LIVE: Trump Ends Diversity Programs, Withdraws From World Health Organization

President Donald Trump said Monday he may impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico as early as February 1, while promising punitive measures on other countries as part of new US trade policy.

Trump rekindled his threat against the two major US trading partners hours after taking the oath of office — accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking into the United States.

“We’re thinking in terms of 25 percent on Mexico and Canada, because they’re allowing vast numbers of people — Canada’s a very bad abuser also — vast numbers of people to come in, and fentanyl to come in,” he said in the Oval Office as he signed an array of executive orders.

He added that he was thinking of enacting the tariffs on February 1.

Earlier Monday, Trump vowed to “immediately begin the overhaul” of the US trade system “to protect American workers and families.”

President Donald Trump announced severe new restrictions on immigration and asylum in the United States hours after taking office Monday, declaring that he will send troops to the US-Mexico border and attempt to end birthright citizenship.

Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and used a careening press conference in the Oval Office to announce the controversial order seeking to revoke the right of US nationality to anyone born in America.

“That’s a big one,” he told reporters.

The move to reverse a right enshrined in the US Constitution will face stiff legal challenges, an inevitability the president acknowledged.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Vladimir Putin was “destroying Russia” by not making a deal to end the war with Ukraine. “He should make a deal. I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal,” Trump told reporters on his return to the Oval Office.

“I think Russia’s going to be in big trouble.”

The comments mark an unusually critical stance by Trump on Putin, for whom he has voiced admiration in the past. Trump also said he was preparing to meet Putin. A summit between the two in his first term gained notoriety after the US president appeared to accept the Russian leader’s word over that of US intelligence.

“I got along with him great, I would hope he wants to make a deal,” Trump said.

“He can’t be thrilled he’s not doing so well. I mean, he’s grinding it out, but most people thought that war would have been over in about one week, and now you’re into three years, right?” Trump said.

The United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is a blow to global cooperation on climate change, but other countries are marching ahead and stepping up leadership on the issue.

China is dominating the clean energy race, Brazil will be steering global climate negotiations, Denmark has approved a world-first tax on livestock emissions and Colombia is saying farewell to fossil fuels.

Some observers see the US retreat as a chance for more ambitious countries to forge new alliances, set the agenda and champion a climate deal endorsed by nearly all nations.

“It’s a bigger pact than just the United States,” said Frances Colon, a senior fellow from the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based policy institute.

US President Donald Trump has canceled an executive order that enabled sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, the White House announced Monday. 

Trump revoked his predecessor Joe Biden’s executive order from February 2024, which paved the way for the designation of settlers and groups accused of perpetrating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

Biden’s actions paved the way for the US Treasury and State Departments to designate several far-right individuals and groups, including an individual accused of leading a riot in the town of Huwara in which Palestinian homes were torched and a Palestinian civilian was killed.

Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump ordered a 75-day pause on enforcing a law that would effectively ban TikTok, marking one of his first acts in office.

The executive order delayed implementation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which took effect January 19 and would prohibit the distribution and updating of TikTok in the United States.

Trump had promised to move fast to save TikTok from the law that was passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by president Joe Biden last year.

“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally, but I went on TikTok and I won young people,” Trump said as he signed the order, crediting the app for delivering him the youth vote in his election.

US President Donald Trump repealed a slew of executive orders promoting diversity programs and LGBTQ equality Monday after using his inauguration speech to signal a definitive break with what he decries as “woke” culture.

On the campaign trail Trump vilified diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the federal government and corporate world, saying they discriminated against white people — men in particular.

He also demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people — notably transgender women in sports — and gender-affirming care for children.

In front of a crowd of supporters in a Washington arena, Trump wiped out 78 executive orders, actions and presidential memoranda issued by his predecessor Joe Biden.
(AFP)

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order hours after his inauguration for the United States to exit the World Health Organization, which he had previously attacked over its Covid response.

Signing the order at the White House, Trump said the United States was unfairly paying less than China into the UN body and added: “World Health ripped us off.”

US President Donald Trump said he will likely grant TikTok a 75-day reprieve from a ban imposed by Biden administration. 

President Donald Trump on Monday cast himself as a peacemaker in his second inaugural address, but immediately vowed that the United States would be “taking back” the Panama Canal.

Trump issued the threat without explaining details after weeks of refusing to rule out military action against Panama over the waterway, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999.

“Above all, China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we’re taking it back,” Trump said after being sworn in inside the US Capitol.

Panama maintains control of the canal but Chinese companies have been steadily increasing their presence around the vital shipping link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
(AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Denmark will ‘come along’ on selling Greenland.

President Donald Trump said Monday he expects to enact 25 percent tariffs on major US trading partners Mexico and Canada on February 1, speaking on his first day back in the White House.

“We’re thinking in terms of 25 percent on Mexico and Canada, because they’re allowing vast numbers of people — Canada’s a very bad abuser also — vast numbers of people to come in, and fentanyl to come in,” he said in the Oval Office.
(AFP)

US President Donald Trump signed pardons Monday for some 1,500 participants in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol by his supporters who attempted to overturn the 2020 election. “These are the hostages — approximately 1,500 people — for a pardon, full pardon,” Trump said at a signing ceremony shortly after arriving at the White House.

“We hope they come out tonight frankly,” he said. “They’re expecting it.”

More than 1,500 people were charged in connection with the assault on Congress by Trump supporters who were seeking to disrupt certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Trump repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to pardon those who took part in the attack, calling them “hostages,” “patriots” and “political prisoners.”

More than 140 police officers were injured in hours of clashes with rioters wielding flagpoles, baseball bats, hockey sticks and other makeshift weapons along with Tasers and canisters of bear spray.

(AFP)

-Declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border to deploy military forces and halt illegal immigration.

-Withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement to prioritise domestic energy policies.

-Lifted restrictions on oil and gas production to boost energy independence and economic growth.

-Signed into order his plan to restore freedom of speech and the end of federal censorship.

-Mandated a return to a five-day in-person workweek for federal employees.

-Pardoned individuals charged in the January 6 Capitol riots.

-Recognised only two genders –male and female –in federal government policies.

US President Donald Trump has signed executive order pardoning his supporters who were arrested for January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

US President Donald Trump’s cavalcade arrives at the White House after the Presidential Parade at Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC.

#WATCH | US President Donald Trump’s cavalcade heads back to the White House after the Presidential Parade at Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC.
(Source: US Network Pool via Reuters) pic.twitter.com/qlpiME21np

— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2025

Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump signs a ‘directive to the Federal Government ordering the restoration of Freedom of Speech and preventing government censorship of free speech going forward’.

He also signs a ‘directive to the Federal Government ending the weaponisation of government against political adversaries of the previous administration’.

Donald Trump says, “Did you know that while I was making my speech, Biden pardoned his whole family…”  

Donald Trump says, “…The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity. China uses a lot of dirty energy but they produce a lot of energy. When that stuff goes up in the air, it doesn’t stay there…It floats into the United States of America after 3 and a half to 5 and a half days. It floats across the oceans and it comes right over your neighbourhood and it falls into your neighbourhood…”

#WATCH | Washington, DC: At Capitol One Arena, US President #DonaldTrump says, “…The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity. China uses a lot of dirty energy but they produce a lot of energy. When that stuff goes up in the air, it… pic.twitter.com/kbFbKgNFev

— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2025

Donald Trump said, “I am immediately withdrawing from the unfair one-sided Paris Climate Accord. The US will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes.”  

“Can you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so,” US President Donald Trump said after signing the executive orders.

Donald Trump says, “We will sign executive orders first to revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration… Crime in Venezuela is down by 74% because they (Biden Administration) took their criminals and gave them to us through an open border policy… It stops as of 1 pm today.”

#WATCH | Washington, DC: At Capitol One Arena US President #DonaldTrump says, “We will sign executive orders first to revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration… Crime in Venezuela is down by 74% because they (Biden Administration)… pic.twitter.com/AWKyGxZ0Nf

— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2025

 “I have a very tall son…,” says US President Donald Trump as he introduces Barron Trump to the crowd at Capitol One Arena.

He further says, “…He knew the youth vote. We won the youth vote by 36 points. He was saying – ‘Dad, you have to go out and do this one or that one’. We did a lot of them. He respects them all, he understood them very well…”

#WATCH | Washington, DC: “I have a very tall son…,” says US President #DonaldTrump as he introduces Barron Trump to the crowd at Capitol One Arena.
He further says, “…He knew the youth vote. We won the youth vote by 36 points. He was saying – ‘Dad, you have to go out and do… pic.twitter.com/Xq0SBiejJV

— ANI (@ANI) January 20, 2025

Donald Trump said, “So, now the work begins. We won but now the work begins. We have to bring them home (hostages held in Gaza). Tonight I am going to be signing on the J6 hostages’ pardons to give them up and as soon as I leave, I am going to the Oval Office and will be signing pardons for a lot of people…”

US President Donald Trump has declined to impose tariffs on his first day back in power. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico. 

Instead of coming out with tariffs on day one, Trump is ordering his officials to first examine US trade relationships for unfair practices and investigate whether China has complied with an earlier trade deal, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg News.

Trump is set to direct his cabinet secretaries to assess the impact of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on American workers and businesses and make recommendations on whether the US should continue participating in it, according to the document. Trump negotiated the USMCA in his first term as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement; the new deal came into force in 2020.

(Bloomberg)

We have won, but the work has begun to being them (American hostages in Gaza) home: US President Donald Trump

After taking oath as the 47th President of United States, Donald Trump met the families of Americans taken hostages by Hamas in Gaza after attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. 

Pete Hegseth, 44, is a military veteran who has expressed disdain for the “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted along party lines, 14-13, to advance Hegseth’s nomination for a full Senate vote on Monday. The Senate vote is expected late this week.

As secretary of defence, Hegseth could make good on Trump’s campaign promise to rid the US military of generals whom he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have railed against.

It could also set up a collision course between Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, whom Hegseth accused of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”

Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator, denied in his confirmation hearing allegations made in a police report that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 at a conference in California. No charges were filed, and he entered into a private settlement with the alleged victim, but the allegations are complicating his confirmation prospects. He has also in the past opposed women in combat roles but walked back that stance during the hearing on Tuesday.

(Reuters)

An emboldened Donald Trump declared that “America’s decline is over” as he reclaimed the presidency on Monday, promising a crackdown on illegal immigration and portraying himself as a savior chosen by God to rescue a faltering nation.

“From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” Trump, 78, said inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, the symbol of U.S. democracy that was invaded on Jan. 6, 2021, by a mob of Trump supporters intent on reversing his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden.

The inauguration completes a triumphant return for a political disruptor who was twice impeached, survived two assassination attempts, was convicted in a criminal trial and faced charges for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.

He is the first president in more than a century to win a second term after losing the White House and the first felon to occupy the White House.

“I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump said on Monday, referring to a gunman’s bullet that grazed his ear in July.
(Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump kisses Carrie Underwood after she performed “America The Beautiful” as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance looks on during inauguration ceremonies in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(Credit: AFP)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first leaders in the world to congratulate Donald Trump, saying “Congratulations my dear friend President Donald Trump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a successful term ahead!”

Congratulations my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 20, 2025

People watch the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump from the Capital One Arenaon January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump will take office as the 47th president of the United States. This will be his second term.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.

(Credits: AFP)

U.S. Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance and U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump take oath at the US Capitol in Washington DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States of America.

Donald Trump is set to take oath as President for his second term in office. US Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is representing India for Donald Trump’s oath ceremony at the US Capitol today. He is reportedly carrying a letter from PM Narendra Modi for President Trump.

“Privileged to represent 🇮🇳 as External Affairs Minister and Special Envoy of PM at the Swearing-In Ceremony of the 47th President of the United States of America today in Washington DC”: India’s EAM S Jaishankar
Photo courtesy: S Jaishankar/X#DonaldTrump… pic.twitter.com/hYA7gNmY0W

— NDTV WORLD (@NDTVWORLD) January 20, 2025

President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump arrive together at the US Capitol for Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States. Earlier today both leaders met at the White House and had tea together. In a simple and heartwarming gesture, the Bidens, said “welcome home” to the Trumps during the meeting.

US President Joe Biden and his successor Donald Trump have arrived left for the US Capitol to attend the latter’s oath ceremony as 47th POTUS. The Bidens and Trumps met for tea at the White House ahead of the oath ceremony.

A top view of the seats from the dome of the US Capitol Rotunda ahead of the inauguration ceremony where Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th US President in Washington, DC. The grand ceremony will be attended by thousands, including several global leaders, ministers, and ambassadors.

Place settings are arranged for a luncheon for the Inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in Statuary Hall at the US Capitol.

A short while ago, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden shared their last selfie from the White House, with a farewell message to US citizens saying, “We love you, America”. The Bidens then arrived the Trumps for a formal meet over tea and coffee at the White House. All four leaders will leave for the US Capitol after the meeting to see Donald Trump take and his deputy JD Vance take oath as the next President and Vice President of the United States.

“We love you, America”: Outgoing US President Joe Biden shares selfie with wife from White House
Photo credit: President Biden/X pic.twitter.com/eHID14uVyj

— NDTV WORLD (@NDTVWORLD) January 20, 2025

Donald Trump and Melania Trump have arrived at the White House for a formal meeting with outgoing President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden ahead of President-elect Trump’s oath ceremony, which will take place at the US Capitol in a few hours.

Before arriving at the White House, the Trumps, along with Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife Usha attended a special Church ceremony. President-elect Trump and his deputy Vance will take oath of office today.

Trump, Melania arrive for pre-inauguration church service.

(Credits: AFP)

US President Joe Biden on Monday issued pre-emptive pardons to former Covid-19 advisor Anthony Fauci and retired general Mark Milley to shield them from “politically motivated prosecutions” under the Trump administration.

In an extraordinary move in his last hours in the White House, Biden gave similar pardons to members, staff and witnesses of a US House committee probing the violent January 6, 2021 US Capitol attack by Donald Trump’s supporters.

(Credit: AFP)

France and Europe risk being dominated, crushed and marginalised if they do nothing to counter the policies of Donald Trump, the French prime minister said Monday before his inauguration as US president.

“The United States, with the inauguration of the president, has decided on a politics that is incredibly dominating… If we do nothing then our fate will be simple. We will be dominated, we will be crushed, we will be marginalised. It is up to us, French and Europeans,” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said in the southwestern city of Pau. 

(Credit: AFP)

Pope Francis urged incoming United States president Donald Trump on Monday to lead a society with “no room for hatred” and to promote “peace and reconciliation among peoples”.

In a message marking Trump’s inauguration, the 88-year-old pontiff offered the incoming president “cordial greetings and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength and protection”.

(Credit: AFP)

Donald Trump will be sworn in for a historic second term as US president today, promising a new “golden age” for America as the world braces for a return of his unpredictable leadership.
The Republican vowed to unleash a blitz of executive orders undoing Joe Biden’s legacy upon his return to the White House, and to launch immediate deportations of undocumented migrants.
If Trump painted a dystopian picture of “American carnage” at his first inauguration in 2017, this time around he is offering a more upbeat promise of a “brand new day” for the United States.
“I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every single crisis facing our country,” Trump told a huge inauguration eve rally where he also danced with the Village People band.

GOLDEN AGE

Trump will make history by replacing Biden as the oldest president to be sworn in. He is also just the second president in US history to return to power after being voted out, after Grover Cleveland in 1893.
Ahead of the inauguration, Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump for “tea and coffee” at the White House, before they all travel together to the Capitol.
The display of civility will be a stark contrast to 2021 when Trump — who riled a crowd that attacked the US Capitol in a bid to overturn his election loss — refused to attend Biden’s inauguration.
Trump’s triumphal mood has meanwhile not been chilled by the fact that the swearing-in on the steps of the Capitol had to be moved due to predictions of the coldest Inauguration Day for 40 years.
Instead of taking the oath in front of a huge crowd on the National Mall, Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will do so inside the domed Rotunda of the Capitol, as Ronald Reagan did in 1985.
“As soon as President Trump places his hand on the Bible and swears the Oath to the United States Constitution, the Golden Age of America will begin,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on X.
But there are still many Americans concerned by Trump’s darker promises — the vows of retribution against his political opponents and journalists.
Trump returns to the Oval Office more powerful than ever, capping a journey that saw him defy two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction to win the election.
Once a political outsider, Trump has become the new normal for US politics.
Three of the world’s richest men — tech tycoons Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos — will be alongside Trump for the inauguration.
Tesla, SpaceX and X boss Musk, who will head a cost-cutting effort in the new administration, promised at Sunday’s rally to make America strong “for centuries.”
(Credit: AFP)

Bitcoin hit a record high above $109,000 as Donald Trump, who has signalled plans to deregulate the cryptocurrency sector, prepares to be sworn in as US President.
Bitcoin surged to an all-time peak of $109,241 ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, before falling back to around $107,500.

The world’s biggest cryptocurrency has soared since Donald Trump won the presidential election in November, with bitcoin surpassing $100,000 for the first time in early December.

US President-elect Donald Trump will call for a “revolution of common sense” during his inaugural address, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday citing excerpts of his prepared remarks.

“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization,” Trump is expected to say, according to remarks shared with the WSJ.

Trump will be sworn in as the US president on Monday, ushering in his second term in office and capping one of the most astounding political comebacks in American history.

-President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration is reconsidering plans for immigration raids in Chicago next week after details were leaked, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan told the Washington Post in an interview on Saturday.

The new administration “hasn’t made a decision yet,” said Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the report. “We’re looking at this leak and will make decision based on this leak,” he added.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Officials and rights advocates had said Trump’s administration would launch sweeps in multiple U.S. cities almost as soon as he takes office on Monday, with Chicago considered a likely first location.

Dulce Ortiz, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told Reuters that as many as 200 ICE agents were expected to start raids in the Chicago area on Monday at 5 a.m., aiming to catch people heading into work or starting their day.

The enforcement had been expected to continue for several days, she said. An ICE spokesperson referred questions to the Trump transition team, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump would not rule out continued Chinese ownership of TikTok if steps were taken to ensure that American users’ data was protected and stored in the U.S., incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told CNN on Sunday.

TikTok stopped working for its 170 million American users on Sunday after a law took effect banning the app’s continued operation over U.S. politicians’ concerns that Americans’ data could be misused by Chinese officials.

Waltz told CNN the president-elect is working to “save TikTok” and doesn’t rule out continued Chinese ownership coupled with “firewalls to make sure that the data is protected here on U.S. soil.”

Trump has said he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a ban after he takes office on Monday, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app

Pope Francis on Sunday criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s reported plan to sharply intensify immigration enforcement actions across the U.S. in the days after his inauguration.

In an Italian television interview, the pontiff said it would be a “disgrace” if Trump went forward with the plan, in unusually forceful language for the leader of the global Catholic Church. “It would make the migrants, who have nothing, pay the unpaid bill,” said the pope. “It doesn’t work. You don’t resolve problems this way.”

The pope’s remarks were made during a video link from his Vatican residence with the “Che Tempo Che Fa” program on Italy’s Channel 9.

Francis, leader of the 1.4 billion member church, is usually careful about weighing in on political issues. The pope has made welcoming migrants a key theme of his nearly 12-year papacy, and he has previously criticized Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. During the 2016 election, he said Trump was “not Christian” in his view.

Germany’s ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump administration will rob U.S. law enforcement and the media of their independence and hand big tech companies “co-governing power”, according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.

The briefing document, dated Jan. 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump’s agenda for his second White House term as one of “maximum disruption” that will bring about “a redefinition of the constitutional order – maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states.”

“Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power,” it says.

Trump’s transition team had no immediate comment on the ambassador’s assessment.

The Indian rupee and its Asian peers will be influenced by developments surrounding U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, with traders keenly focussing on trade tariff measures, while bond yields will track Treasury yields.

The rupee closed at 86.61 against the U.S. dollar on Friday, having lost 0.75% for the week, its steepest weekly fall since July 2023.

The greenback’s strength, persistent foreign portfolio outflows and concerns about India’s slowing economic momentum have hurt the rupee over the last couple of months. It has slid 3% since Trump won the U.S. election in November.

Trump will take charge as U.S. President on Monday and traders reckon that any policy step that weakens the Chinese yuan could hurt the rupee as well. He has already proposed hefty tariffs on Chinese goods.

“Long USD positions have become a very crowded trade, leaving it vulnerable to a correction lower if market expectations for initial policy implementation under Trump disappoint,” MUFG Bank said in a note.

There will be at least 18 inaugural galas held throughout Washington over the weekend and Monday, three of which are considered official and which Trump is expected to attend.

On Sunday, the eve of the inauguration, Trump held a campaign-style “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at the Capital One Arena. It was Trump’s first rally in the District of Columbia since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

On Monday, Meta’s Zuckerberg will co-host a reception for billionaire Republican donors along with casino magnate Miriam Adelson and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, Trump’s pick for ambassador to Italy.

Oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm, a top Trump donor, will host an inauguration watch party on Monday on the roof of the historic Hay-Adams hotel near the White House.

During a rally on Sunday, Donald Trump said he would sign a number of executive actions on Monday covering a range of issues, from ending government programs aimed at ensuring gender and racial diversity in the workplace to securing the southern border with Mexico.

A source familiar with the planning said Trump is preparing to sign more than 200 executive actions on Day One.

The actions will focus in large part on border security. Among them are directives to classify drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” declare an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and move toward reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” policy which forces non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court dates.

He is expected to sign orders that give immigration officers more latitude to arrest migrants with no criminal records, send more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and restart construction of a border wall.

The orders will include a drive to increase fossil fuel production and follow through on Trump’s oft-stated campaign vow to “drill, baby, drill.”

Trump said on Sunday he would issue a wave of pardons for defendants convicted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump also said he would restore TikTok’s access to the U.S. market on Monday.

The official events are financed by Trump’s inauguration committee, which is chaired by longtime Trump allies Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer who is Trump’s pick to be his Middle East envoy, and Kelly Loeffler, a former U.S. senator and Trump’s choice to head the Small Business Administration.

The committee will be responsible for covering the costs of everything but the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, which is borne by taxpayers.

Bezos and Zuckerberg pledged to donate $1 million each to the committee, as have Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Uber and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, have each donated $1 million to the fund.

Trump raised a record $106.7 million for his 2017 inauguration festivities. His committee has raised more than $170 million this time, according to media reports. 

The temperatures have forced organizers to scrap a planned parade down Pennsylvania Avenue of military regiments, school marching bands, floats and citizens’ groups. Donald Trump’s Presidential parade will now take place at the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena in downtown Washington. 

Donald Trump has broken with precedent and invited several foreign leaders to the ceremony. Historically, they have not attended the inauguration due to security concerns and have sent diplomats in their stead. 

Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, a strong supporter of Trump’s, has said he will attend, according to reports.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she hopes to attend. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not attending, despite an invitation, but is sending a senior envoy.

Trump adviser Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Jeff Bezos, executive chairman of Amazon and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, are also attending.

Donald Trump will take the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, at 12 p.m. EST (1700 GMT/2230 IST). It was originally due to take place in front of the U.S. Capitol but will now take place inside the congressional complex because of bitter cold.

Trump will then deliver his inaugural address. In interviews, he has said he intends it to be uplifting and unifying. That would mark a departure from his first Inauguration Day speech in 2017, which detailed a broken country he described as “American Carnage.” 

The outgoing president, Democrat Joe Biden, has said he plans to attend the ceremony and witness the transfer of power, a courtesy Trump, a Republican, did not afford him four years earlier. 

Country music star Carrie Underwood is scheduled to perform at the swearing-in ceremony.

Nine out of 10 U.S. firms operating in Europe believe transatlantic economic relations will worsen in coming years, with the expected policies of incoming US President Donald Trump such as tariffs the chief cause, according to a survey published on Monday.

The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU), which has more than 160 members including Apple, Goldman Sachs, Meta and Visa, said its survey showed two-thirds expected U.S. policies to harm their operations in Europe in the coming years.

Some 52% said they expected a negative impact from EU policies.

The survey, carried out among 58 U.S-controlled members between Jan. 6 and 14, showed that 84% ranked tariffs and trade policy as a top priority for transatlantic cooperation, followed by supply-chain resilience and the energy transition.

A vast majority of the companies said Europe was critical to their operations and called for the EU and U.S. to combine to reduce regulations, lower trade barriers and increase regulatory cooperation.

Three-quarters of the surveyed companies said they were “very” or “extremely” supportive of the Paris climate agreement, from which Trump is expected to withdraw. Only 2% were not supportive.

 Chinese officials and ordinary people are hopeful but on edge as Donald Trump returns to the White House, eager to avoid a repeat of the bruising trade war that drove a wedge between the economic superpowers during his first term.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, in meetings with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other members of the U.S. business community in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration, said he hoped U.S. companies would “take root” in China and help to stabilise bilateral relations, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

When Trump was last president, he heaped tariffs on more than $300 billion of Chinese imports. In recent months, he has said he would add tariffs of at least 10% on top of what is already imposed on Chinese goods, a move that would hurt China at a time when its economy is struggling to find a firm footing.

At the same time, the U.S. president-elect made the seemingly conciliatory move of inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration on Monday. Xi sent Han in his place, a gesture of goodwill given that China was only represented by its ambassador at the previous two U.S. presidential inaugurations.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with tech tycoon Elon Musk and urged US firms to “seize the opportunity” to deepen economic ties with China, Beijing’s state media said Monday.

Han — who is set to attend the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump later on Monday — met with Musk and other American business representatives on Sunday, Xinhua said.

The world’s richest person, Tesla and SpaceX CEO and majority owner of X has become one of Trump’s closest allies, sharing his hard-right politics and putting millions of dollars into supporting his presidential campaign.

Musk also enjoys a cult following in China, a major market for Tesla, where the company has one of its so-called gigafactories and is trying to compete with fast-growing home-grown manufacturers.

Taiwanese contract laptop makers Compal and Inventec may expand into the United States with Texas eyed as one of the top locations, their executives say, as they prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs. 

Trump, who is set to become U.S. president again on Monday, has rattled companies and authorities around the world by vowing to impose tariffs of 10% on global imports into the U.S. – duties that trade experts say would upend trade flows, raise costs and draw retaliation against U.S. exports.

His threat of 25% tariffs on Mexico, in particular, has worried several Taiwanese companies, as many have invested in domestic manufacturing to build components that go into electric vehicle to artificial intelligence (AI) servers for North America. 

Speaking to reporters before the company’s annual year-end party this month, Anthony Peter Bonadero, President and CEO of Compal, said that they had spoken to several southern U.S. states about possible investment and were seeing how Trump’s tariffs against Mexico unfold. 

“Texas is a leading candidate just because of the power that they’ve done. Samsung is putting a giant fab in, and that’s created a lot of extra power and infrastructure there. Texas is the only state in the U.S. that has its own grid. And so, we continue to evaluate that. But no decisions have been made yet.”

China on Monday urged the United States to listen to “rational voices” over the social media platform TikTok, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.

“We hope that the US side will seriously listen to rational voices and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all countries operating in the United States,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

“TikTok has been operating in the United States for many years and is deeply loved by American users,” Mao said.

“It has played a positive role in promoting domestic employment and driving consumption in the US,” she added.

TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, crediting President-elect Donald Trump, who retakes power on Monday, for making the reversal possible.

“With the stroke of my pen on day one, we’re going to stop the transgender lunacy,” Donald Trump said in December, vowing to “end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high schools.”

He added the US government would recognize only two genders, male and female.

Also among his plans is cutting federal funding to schools that have adopted “critical race theory,” an approach that looks at US history through the lens of racism.

Climate skeptic Donald Trump has promised to “drill, baby, drill” for oil and gas.

He plans to repeal some of Biden’s key climate policies, such as tax credits for electric vehicles, which are meant to encourage a transition to a green economy.

Trump also wants to boost offshore drilling, though he might need to secure congressional support to do that. Biden has selected swaths of ocean as protected no-drill areas.

US President-elect Donald Trump warned that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if Hamas does not release Israeli hostages before his inauguration — and promptly took credit when a ceasefire and hostage release deal negotiated by the Biden Administration was announced Wednesday.

Trump also says he intends to quickly end Russia’s war against Ukraine, though it is unclear when or how he plans to do that.

After promising over the summer to end the nearly three-year conflict “in 24 hours,” Trump more recently suggested a timeline of several months.

The president-elect Donald Trump has suggested he might pardon some or all of the people involved in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, when his supporters tried to overthrow the 2020 election in which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump has described them as “hostages” and “political prisoners.”

He told a pre-inauguration rally that his supporters would be “very happy” with the decision he plans to make on the matter on his first day in office.

More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes in the deadly assault, and more than 1,100 of them have been sentenced.

US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to slap a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada — top US trading partners — as punishment for what he says is their failure to stem the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the United States. 

But is Trump really ready to unleash a trade war with US neighbors, rupturing a North American free trade agreement? Some see this — and an even more provocative suggestion that Canada should be absorbed into the United States — as pre-negotiation bluster.

Beijing should also buckle up.

Trump has threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on Chinese products, adding to existing tariffs that date back to his first term. Trump accuses China of failing to crack down on the production of chemical components used to make fentanyl.

Donald Trump has promised a hardline stance against an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Republican billionaire will declare a state of emergency on the border with Mexico, which would unlock additional Department of Defense funding and assets. He also vowed on the campaign trail to end birthright citizenship, calling it “ridiculous.”

Analysts also expect him to issue executive orders on other aspects of immigration policy, including possibly to terminate an app used by migrants hoping to petition for asylum.

However, birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the US Constitution, and any deportation program will face legal challenges as well as potential refusals by some countries to accept deportees.

Donald Trump told thousands of roaring supporters he would impose severe limits on immigration on his first day in office, vowing to swiftly fulfill the central promise of his presidential campaign at a rally on Sunday inside a packed Washington arena a day before he returns to power.

“By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt,” he said to cheers at a “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at the Capital One Arena.

Trump repeated his campaign pledge to launch the largest deportation effort in US history, which would remove millions of immigrants. An operation of that scale, however, would likely take years and be hugely costly.

“This is the greatest political movement in American history, and 75 days ago, we achieved the most epic political victory our country has ever seen,” he said. “Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed of strength and fix every single crisis facing our country.”

He also vowed to repeal “every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration” within hours of assuming the presidency at noon ET (1700 GMT). A source familiar with the planning told Reuters that Trump will take more than 200 executive actions on Monday.

Donald Trump will be sworn in as U.S. president on Monday, ushering in another turbulent four-year term with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of the U.S. on the world stage.

Trump’s inauguration completes a triumphant comeback for a political disruptor who survived two impeachment trials, a felony conviction, two assassination attempts and an indictment for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The ceremony will take place at noon (1700 GMT) inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, four years after a mob of Trump supporters breached the symbol of American democracy in an unsuccessful effort to forestall the Republican Trump’s 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The swearing-in was moved indoors for the first time in 40 years due to the extreme cold.

Trump, the first U.S. president since the 19th century to win a second term after losing the White House, has said he will pardon “on Day One” many of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

That promise is among a flurry of executive actions concerning immigration, energy and tariffs that Trump intends to sign as soon as Monday after taking the oath of office. At a campaign-style rally on Sunday in Washington, Trump vowed to impose harsh immigration restrictions on his first day.

The price of Donald Trump’s new cryptocurrency called $TRUMP soared on Sunday, with the amount held by the US president-elect and his associates now valued at more than $38 billion.

Trump unveiled the so-called meme coin, which is designed to capitalize on the popularity of a certain personality, movement or viral internet trend on Saturday, in a post on his Truth Social platform and X.

Meme coins have no economic or transactional value, and are often seen as a means of speculative trading.

Neither Trump nor the company managing the token’s launch, Fight Fight Fight LLC, offered details about how much he made from the initial batch of meme coins released.

The coin’s official site said 200 million meme coins were issued, with Fight Fight Fight saying an additional 800 million would be added over the next three years.

Donald Trump is expected to attend all three official inaugural balls Monday night. Multiple other unofficial galas are also planned. Country musicians including Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts and Gavin DeGraw plus the Village People will perform across Trump’s three invite-only affairs.

Donald Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 was marked by a lack of celebrity power, with few A-list musicians willing to be associated with him. But Trump inauguration 2.0 is in better shape.

Country star Carrie Underwood will sing “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony. Also performing will be country singer Lee Greenwood, whose patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA” is standard at Trump rallies.

A pre-inauguration rally Sunday included performances by Kid Rock as well as the Village People, with whom Trump danced on stage as they performed their 1970s-era hit “Y.M.C.A.”

Donald Trump has said he is preparing to sign around 100 executive orders on his first day in office, many of them aimed at undoing Biden administration policies.

“Within hours of taking office I will sign dozens of executive orders, close to 100 to be exact, many of which I will be describing in my address tomorrow,” Trump told supporters at an inauguration-eve candlelight dinner on Sunday.

Among his many promises, he has pledged to launch a mass deportation program and increase oil drilling. He has also said he might swiftly begin pardoning January 6 rioters — his followers who ransacked the Capitol in 2021.

Immediately after the inauguration, a meeting is planned between US officials and foreign ministers from Japan, India and Australia, the so-called “Quad” seen as a counterweight to China. 

Traditionally, US Presidents are sworn in from an enormous temporary platform on the Capitol’s scenic West Lawn. This year, owing to a frigid forecast, it will take place inside in the Capitol Rotunda. Crowd size is a preoccupation of Donald Trump’s, but the last-minute switch to an indoor event may dent his bragging rights.

More than 220,000 tickets were being distributed to the public before Trump announced Friday that frigid temperatures meant the inauguration would shift to the Capitol Rotunda, which can accommodate only about 600 people.

Mr Trump said supporters could watch a live feed from Washington’s Capital One sports arena, which holds up to 20,000 — and he promised to drop in later.

Donald Trump has invited a number of tech titans to attend the inauguration, joining more traditional guests such as his cabinet nominees. Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend as will Shou Chew, the head of Chinese social media giant TikTok, according to US media.

Trump has courted closer ties with the tech moguls, and his campaign benefited from disinformation spread on social media platforms such as TikTok, Musk’s X and Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram.

Outgoing president Joe Biden will attend the ceremony — despite Trump’s refusal to appear at Biden’s swearing-in when he beat Trump in 2020. All living former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — will also attend, as will their wives, except for Michelle Obama.

Heads of state are not traditionally invited, but Trump has sent invitations to a handful of foreign leaders, including some who share his right-wing politics.  Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend, her office confirmed Saturday.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Argentine President Javier Milei and China’s Xi Jinping have also been invited, but not all will attend. Xi sent Vice President Han Zheng in his place, who met Sunday with J.D. Vance, the transition office said. 

Donald Trump will take the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States on Monday inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol, with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of America on the world stage. The US Constitution mandates that each new president’s term begin at noon on January 20 (or the day after if it falls on a Sunday). 

In recent years, presidents have been sworn in from an enormous temporary platform on the Capitol’s scenic West Lawn. This year, owing to a frigid forecast, it will take place inside in the Capitol Rotunda. Incoming vice president J.D. Vance will also be sworn in in the ceremony. 

The oath is most often administered by the Supreme Court chief justice, and Monday would mark John Roberts’s second time officiating for Trump.

The new president will also deliver an inaugural address, laying out his plans for the next four years. The Republican rang in his first term in 2017 with a particularly dark speech evoking “American carnage.”