President-elect Trump rallied with supporters in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, on the eve of his second inauguration, taking a victory lap and teasing the expected barrage on his first day in office.
Here are five takeaways from Trump's rally at Capital One Arena.
President Trump takes a victory lap
The president-elect simply declared to the audience at the beginning of the rally, “We won.”
“I'm thrilled to be back with so many friends, supporters, and true American patriots on the eve of taking back our country,” President Trump said. “Tomorrow at noon, four years of American decline will end and we will begin a brand new day of American strength, prosperity, dignity and pride.”
President Trump talked about how he won an overwhelming victory in seven key battleground states in November's Vice Presidential election, and how the country as a whole was leaning toward the Republican Party in terms of voting trends.
Previous speakers, such as Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and some of Trump's children, talked about how the president-elect overcame an assassination attempt and multiple indictments to win a second term.
Sunday was a rare example of President Trump rallying supporters in the heavily Democratic capital. But thousands of supporters and allies flocked to Washington for the inauguration, making the rally a celebration of President Trump's second term.
“But I truly believe in the opportunity we have now…combined with the knowledge of the past four years, we can truly make a difference forever.”Donald Trump Junior said.
President Trump previews busy first day
On his first day in the Oval Office, Trump promised sweeping presidential action, including a sweeping reversal of Biden administration policies, and his supporters promised it would be “a lot of fun” to watch the barrage.
“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be rescinded within hours of me taking the oath of office,” Trump said.
“Oh, it's going to be so much fun watching TV tomorrow,” he told the crowd. “Yesterday someone said, “Sir, please don't sign so many signatures in a day.'' Let's do it over a few weeks.'' I said, “We'll do it over a few weeks.'' Said. We're going to sign them first. ”
The president-elect is expected to push for executive action on energy, federal workforce regulations, the border and immigration enforcement after he takes office around noon Monday.
22 Executive Orders The numbers, announced by President Biden in his first week in office, marked a modern-day record, while President Trump hinted at plans for a historic surge.
President Trump praises TikTok after brief ban
President Trump touted the return of social media app TikTok after it was briefly crippled in the United States due to a law requiring it to sell its China-based parent company ByteDance.
“Starting today, TikTok is back,” President Trump told the arena crowd. He mocked him for doing “a little TikTok thing” during the election.
“Republicans have never won the youth vote, the youth vote…We won the youth vote by 36 points. That's why I like TikTok,” Trump said.
The app has been the subject of national security concerns and suspended its service in the United States on Saturday night, just before the ban went into effect. But on Sunday, the app reopened for American users, and the platform shared a message praising President Trump's efforts.
President Trump said Sunday that he plans to issue an executive order delaying the ban on TikTok to give ByteDance time to sell.
“Frankly, we don't have a choice. We have to save it,” Trump said of the app. He also echoed an earlier suggestion that the U.S. should have 50% ownership of the joint venture to keep the app alive.
President Trump hints at pardon on January 6th
President Trump has signaled he is prepared to take action on his first day in office to pardon individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
“Everyone in this very large arena tomorrow will be very happy with my decision regarding the J6 hostages,” Trump said. “I think you'll be very, very happy.”
Four years ago, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of President Biden's victory. hundreds of charged That day, the Justice Department acknowledged their role, and hundreds of people pleaded guilty. The president-elect has suggested criminal charges should be brought against members of Congress who served on the special committee investigating the Capitol attack. On Sunday, he repeatedly referred to the 2020 election as “rigged,” suggesting he still has not accepted his 2020 defeat.
President Trump visits Los Angeles on Friday
President Trump confirmed over the weekend during a rally that he plans to make his first trip as president outside of Washington, to inspect wildfire damage in Los Angeles.
“I also want to send my love to everyone affected by the horrific wildfires raging in California,” Trump said, adding, “I will be there on Friday to assess the fires and get things back on track.” I intend to do so.''
Large swaths of Los Angeles have been devastated by wildfires in recent weeks, killing dozens and destroying communities. President Trump attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic), suggesting his water and environmental policies made the fires worse. Many Republican lawmakers have accused California's Democratic leaders of worsening the crisis and are pushing for conditions on new emergency funding for Los Angeles. Democrats have pushed back, accusing Republicans of using disasters to score political points and pointing out that Congress typically passes disaster aid without conditions.
