Trump inauguration LIVE updates: Executive orders, January 6 pardons planned by Trump on first day of presidency

Thanks for joining us this morning for the live coverage of President-elect Donald Trump’s rally on the eve of his inauguration.

It was a lively event, here are the main takeaways:

• After an energetic rally speech, Trump finished his time on stage dancing to Y.M.C.A. with American disco group Village People. The group of six pranced out to the song’s iconic introduction music, each member dressed in their own unique costume similar to the original 1978 music video. Meanwhile, Trump danced in the background.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hopes to raise AUKUS and trade with Trump when they have their first meeting.

• Trump said that tomorrow he will pardon large numbers of people convicted of crimes relating to the march on the US Capitol January 6, 2021, protesting against the results of the 2020 election.

President-elect Donald Trump dances with The Village People.Credit: AP

Eight years after he was sworn into office as America’s 45th president, Donald Trump will officially become its 47th president at noon on Monday (US time).

Defying the critics and the odds, Trump’s second inauguration will round out one of the biggest political comebacks of all time.

There are a few things you should know about what will be taking place on Monday in Washington, DC, including that Trump will be the oldest president in history, President Joe Biden’s goodbye and what the new “golden age” will mean for America.

Read the full story here.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally.Credit: AP

Former treasurer Joe Hockey says US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration will be “vanilla” compared with previous ceremonies because the cold weather has forced it to be indoors.

Temperatures during the inauguration on Monday are expected to be about minus 10 degrees in Washington, DC, forcing the Trump administration to host his swearing in inside.

Joe Hockey in a file picture.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Now based in Washington, DC, after he was ambassador for Australia from 2016 to 2020, Hockey told ABC News Breakfast it would be a calm inauguration.

“[The event will] basically just [be] congressmen and women and not all of them are going to get into the Capitol building to be able to see the inauguration,” he said.

“Even though it’s going to be a plain vanilla inauguration, the next four years, there’s nothing that’s going to be plain vanilla. It is going to be a huge volume of disruptive activity from virtually the moment Donald Trump swears the oath onwards.”

Costumes, singalongs and dancing takes over President-elect Donald Trump’s rally, as The Village People raise the room’s energy to a new level.

Watch the performance below:

After an energetic rally speech, US President-elect Donald Trump finished his time on stage dancing to Y.M.C.A. with American disco group Village People.

The group of six pranced out to the song’s iconic introduction music, each member dressed in their own unique costume similar to the original 1978 music video.

President-elect Donald Trump, second left, greets members of the Village People.Credit: AP

A builder with tight pants, a cowboy in leather chaps, a performer wearing a Native American outfit, a saluting soldier, a leather vested bikie and what appeared to be a cross-wearing policeman surrounded the grinning incoming president to sing Y.M.C.A.

The entire performance had Trump watching on with a chuffed expression, as he occasionally shook his arms and hips up and down to dance.

President-elect Donald Trump sings along with Village People.Credit: AP

Audience members appeared transfixed, singing and following along with the Village People’s Y.M.C.A. hand movements.

Trump applauded as the group walked off stage.

President-elect Donald Trump dances with The Village People.Credit: AP

President-elect Donald Trump dances as the Village People perform Y.M.C.A. at a rally ahead of the 60th presidential inaugurationCredit: AP

Earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hopes to raise AUKUS and trade with incoming president Donald Trump when they have their first meeting.

Speaking on ABC Sydney, Albanese referred to a previous conversation he had with Trump when the president-elect won the November election.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Well, the two issues which we discussed when we had our conversation where I congratulated him, the first was AUKUS and its importance. And we’ve seen that recognised by senior people in the incoming administration already,” Albanese said.

“And secondly, the issue of trade and how our economic relationship is so important for Australia, but also important for the United States.

“The incoming president, of course, has made comments about the United States and their interests. It’s important for us to point out that the US has had a trade surplus with Australia since the Truman presidency. And importantly as well that the US is, of course, the major investor here in Australia.”

In Washington to attend the inauguration, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government was looking forward to working with the new Trump administration to advance their shared interests.

Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, also recently met the president-elect at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Rudd’s future was thrown into doubt last year when Trump learnt of past comments the former prime minister had made about the Republican, in which he described Trump as a “traitor to the West” and the “most destructive president in history”.

When presented with the comments during an interview with former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage on Britain’s right-leaning GB News in March, Trump said, “I don’t know much about him. I heard he was a little bit nasty. I hear he’s not the brightest bulb. He won’t be there long if that’s the case.”

The meeting at Trump’s international golf course in Florida was the first time the pair have had direct contact with each other.

Asked by this masthead how it went, and whether Wong was confident of a good working relationship, she replied: “I think the meeting was a short discussion. Obviously, it went well, as can be seen by the fact that this invitation has been extended.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration.Credit: Bloomberg

“I think [the working relationship] is demonstrated, isn’t it? We’ve seen the AUKUS legislation shepherded through, we’ve seen this visit organised, we’ve seen the invitation to the inauguration for both me and also ambassador Rudd. I think that speaks for itself.”

Trump just gave a shout-out to his somewhat unorthodox cabinet nominees, including former Fox presenter Pete Hegseth (Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon); World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon (nominated as education secretary); vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jnr (health secretary) and former Democrat congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence).

Also in the audience tonight are Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight who, along with Mel Gibson have been tapped to be special envoys to Hollywood. He also noted his nomination for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, whom Foreign Minister Penny Wong is meeting tomorrow.

President-elect Donald Trump at Sunday’s rally.Credit: AP

Rubio last week gave the strongest indication yet that the new US administration will continue to back the AUKUS submarine pact, describing it as a blueprint for other partnerships to take on China.

“It’s one example of how we can leverage the power of these partnerships with allies … to reach outcomes and objectives, such as creating a geopolitical and strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” he told a Senate confirmation hearing.

Trump has indicated he will tomorrow pardon large numbers of people convicted of crimes relating to the January 6, 2021, march on the US Capitol protesting against the results of the 2020 election.

“Tomorrow, everybody in this very large arena will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages. I think you’ll be very, very happy. I would say about 99.9 per cent in this beautiful arena,” Trump said at his rally.

Earlier, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who helped run the Trump campaign, posted on TruthSocial that Trump “will be signing a massive ‘slate’ of J6 pardons immediately after being sworn in tomorrow”.

“The pardons have already been drafted,” Kirk said.

More than 1000 people have been convicted in relation to the January 6 riots, though far fewer are serving prison sentences.

Donald Trump says he will be granting pardons for people who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.Credit: Getty Images

Trump will kickstart his second presidency with a blizzard of executive orders. More than 100 are expected to be signed on day one of entering the White House, allowing the new president to effectively bypass Congress to deliver on some of his priorities.

Among the orders will be measures to tighten border security, ramp up US energy production, ban transgender women in female sports and reel in regulations. He will also order the military to start work on an “iron dome” over the US and get rid of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs.

“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed when I take the oath of office. Oh, you’re gonna have a lot of fun watching television tomorrow. Somebody said yesterday, ’Sir, don’t sign so many in one day. Let’s do it over weeks.

“Like hell we’re going to do it over weeks. We’re going to sign them immediately,” Trump told the crowd.

President-elect Donald Trump.Credit: AP

“The American people have given us their trust and in return, we are going to give them the best first day, the best first week, and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history.”