introducing them. steve witkof had negotiations with hamas, to get to whether the ceasefire can turn into an end of the war in gaza. >> vaughn hillyard. thank you. some of the executive actions will pace legal actions. >> experts are poring over them. >> this concludes for now special coverage of the another historic moment in washington. president donald trump's second inauguration, he and vice president jd vance were sworn in earlier. there is much more to go, the president taking more executive actions, then on to the balls. continuing coverage, nbc news now and nbcnews.com. thanks for watching. tonight, our special coverage from washington, the inauguration of donald

trump as the 47th president of the united states. the historic day, donald trump taking the oath of office a second time. his address to the nation vowing to usher in a golden age of america before a crowd of supporters, signing multiple, sweeping executive orders. his plans for border security, gender, rolling back climate change initiatives. today's ceremony inside for the first time in 40 years due to the brutal cold. capping off an unprecedented political comeback after two impeachments, 34 felony convictions and two assassination attempts. two former rivals coming together even as president trump vows to undo joe biden's legacy. full coverage from washington. late tonight, president trump announcing pardons for the january 6th rioters. joe biden in his final

moments issuing last-minute pardons of his own. reaction tonight. dangerous cold gripping much of the nation and the rare winter storm on the move in the south. our special edition of "nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news," the inauguration of president donald trump, reporting from washington, d.c., here is lester holt. good evening, welcome on this day, marking a turning point in america. tonight donald j. trump has become the 47th president of the united states, appearing just a short time ago at the presidential parade. seated at a desk in front of 20,000 supporters, mr. trump signed a sweeping set of executive orders, a rebuke to his predecessor who he helped usher on to nighthawk earlier. the culmination of a

extraordinary comeback, defeating kamala harris and overcoming legal obstacles that dominated his years out of office. bringing together former presidents and tech titans with informal but important role in the next administration. mr. trump declaring that america's decline, as he put it, is over. painting a dark picture of the government and the country. bidens departing by plane, the end of an era. and donald trump's stunning return to the pinnacle of power. just hours into his new term, president trump delivering on some of the dramatic changes he promised. at a desk at his massive post inauguration rally signing multiple executive orders from border security to

increasing energy production. >> we won every swing state by a lot and we're going to drill baby drill and do everything we wanted to, bring prices down and make the country safe. >> in an emotional moment, greeting family of hostages taken by hamas. critics going after elon musk for this salute while thanking supporters. >> thank you for making it happen. thank you. my heart goes out to you. >> reporter: all of it happening after that moment steeped in tradition, the swearing in of a new commander in chief. >> do you solemnly swear -- >> reporter: but the ceremony pushed indoors, to a rally with inaugural parade,

it was the celebration of a political comeback, 47th president our years after leaving as the 45th. kicked off early this morning, vice president harris defeated in the election welcoming vice president-elect jd vance. then president-elect trump arriving with his wife melania. president biden telling him welcome home. the incoming and outcoming first couples standing for the traditional photo op. inside the capitol, dignitaries arrived with the leaders of top tech companies and past presidents, too. back at the white house, two men when an intense war of words, together inside the limo for the ride to the capitol. >> the honorable donald john trump.

>> reporter: then the first time in decades, a swearing-in ceremony indoors. first, the first millennial vice president. >> i do solemnly swear -- >> reporter: four years after his electi loss when he faced fierce bipartisan criticism for his actions on january 6th, after running against two democratic opponents and surviving two assassination attempts, trump taking the oath for the second time. >> raise your hand and repeat after me. i donald john trump do solemnly swear. >> i, donald john trump, do solemnly swear. >> that i will faithfully execute. >> that i will faithfully execute. >> the office of president of the united states. >> the office of president of the united states. >> and will to the best of my ability. >> and will to the best of my ability.

>> preserve, protect and defend. >> preserve, protect and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations. >> melania trump holding two bibles but the president-elect appearing not to place any hands on them, which is not required. he said he will take on what he called a corrupt establishment. >> it begins right now. >> reporter: with a blistering critique of his predecessor, who he did not mention by name. >> election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of the people back their faith, wealth, democracy and indeed their freedom. from now on, america's decline is over.

>> reporter: and referencing his dramatic path back to the presidency. >> our cause, tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life. just a few months ago, in a beautiful pennsylvania field an assassin's bullet ripped through my ear. i felt ththen d believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. i was saved by god to make america great again. ♪ oh, beautiful for ♪ >> reporter: carrie underwood singing a cappella after a problem with the sound equipment. then president biden, exiting washington, ending a 50-year

political career. >> you're a younger, far more beautiful audience than i just spoke to. >> reporter: president trump going inside the capitol and criticized biden for issuing preemptive pardons in the final minutes of his term, including for more members of his family. >> going to talk about the things that joe did today. says please don't bring that up right now. bring it up tomorrow. >> reporter: as he greeted supporters and spillover crowd. >> this was a better speech than the one i made upstairs, okay? >> almost immediately president trump began to undo policies of the biden administration with a sweeping set of executive orders setting the tone for an aggressive first 100 days in office. garrett haake. >> reporter: dramatic changes president trump promised during the campaign. >> we will begin the complete restoration of america and the revolution of common sense. >> reporter: tonight signing a slew of

executive orders on day one, including on border security. after more than 10 million illegal crossings in the last four years. trump reversing biden era immigration policy and declaring a national emergency at the border, where he vowed to send troops. >> i have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions. >> reporter: also declaring a national energy emergency to expand his authority to encourage more oil and gas production, already at record highs. >> we will drill, baby, drill. >> reporter: also seeking to rewrite the nation's maps. >> we're going to be changing the name of the gulf of mexico to the gulf of america. >> reporter: and again threatening a showdown with panama, vowing to take back the panama canal. >> we've been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made. we gave it to panama and we're taking it back. >> reporter: panama's

president saying the canal is and will remain panama's. trump reorienting low the federal government recognizes gender. >> it will henceforth be the official policy of the united states government there are only two genders, male and female. >> reporter: many of the orders expected to be challenged in court and congress likely months from passing supporting legislation, the practical impact of the moves today could be limited. how much different will people feel tomorrow? >> a lot of it will have teeth on it. this is a president that's done the job before. >> garrett, there's some campaign promises not included in the executive orders. >> reporter: the president announced something specific today on tariffs, which had been a major campaign pledge. tonight, the senate confirmed his first cabinet secretary, marco rubio, secretary of state, unanimous, 99-0.

lester. >> ten of the orders involve immigration, a cornerstone of president trump's political identity. gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: president trump taking sweeping action on immigration. >> i will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country. >> reporter: expected to sign ten declarations, calling an emergency at the state of the border, reinstating the remain in mexico policy, which mexico disagrees with. designated drug cartels, foreign terrorism, and trying to end birthright citizenship. the fourth amendment says anyone born in the u.s. is a system. >> we will begin returning millions of criminal aliens back to the places from

which they came. >> reporter: the administration has promised major enforcement operations soon, washington, d.c., philadelphia, los angeles, denver and chicago. >> we're doing everything to explore every option to protect our community members right now. >> reporter: just canceled in-person spanish services at the chicago church often attended by undocumented immigrants. why did you make the decision? >> people are scared right now. >> reporter: even some moderate democrats say they support deporting migrants with criminal records. >> if we can deal with individuals that commit crimes in a specific way and keep others safe, that's what we should be doing. >> reporter: the new policies already having an impact. this asylum seeker in juarez breaking down when her screening appointment was

canceled. the new administration shut down the app where she made the appointment. they're in limbo. president biden issued preemptive pardons. president trump is expected to issue his own. >> reporter: that's right, saying he will sign a list of pardons for some of the january 6th capitol rioters, and president biden's last actions pardoned several high profile names. from outgoing president, a protective shield for president trump's adversaries, attempted pardons to avoid political prosecution. among them, who became a fierce critic. dr. anthony fauci, who led the covid response, and all members of the committee which investigated the capitol attack,

including liz cheney, this is not saying anyone was involved in wrongdoing. >> why are we helping liz cheney? a disaster. >> reporter: trump told "meet the press" that the january 6th committee members should be behind bars. >> for what they did, honestly, they should go to jail. >> reporter: this portrait was removed. defending public servants he said were subjected to intimidation for their duties. and trump criticized biden pardoning other relatives with minutes left in his term. >> it's unfortunate. >> reporter: candidate trump wanted a special prosecutor to investigate the bidens. >> to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the

united states of america, joe biden, and the entire biden crime family. >> reporter: biden dismissing the attacks as baseless, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me. kristen welker, president trump is claiming a mandate, he has a narrow lead. how long is the honeymoon? >> only got two years for his agenda items, then the world would be focused on the midterms. mass deportation will require additional funds, $88 billion per year just to deport 1 million people by one estimate. he's proposed a slew of tax cuts, extending the trump era cuts as well. that's a challenge.

and the majorities are narrow, particularly in the house. biggest thing he'll be judged on, can he bring prices down, that was number one issue for voters. >> hallie, you covered the first inauguration, how does this compare? >> the tone and tenor, he's out with force, shock and awe, signing more executive orders today than in his first week in office in the first term. the tone from the first inaugural to today. first the american carnage stops here. now america's decline is over. he said he would implement mass deportations and roll back biden era policies. he's doing so. he's shown us who he is and continuing on that path. in 60 seconds, richard engel how other

we're back now with the arctic blast across the u.s., nearly 200 million people under cold alert. in the south, a rare and potentially crippling winter storm on the move, expected to spread snow and ice from texas to the carolinas. historic amounts are expected for new orleans and panama city. reaction from around the world to the trump return to the white house and his messaging to the international commute. >> reporter: president trump made it clear he intends to lead and not follow, not be pushed around or follow norms. he wants to expand territory, he wants greenland and will take back the panama canal.

panama is a independent country. most have gone quiet. peace through strength, no mention of russia, iran or north korea, only china, which he said should not be allowed to control access to what he called the gulf of america. this was not just america first but america first and foremost. lester. as we continue tonight, new inner circle, tech titans on hand for the inauguration.

among the guests at the inauguration today, tech giants, including tiktok's ceo. the chinese-owned app back onlinein the u.s. despite a law to ban it after president trump vowed to take action. walk us through this. >> seated behind or among president trump's family members, elon musk, amazon's jeff bezos, meta's mark zuckerberg, and the chief executive of tiktok, an app mr. trump tried to ban he's now trying to save. it's been a roller coaster, going dark over 12 hours after a law technically took effect banning it. the app is crediting president trump for bringing it back online. we're anticipating an executive order for tiktok, one that the

president said might outline a 90-day extension for an american to take 50% ownership of the company. that leaves open questions about the national security concerns of the u.s. government. passing of note, cecile richards, one of the country's most prominent abortion advocates has died of cancer. she headed planned parenthood, 2006 to 2018. she was 67.

we want to leave you tonight on an image that for many presidencies was likely taken for granted. peaceful transfer of power. one leaving as another begins. in recent years we've been reminded how precious and fragile our democracy is. today represents the most fundamental principles of that democracy with donald trump beginning his second term in office. if we take one thing away from the cold inauguration day in washington, perhaps the symbolism of januar20th means something not just to us but the world. did anythie

during. from this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. and historic