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Donald Trump is ready to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America on January 20, following his landslide victory in the elections held in November 2024. Preparations are in full swing for his inauguration ceremony, with several global leaders expected to attend the event in Washington, DC, a first of it’s kind in the US history, highlighting the diplomatic emphasis of the event. The inauguration will also be attended by former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton, accompanied by their spouses, except for Michelle Obama. Joe Biden, too, has confirmed his attendance. Trump would be sworn in along with J D Vance, the Vice President. They will take oath of office with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in Washington DC.
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, President Biden gave his farewell address to the nation highlighting his concerns about “dangerous concentration of power” among a few wealthy people and said that ‘dark money should be taken out of politics’. The speech pointed at the Biden administration’s achievements in the past four years.
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The event promises to be a high-profile event, with several global leaders and influential figures confirming their attendance. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the inauguration, following an invitation from the Trump-Vance inaugural committee. Jaishankar would also hold meetings with members of the incoming administration and other dignitaries attending the event. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement: “On the invitation of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar will represent the Government of India at the Swearing-In Ceremony of President-Elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America.”
Among others is the Chinese President Xi Jinping who received a personal invitation from Trump, a surprise move given the ongoing geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. Transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt highlighted the invitation as an example of Trump “creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors”. However, media reports suggest that Xi may send a senior official in his place.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, too, is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration, though she is still checking her schedule. Confirming on receiving an official invitation, Meloni said, “If I can, I will gladly participate.” A populist and staunch conservative leader, Meloni met Trump at Mar-a-Lago on January 5, for a surprise dinner and a movie, where the President-elect also praised her as a “fantastic woman” and stated, “She’s really taken Europe by storm.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya confirmed his attendance at Trump’s inauguration as part of Japan’s effort to bolster ties with the new administration. “We aim to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration,” Iwaya said. Japan, a longstanding US ally, is keen to ensure a strong partnership during Trump’s second term.
Apart from prominent world leaders, several influential figures are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration, including Eric Zemmour, a far-right politician from France, Nigel Farage, a UK politician and long-time Trump ally, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to attend Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. In addition, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is expected to be present, as confirmed by a company spokesperson.
Though the swearing-in ceremony is going to be grand, Trump’s return to power has been marred with controversies ever since. Starting from his views on the immigration policies, to pushing Canada for becoming the 51st US state, his plans to buy Greenland due to economic reasons and now the latest on claiming to have clinched the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
The U.S. State Department credited the Trump administration for playing a critical role in securing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, just hours after President Biden had highlighted his own involvement in the deal, referring to their contributions as “absolutely critical.”
Biden acknowledged the difficult nature of the negotiations, calling them among the most challenging of his career. “We’ve been speaking as one team with the incoming administration of Donald Trump,” Biden noted, emphasizing that the groundwork for the agreement mirrored a plan he first introduced in May 2024. “When it comes to the involvement of President-elect Trump’s team, it has been absolutely critical in getting this deal over the line,” the official stated.
In yet another controversy which made headlines was Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case. The punishment-free judgment marks a quiet end to an extraordinary case that for the first time put a former President and major presidential candidate in a courtroom as a criminal defendant. Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan could have sentenced the 78-year-old Republican to up to four years in prison. Instead, he chose a sentence that sidestepped thorny constitutional issues by effectively ending the case but assured that Trump will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency. Trump said, “It’s been a political witch hunt. It was done to damage my reputation so that I would lose the election, and, obviously, that didn’t work.” Trump called the case “a weaponization of government” and “an embarrassment to New York”.
Certainly, once Trump assumes the Oval office formerly, his policies will be closely watched as he would like to accomplish tasks which were left unfinished in his earlier term and Make America Great Again(MAGA).
