that's right. there are a number of -- the section of women dancing and also men with the poms. on the dais, j.d. vance is struggling to wrangle his three children. you've seen him stand up a couple of times, one of them is dancing, waving her arms in the air, as a parent of current toddlers, i sympathize. ♪ ♪ >> this performance is different than the others. it is, obviously, much more involved. >> it's taken over the room in a way that the other performances didn't necessarily. obviously, the other ones, you know, smaller, high school bands, who are having a real big moment. this team, man, they are used to performing for a crowd inside

a big football stadium. and they have captured the roomroom like the pros they are. >> and now they are starting to move towards the exit. but as we said, there's got to be more than 100. easily. >> easily more than a hundred, if not 2 -- >> in this band. >> yes. the crowd whooping for them over in the corner here, as they exit. clearly appreciating the skills on display. >> now they are starting to move towards the exit. as you can see from this areal view -- >> if you were counting, close to 300 from the mississippi university state band. >> there you go. close to 300 the announcer just said.

said. >> starring in rose bowl parades and many, many more. the mississippi valley state university band takes great pride in presenting culturally diverse presentations for students, faculty, and the surrounding mississippi communities. take a look at that brass out there. whoo! that's just part of the big green march ing machine. the big green marching machine from mississippi, ladies and gentlemen! >> we understand this will be the last band performing, so at this point, steve whitkoff, who has been essential to the trump administration's involvement with the hostage release deal in the middle east will be introducing the president who will be signing those executive orders. a giant stack of them,

kasie, that we saw. and we can still see on that red desk, as this band leaves. >> he walked in with a binder that includes a speech set on that podium that we just saw. there's that desk with the executive order. wee anticipate, he's likely to make remarks as well as to sign those executive orders. and as you noted, steve whitkoff expected to introduce him. one thing we touched on briefly but i think is worth coming back to, in the front row, right to our -- in fact, you can see them in the camera shot with the yellow scarves on the left-hand side of your screen. those are some of the family members of the israeli hostages that are still being held in gaza. many of them are carrying pictures of their loved ones. and of course, donald trump essentially demanded a cease- fire and hostage release deal in israel, between israel and hamas, before he came into office. and that demand seems to have put sufficient pressure on all the parties in the region. and steve whitkoff was there with the biden

administration officials, keeping tabs on that very, very involved, now many of them, of course, here today to see donald trump sworn in. and having talked to some of them in recent days, to make sure that they are sending a message to the president that he will recognize, that he will receive. usually that means giving him credit so he will continue to work to free their loved ones. >> yes. so steve whitkoff will be coming up in just a moment. as those drums are passing, perhaps you can tell by our microphones about 15, 20 feet from where kasie and are sitting, 20 feet, maybe. >> jeff zeleny, you're here with us. now this resounding applause,

as they are ready for truly what is the main event here at the capital arena, the president's remarks and those executive orders. orders. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our new special envoy to the middle east, steve whitkoff. >> he did say the special envoy to the middle east, steve whitkoff will be speaking and we understand that he will be introducing president trump. you can see steve whitkoff walking across the front of that dais to the podium where he'll give those introductory remarks to the president ahead of those executive order signing. >> and you can see the children are being ushered off the stage, as they struggled to sit still. [ cheers and applause ]

>> and i would like to describe to you some of the things we're doing and how it informs on president trump's policies. first of all, it is an honor to stand before you today. as i reflect on the enormity of the role that president trump has tasked me with, i am constantly reminded of the privilege, it is to serve under the leadership of my boss, president donald j. trump. his presidency has provided a clear, bold vision for the middle east, and it is this vision that guides every step i take in the mission. president trump's leadership

has redefined what is possible in the pursuit of progress and stability in the middle east. his decisive, pragmatic approach ensures that even the most trenched conflicts are met with fresh perspectives and innovative strategies. his party delivered remarkable successes, such as yesterday's release of hostages in gaza. thank you. this achievement demonstrates the strength of president trump's leadership and the respect he commands on the global stage. it is yet another example of his ability to deliver results in the most complex and challenging situations.

the abraham accords, a testament to his vision and determination have also brought historic progress to the region, transforming old rivalries into new alliances. these agreements are not merely symbolic. they represent a practical road map for peace, economic cooperation, and mutual respect across nations. my role as president trump has tasked me is straight forward, yet profoundly challenging. to turn his vision into actionable outcomes. he sets the agenda, he lays the framework, and he inspires people like me into bold action. my responsibility is to implement his vision, engaging with leaders across the region to find pathways towards sustainable peace and stability. and let me tell you having

donald trump as a boss makes this task not only possible, but far more effective. president trump's reputation as a leader who delivers results resonates far beyond washington. leaders in the middle east knows he means what he says. his ability to cut through bureaucratic gridlock and focus on tangible results is the game changer. it allows know approach delicate negotiations with the confidence that the full weight of the united states is behind me. the principles president trump has laid out for our approach to the middle east and foreign policy in general are forefold and they are clear. one, respect for sovereignty.

every nation deserves the right to determine its own destiny. free from the interference of external powers. two, economic prosperity as a bridge to stability. through economic partnerships and investment, we can build a foundation for cooperation that transcends historical grievances. three, courageous diplomacy. real progress requires difficult conversations and bold decisions. and it is through these that trust is built and maintained. and finally, four. reciprocity and accountability. the united states requires reciprocal actions from our partners. we are done carrying the financial burden for nations that are unwilling

-- [ cheers and applause ] we are done carrying the financial burden for nations that are unwilling to fund their own progress. the days of blank checks are over. [ cheers and applause ] partnerships under president trump's leadership must be equitable and contributions must reflect shared commitments to our goals. in my work, i've seen firsthand how these principles resonate. they provide a foundation that transcends politics and speaks to the shared humanity of all people in a region.

leaders across the middle east recognize that this trump administration is serious about results, not symbolic gestures, but real, meaningful progress that improves lives. it's -- thank you. [ cheers and applause ] it's not always easy. there are moments of deep challenge and frustration, decades of mistrust cannot be undone overnight. yet i take comfort in knowing that i am not in this alone. president trump's clarity of vision ensures that i never have to question what success looks like. this has leadership provides the confidence and direction necessary to navigate these complexities. as we move forward, my commitment is to continue the work of advancing president trump's vision for the middle east. whether through expanding

the abraham peace accords, fostering economic development, or facilitating dialogue between long- standing adversaries, my focus remains on actionable results. let me close by saying this. a stable and prosperous middle east is not an unattainable dream. it is -- it is a goal within our reach, made possible by strong leadership and unwavering commitment. under president trump's guidance, we are approving that the impossible can become reality. thank you, but i have one more thing to say. we have some special people for me to introduce you to tonight. president trump has been talking to them as well. they are the families of hostages from israel who have been in gaza for the

last year and a half. there are many of them here today. several of the families have lost children and loved ones and they're here because they're part of an effort to retrieve their bodies so they can be buried in a proper way. several have children who are still in captivity. there is an american family here, whose loved one is scheduled to come out in 14 days. and they're going to be meeting the president tonight. so, let's give them all some love and a big hand. come on up. [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ]

[ cheers and applause ] [ applause ] [ applause ]

[ applause ] [ applause ]

[ applause ] >> now i get to introduce my dear friend and the president of the united states, donald j. trump. [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you very much, everybody. appreciate it. thank you. . [ cheers and applause ]

>> so now the work begins. we won! we won! but now the work begins and we have to bringbring home. and you know, tonight, i'm going to be signing on the j- 6th hostages, pardons, to get them out. and as soon as i leave, i'm going to the oval office and we'll be signing pardons for a lot of people. a lot of people. and thank you to steve witkoff, he's a great guy, a friend of mine, a very successful man. he's a great negotiator. he's a wonderful guy. people love him. and he's got a tremendous power of persuasion. and that's what we need. we don't need stiffs. we don't need stiffs. we've got a lot of stiffs. you just had a whole load of them them. and to the former hostages with us today, welcome. welcome home.

some of the folks are former hostages. not a good situation. the three young ladies that came home yesterday, you saw that, more are coming home every day now. they're coming home. but they were hurt. they were hurt. they were hurt. one had her head blown off, fingers on her hand and her hand, indeed, was blown off. she was trying to defend herself from a bullet being fired. do you believe this? a bullet knocked off her hand. i don't know. you look at it, it's a disgrace. we never stopped pay praying for you, and we're so glad that you're reunited with your friends and families. and god bless you all. and some of them are just saying, no, my son is gone. but please, just bring home his body, right, steve? many of you have told me that. that your son is gone, but bring home his body. it should have never happened.

three years. it's ridiculous. should have never happened. wouldn't have happened. i also want to express hi tremendous gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of proud american patriots that came from all across the country to join us in this celebration. it's a celebration of a big win! and you're witnessing the dawn of the golden age of america. that's what it's going to be america. we're bringing it back. we're going to bring it back fast. we're going to bring it back fast. let us also thank the incredible service members, national guardsmen, secret service, police, law enforcement personnel who are keeping us all safe. even though -- and they are great people. new york's finest. i grew up with new york's finest. and we've got to give

them their authority back. you won't have any crime. there'll be no crime. you give them a little bit authority back. the whole way they run things in this country now, it's disgraceful. but it's going to change rapidly. we're going to make our cities safe again too. even though we're indoors, we've had a magnificent inaugural parade. and let's give a big round of applause to all of the incredible performers and hard- working men and women who made it possible. those people, really talented, amazing people. i also want to thank my wonderful family for being here, especially my beautiful wife, our first lady, melania.

they love our first lady. and also, j.d. how good has j.d. been? and his beautiful wife, usha. how good has j.d. been? j.d. has been great. he's another good negotiator. he's a great negotiator, too. we need negotiators in this country. but so many of the people on this stage, not only family members, as an example, lara trump, the wife of eric, she was the head of the republican party along with my friend, michael -- stand up! the two of you. what a job. what a job they did. they worked so hard. they knew there would be rigging. but we'll make it too big to rig. we won every swing state by a lot. we won the popular vote by

millions of votes. we won the whole ball of wax. and now we're going to go and drill, baby, drill, and do all the things that we've wanted to do and bring your costs down, your prices down, and make our country safe. so, thank you very much, michael. thank you very much. what a job you've done, michael. i'm never moving you, you know. i was thinking about getting a nice job in the administration, no, i'm leaving you right where you are. we're not moving you, michael. anyway, thank you very much. appreciate it. appreciate it very much. right here with us, also in the arena, i'm about to sign some very important executive orders of our new administration. hey, don, will you stand up, please? don is another one. how about don?

this guy. he's a popular one. he goes out and speaks. he gets a big crowd. he's a little on the rough side sometimes. that's what you want. he loves our country. thanks, don. you've done a great job. and ivanka! [ cheers and applause ] >> and you know, jared negotiated the abraham accords, which are the biggest deals made in the middle east in many, many years. jared, stand up, jared. and tiffany's going to have

a little baby. and michael. and then i have a very tall son named barron. has anyone ever heard of him? [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. he knew the youth vote. you know, we won the youth vote by 36 points. and he would say, dad, you've got to go out and do this up with or that one. and we did a lot of them. and he respects them all.

he understood them very well. and he would say, dad, you've got to go out and do joe rogen, all of these guys. we did. and joe rogen was great. they were all great, right, barron? they were all good. he understood the market. another famous one, how about kye? stand up, kye. [ cheers and applause ] is that byron donalds back there? stand up byron. stand up. what a future this one has. what a future! how about lutnick? secretary of commerce. he's going to take in more money than any country has ever

even thought about. he's going to take in some money. and we have many others. look, i'm not going to go through it, but we're going to sign some order right now. and that's really what i want to do. so we're going to sign executive orders. first, i'll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration. one of the worst administrations in history. maybe the -- not one of them, the worst. anybody that would allow millions of people to pour through our border s from jails, prisons, mental institutions, insane asylums, gang members to be taken off the streets of venezuela and deposited in our country, and many, not just venezuelans -- you know, crime in venezuela is down 74%, because they took their criminals and gave them to us!

through an open border policy of the previous administration. all over the world, they're empties their prisons into our country. they're emptying their mental institution institutions into our country. it stops as of 1:00 this afternoon, okay? it stops. so i'm revoking nearly 80 destructive radical executive actions of the previous administration. they'll all be null and void within about, what, five minutes. is that thoempl there? fyi minutes. and next, to gain immediate control of the vast federal out-of- control bureaucracy,ly implement an immediate regulation freeze, which will stop biden bureaucrats from continuing to regulate. most of those bureaucrats are being fired. they're gone.

should be all of them, but some sneak through. but we have to live with a couple, i guess. i'll also issue a temporary hiring freeze to ensure that we're only hiring competent people who are faithful to the american public. and we will pause the hiring of any new irs agents. we will also require that federal workers must return to the office in person. and we're going to take the 88,000 people that they hired to go after you with guns. by the way, they're allowed ed ed to use guns, and harass you like they were so many other people. remember this, okay? remember, we've got -- do you remember a little statement about tips? does anybody remember that little statement? . i think we won nevada because of that statement. but they went out and harass you over the tips. in other words, we are restoring control of our government to the

people. we're going to take those 88,000, let's see if they would like to work on the border, because that's what we want, really. so we're going to have no tax on tips, right? no tax on tips. we like the speaker of the house. he's done such a good job. is mike here? hello, fellas. yeah, he's -- i know it. he's great. he's doing great. they're all doing good. the republican party has never been unified like it is right now. they want to save our country. and we're going to more than save it. we're going to make it greater than it's ever been before by a lot. and next, i'm going to sign a presidential memorandum directing every member of my cabinet to marshal every power at their disposal to

defeat inflation and rapidly bring down the cost of daily life, because you're costs have gone through the roof in the last four years. perhaps you didn't notice. did anyone notice? their costs are like double, triple, quadruple. you can't buy bacon, apples have doubled in price. if you want an apple, pay twice what you did two years ago. we'll put more money in your pocket and we'll bring back the american dream, and to reduce energy costs and liberate our economy, so we have more oil and gas than any country in the world and we're going to use it. we're not going to do the wind thing. wind, big, ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood, they ruin your -- if you have a house that's near a windmill, guess what, your house is worse less and did you see up in new england with the whales? see what's happening? they had two whales killed in about 14 years. last year and the year before,

total, they had 28. so if you're whales, you don't want windmills, either. and they're the most expensive form of energy you can have by far. and they're all made in china, by the way. practically all of them. and they kill your bird and they ruin your beautiful landscapes. but other than that, i think they're quite good, right? no, remember when we you'd to joke and kid, when we were kidding, but we don't kid anymore, they want to watch the debates on television, they want to watch your favorite president on television, but the wind isn't blowing, so we can't watch television that night, gladys, remember? gladys, i'm sorry, the wind is just not blowing. we're not watching trump tonight. but i'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair one- sided paris climate accord rip-off.

the united states will not sabotage our own industries while china pollutes with impunity. you know, china, look, they use a lot of dirty energy, but they produce a lot of energy. and when that stuff goes up in the air, you know, it doesn't stay there. it's not like you've got a wall -- we love walls, don't we? not like you have a wall around it and i just doesn't -- it floats into the united states of america after three and a half to five and a half days. it floats across the oceans and it comes right over your neighborhood and falls into your neighborhood. and they say, we have to fight cleaner air. but the dirty air is dropping all over. what the hell are they talking about. unless everybody does it, it just doesn't work. we had the cleanest air and the cleanest water that this country has ever had under the trump administration. and we didn't do anything to stop jobs and stop

production, believe me. you're going to see a lot of companies come pouring back, because tariffs -- i always say, tariffs is the most beautiful word to me in the dictionary. and then i was reprimanded by the fake news. they said, what about love, religion and god. and i said, let's put god number one, let's put religion number two, love, i don't know. got to put that number three, right? then it's tariffs! because tariffs, they're going to make us rich as hell. it's going to bring our country's businesses back that left us. and i'll asign an executive order to immediately end federal government censorship of the american people. in america, we believe in free speech. and we're bringing it back, starting today. so stop the weaponization -- oh, do i know about that, these creeps. deranged jack smith, you

ever hear of him? he's a deranged prosecutor. he's sick. they stuck him on me. he's now been reduced to getting on an airplane, going back to the hague or whatever the hell he came from. we've got to get rid of that guy. was he one of the many people that got a pardon today? did they pardon jack smith? did you know that biden, while i was making my speech, pardoned his whole people? [ audience booing ] the brother, the whole deal was pardoned. can you imagine that? while i was making my speech, did everybody hear my speech? did you like my speech?!

[ cheers and applause ] thank you. i mean, the only thing wrong with it is i had a lot of tough things to say and i have some great people that work for me. sir, this is such a great speech. it's so unifying. don't talk about biden with his pardons of his family. we want a unified country. they said, don't talk about the j-6 hostages that you're going to be releasing today! [ cheers and applause ] sir, don't put that in your speech, please. i said, but i really -- really, i want to put it in my speech. they said, sir, it won't be unified like it is. it's so beautiful the way it is. and it is getting great reviews. you know, if i put things like that in, i'll get terrible reviews. one little paragraph that's a little bit wrong, the fake news goes crazy, right? so i said,

all right, i won't put it in my speech, but you know what, i'm speaking in front of a hell of a lot of people at a place called capital one arena and i'll talk about it there. so we're going to -- we're going to be going over to the beautiful oval office, one of the great offices in history, even if it wasn't beautiful, it's the oval office, but it is beautiful and we love the oval office. it all starts with the -- the wars start and end there, everything starts and ends at the oval office. we love it. but we're going to go to the oval office, we're going to sign, we're going to release our great hostages that didn't do, for the most part, they didn't do stuff wrong. you take a look at what went on. and look at what happens in other parts of the country, in portland where they kill people, they destroy the city, nothing happens to them. in seattle, where they took over a big chunk of the city. nothing happened. minneapolis, where they burned down the city.

nothing happened. essentially, nothing happened. all they want to do is go after the j- 6 hostages, a 76-year- old grandmother was arrested the other day. because she was looking -- i think, because she was looking at the capitol or something like that. no, we're not going to put up with that crap anymore. and to stop the weaponization of law enforcement, i've been investigated more than any human being in the world. i believe i have the all- time record. every day, a subpoena, subpoena. every single day, we get subpoenas. i was more than anperson -- alphonse capone, remember i used to talk about it. you know, alphonse capone, scarface, he was a pretty rough guy. he was investigated about 1/100th what trump -- my father is looking down at me,

my mother, how the hell did this happen. you know what it is. they investigated their political opponent. the opponent of biden is and then ultimately, kamala. has anyone ever heard of kamala? [ audience booing ] >> we had to beat two opponents, you know? we had to beat biden and we beat him. now he goes -- the guy was like 39 points down, i think i could have beaten trump. they should have left me in, i would have beaten. no, his debate performance wasn't the best, right? that's what killed him. and then they had to change, and it's like you get into a fight, the great dana white spoke last night. we love dana white, right? ufc. that's like, he puts in two fighters, one of them's getting creamed, getting really beaten, and they say, let's take him out and put somebody else in to finish up the fight.

that's what they did to us. they gave us somebody new, but we took care of both of them. so we beat actually two opponents. but to stop the weaponization of law enforcement and our government, i will also sign an order directing every federal agency to preserve all records pertaining to political persecutions under the last administration of which there were many. and beginning the process of exposing any and all abuses of power, even though he's pardon ed many of these people. can you believe it, he's pardoned them? you know what he did it while i was speaking, so i couldn't speak about it. i was speaking. i didn't know what he did. i finished my speech, and they said, sir, he pardoned his whole family. i said, can i go back out there and talk about it. somehow that wouldn't be very eloquent. our first lady would say, please don't do that. but we have plenty of time to talk about it and we will. we're doing all of this on our very first day in office.

don't forget, we've been in this position, really, where we won the primaries in record time the fastest win of a primary ever in political history, which is a very nice thing. it's nice to know. well, the second election was rigged, so we knew we were doing well. and if it wasn't, you know what, if it wasn't, i would have never -- i would have never run. but the third one was just a monster. boy, was that a big one, huh. that was a big one. and the second one, we got like 10 or 12 million votes more than the first one. how about that? we did great in the first one, we did much better on the second one, but man did we do well on the third one. so we're going to have some fun. it's very simple. we're going to make our country great again. we're going to make america great again. how good a name is maga,

though, you know? i was going to say, keep america great, but unfortunately, it wasn't great. you can't say keep it great. it will be great again, but kag, keep america great, kag, i don't think it's ever going to replace maga. does anybody like kag? i don't think so. it's never replacing maga. nothing will ever replace maga. maga was the most success ful political operation, political movement in the history of our country, maybe in the history of the world. let's see what happens. because we're not finished yet! we're not finished yet! we have a long way to go. but we're going to do this in the very first day in office and in just a few moments, i'm not only signing the release of the j- 6 hostages, i'm signing other things that you're going to love. oh, you're going to be happy reading newspapers tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day. so i just want to thank -- i

mean, look at this place, it's full to the rafters. you don't have any -- look at those people up there! you don't have any empty seats. and by the way, the capital one owners, they are so good. we've got to root for their teams, because they have been so great to maga, to us. and i just want to thank ted and everybody. you guys have been fantastic. the ice hockey team's doing great. ovechkin. ovechkin's pretty good, right? they're doing great. i want to thank them, capital one arena owners. they have been absolutely fantastic. and thank you, once again, to everyone and i can only tell you, you're going to be very happy. you're going to watch a lot of good things happen. we're going to stop some wars that are happening and going on, some stupid things are happening. the war with ukraine would have never happened and it has. as you know, israel would have never been hit on october 7th. and you would --

none of you would be up here, none of you would even know anything about this tragedy that you're going through right now. but iran was broke. anybody to bought oil from iran, they couldn't do any business with us. you're not going to do business with america. china passed, everybody passed. they were broke. they didn't have money for hamas, they didn't have money for hezbollah. and your sons would be alive and they certainly wouldn't be incarcerated like they are. it's such a shame. but we're getting a lot of people out in a short period of time. so i'm going to go right over here and sign in front of you. is that okay? good. [ cheers and applause ] >> all right. so there he is, the president of the united states. he's meeting with some of the family members of the

israeli hostages being held by hamas in gaza. and you see them, they were invited to come up to the stage and he's speaking with them right now. he's going to walk over to the desk and start signing some executive orders and some pardons. he says he's going to sign pardons for what he calls the j-6, the january 6th hostages. pardons, he says, for a lot of people. and then there will be a celebration. he says, hundreds of thousands of people will be celebrating. and he calls this the dawn of the golden age of america that is about to begin. but first, he'll sign some executive orders and i think there will be some pardons, as well. let's listen in. >> this is the rescissions of 78 biden- era p- os and memorandum. >> do you want to say it? >> oh, if you want me to, sir. >> why don't you say what i'm signing. >> sure. the first item that president trump is signing is the rescission of 78 biden- era executive actions,

executive orders, presidential memoranda and others. thank you, sir. thank you. the second item, esident trump, is a regulatory freeze, preventing bureaucrats from issuing anymore regulations until we have full control of the government with this administration. thank you, sir. the next item, sir, is a freeze on all federal hiring,

accepting the military and a number of other excluded category, again, until full control of the government is achieved and we understand the objectives of government going forward. [ cheers and applause ] >> could you imagine biden doing this? i don't think so. i don't think so! >> sir, the next item, as you announced in your speech is a requirement that federal workers return to full- time in- person work immediately. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, sir. next, we have a directive to

every department and agency in the federal government to address the cost of living crisis that has cost americans so dearly. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, sir. the next item here is the withdrawal from the paris climate treaty. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, sir. we're going to save over $1 trillion by

withdrawing from that treaty. and the next item, sir, is a letter that will be transmitted to the united nations, explaining that we are withdrawing from the paris climate treaty. [ cheers and applause ] thank you, sir. this next item is a directive to the federal government, ordering the restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship of free speech going forward. [ cheers and applause ] and lastly, sir, before we

go back to the oval office to sign a large number of other items, is a directive to the federal government ending the weaponization of government against the political adversaries of the previous administration, as we've seen. [ cheers and applause ] thank you very much, sir. appreciate it. [ cheers and applause ] >> so there you see the president of the united states just signed nine documents on a

variety of issues, all of which he promised during the course of the campaign he would do, and he's implementing that in these first few hours after the inauguration. john king is our chief national correspondent. he's with us right now. john, he started off with a declaration of the signing of a document, ending various biden- era actions that were put in place over the last four years. that's a pretty significant development, even by itself. >> yes, we need to get the list of the 78 biden executive actions. some of them were executive orders, some of them were other biden memorandums. we need to get the list to see exactly what those policies are. a regulatory free, the hiring freeze, the return to work will be controversial, but what's also so significant is what he didn't sign there. we need to see the details of the immigration executive order that he's going to sign to see how sweeping the big changes in policy are and how quickly they will take effect. what he tries to do through executive action and what he might have to wait to get more congressional approval or some other way to do it.

he also said the january 6th pardons, he calls them hostages, they are defendants and they are in prison after being convicted in courts, he says that will come tonight, but it did not come here. he's off to the oval office now. what i was most struck by, this is a day when you turn the page to the new administration. it's normally a day where maybe you have a few critiques of the last administration, when there's a change of power, but you're mostly looking forward. what we see in the immigration policy, we will get that. and when we see the january 6th pardons, we will be there. when we see other new trump policies, we will be there. but what we heard there was largely a reminder that we are going to keep fighting, keep litigating, he says the weaponization of the justice department, he went after the special counsel, jack smith, the january 6th, again, he calls them hostages. a long, searing critique of the biden administration there. so it is a new administration, but with very familiar grievances that play very well in that hall, because that is trump's most fervent base. i do think there's a risk for the new president, who

did win the popular vote, because a lot of people were frustrated with the cost of living, frustrated with president biden, and vice president harris for other reasons. that slice of trump's political base, the new base, that parts that gets him from 40 to 49, i'm not sure they want to relive all of this. but we're about to find that out, because he shows no signs of letting that stuff go. >> no sign at all. laura coates is our cnn anchor and chief legal analyst. and laura, he didn't announce any signing of any document pardoning some of the january 6th rioters who stammered the u.s. capitol to protest the election of joe biden and to try to prevent joe biden's becoming the president of the united states, although he's now off to the white house, he'll get into a motorcade from the capital one arena and head over to the white house, a short little drive over there. he'll be there soon and he'll sign some more documents. i assume he's going to sign some pardons for some of the january 6th rioters who are already in jail. some for violent crimes,

some for non- violent crimes. he's going to commute the sentences, presumably, at least he indicated earlier, he might con commute the sentences of those of ed police officers. >> there's two categories of clemency that a president can give. one is the pardon power, which forgives the actual crime, without erasing the record, but it does allow you to restore your civil rights and things like gun ownership, being able to apply for certain offices, the right to vote, as well. the other aspect of it, commutation, usually reduces a particular sentence. it's not the same as a ardon, but both have the similar effect of the president of the united states doing that which congress cannot undo, only at the federal level, of course. i didn't expect to have him some semblance of these pardons here, given the crowd and his day one promises. but a few numbers here to keep in mind, wolf, about the number we're going to talk about. we have that there was more than 730 people convicted of misdemeanor defenses

from january 6th. they had charged more than 1508 people and secured about 1270 conviction so far as, with 300-or so pending cases. if the president were to pardon or commute all of that, that would be a great number of broad sweeping authority. plus, anyone who might be presently in prison could go free, others have already served their sentence. but the thing to keep in mind is that we still don't know the categories of people who might indeed get the benefit of the pardon. and it's a huge benefit of clemency. we don't know if it's the category of simply non- violent offenders, or who he's qualifying as actually violent. you had stewart rhodes, both convicted of conspiracy. and under that particular crime, you're talking about people who are planning, not necessarily in the midst of the presumed violence. will they be cat egorized in a similar way as the others or treated differently? we'll see at the white house what might come up. >> we also announced that he was ordering an immediate, his

word, immediate freeze on all federal hirings with the exception of the u.s. military. legally speaking, we assume he can do that? is that right? >> haze great deal of discretion. one of the things, he has a caveat until he is able to get full control of the government, it's almost as if he was trying to have an interim learning curve period, we'll have to see how that unfolds, but we're looking at the most controversial aspects of it, including not on the regulatory freezes, the return to work, the cost of living. but the idea of restoring freedom of speech, that was an important one, and the no infringement of free speech going forward. that's the expectation of our government as is. that's a first amendment principle. how would wound effectuate that? freedom of association, the press, or other aspects of it? he did not clarify and we're left with vague details and what appears to be a symbolic gesture as of now. >> and very quickly, laura, the ninth document he signed

was to end the weaponization of government. explain what he's talking about. >> well, he has used this as a rallying cry to suggest that he has been targeted in a two-tiered system of justice, where people are going political adversaries. now, this is quite quizzical for many people, because he has spoken about this issue and often talked about retribution, potentially. and remember pam bondi, his attorney general pick, has said there will be no enemies list for the department of justice, so we're left to understand that he has alluded to his comments about the decisions of now his predecessor, joe biden, and his decision to give a preemptive pardon, will he see that under the same category of weaponization or otherwise? this is going to be a looming question as to how the orders will be carried out. and we heard from kash patel earlier today, his pick to be the fbi director, what will his plans be and will it be in line with what pam bondi has said she will effectuate. >> laura coates, thank you very much. john king, thanks to you as well. stay with cnn. much more of our