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Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on 20 January.

The ceremony will take place in Washington DC and marks the peaceful transition of power from Joe Biden to Mr Trump – who is returning to the White House for a non-consecutive second term.

Here is your guide to everything we know so far about the events that will happen during the day and night.

When to expect oaths of office and Trump’s speech

The inauguration ceremony will take place at the US Capitol building.

Vice president-elect JD Vance will be first to take his oaths of office on 20 January, followed by Mr Trump.

This typically happens at around midday local time (about 5pm UK time).

John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, is expected to administer the oath to the incoming president, in line with tradition.

Mr Trump will hold up his right hand and place his left on a Bible. The Bible is usually held by the incoming president’s spouse.

Trump inauguration
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The Capitol building on the day of Mr Trump’s inauguration in 2017

Mr Trump will then recite the following: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Mr Trump’s first presidential address of his second term will follow.

The length of the speech varies from president to president, with Mr Trump’s last inaugural speech in 2017 lasting around 17 minutes, while Mr Biden spoke for just over 20 in 2021.

President Joe Biden is sworn in as president alongside his wife Jill Biden in 2021. Pic: AP
Image:
President Joe Biden being sworn in as president in 2021. Pic: AP

The inaugural procession

Following a signing ceremony and an inaugural luncheon, which often features cuisine from the president and vice president’s home states, Mr Trump will lead the inaugural procession down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The parade goes from the US Capitol to the White House and is a celebrated and much-anticipated event for millions of Americans across the country.

The procession will begin at approximately 3pm local time (around 8pm UK time). The day ends with a series of inaugural balls across Washington DC.

How to get tickets or watch from home

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies makes a limited number of inauguration tickets available to the public through members of Congress in the weeks leading up to the event.

Tickets are free and allow people to watch the ceremony on the grounds of the US Capitol as the president and vice president are sworn in.

Viewers will be able to watch live coverage of inauguration day on Sky News.

For those wanting to want the action elsewhere, all major US broadcast networks will cover the event live including NBC, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CSPAN, Fox News and PBS.

A live stream of the event will also be available through the White House.

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The inaugural addresses of past US presidents

World leaders invited for first time

Outgoing president Mr Biden has confirmed he will attend the inauguration later this month.

In an opinion article for The Washington Post at the beginning of January, he wrote that he was “determined to do everything [he] can to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore American traditions”.

He said he had also invited Mr Trump to the White House on the morning of the inauguration.

It is also customary for living former presidents to attend the ceremony, with Mr Biden having already ordered flags be flown at half-mast to honour Jimmy Carter – who died on 29 December at the age of 100 – to the annoyance of Mr Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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Mr Trump has invited world leaders to the inauguration for the first time. Pic: Reuters

Republican Mr Trump is sure to put his own mark on the event.

He is already the first president-elect to invite world leaders to his inauguration, including China’s President Xi Jinping.

Experts have suggested the Chinese president is unlikely to attend, but at least one foreign leader, the Argentinian President Javier Milei, is planning to be there.

Who will perform?

Every inauguration attracts famous faces to perform – whether it is singing the national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner on the steps of the Capitol, or taking to the stage at the various inauguration balls throughout the evening.

Beyonce, Lady Gaga and rock band 3 Doors Down have all performed in the past.

Back in 2017, Mr Trump seemed to struggle to secure celebrity attendees, with a host of names including Elton John, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli publicly declining an invitation.

Country singer Toby Keith ended up as the biggest name in the final line-up, while classical singer Jackie Evancho, a former America’s Got Talent contestant, sang the national anthem.

There is currently no confirmation about who will be performing at the inauguration this time around, but the singer Kid Rock has been a vocal supporter of the president-elect.

Singer Mary Millben also stands a chance of performing, having sung the national anthem at both Mr Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally and the Republican National Convention back in July.

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From 2021: Lady Gaga and J Lo perform at Biden inauguration

Heightened inauguration day security

US officials have said they are not anticipating any major disruptions or protests on the day of the inauguration.

But they are operating in a “heightened threat environment” due to the New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans.

“At this time, we are not tracking any credible or specific threats associated with these events,” Dave Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said.

Trump inauguration
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Trump’s inauguration in 2017

The District of Columbia National Guard will deploy roughly 7,800 soldiers for security, which includes traffic control and patrolling underground stations.

Thousands of federal agents, police and other law enforcement officials will also be on hand.

In the build-up to the inauguration, authorities said they are having to deal with a string of high-security events in the nation’s capital.

Former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral will take place on Thursday 9 January, while Mr Trump is planning to hold a major victory rally at the Capital One Arena the night before the inauguration on 19 January.

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Donald Trump sworn in as president back in 2017

Stark differences to Biden inauguration

Mr Trump’s inauguration will stand in stark contrast to President Biden’s four years ago, an event that the president-elect skipped amid his false claims that the election had been stolen from him.

His claims sparked an insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January.

More than 1,000 people were later charged in connection with the riot.

As a result of the COVID pandemic and subsequent violence from the Capitol riots, the National Mall, where thousands traditionally gather to see the new president sworn in – was closed to the public on Mr Biden’s inauguration day.

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Joe Biden sworn in as president back in 2021

In addition to events during the day, a prime-time inauguration day TV programme entitled Celebrating America was hosted by Tom Hanks on the evening of 20 January 2021.

The programme was shown by all major broadcasters and included performances by Foo Fighters, John Legend, and Bruce Springsteen from iconic locations across the country.

There is no confirmation if a similar programme will be aired following Mr Trump’s inauguration this year.

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Judge pauses Donald Trump’s plan to put thousands of USAID workers on leave

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Judge pauses Donald Trump's plan to put thousands of USAID workers on leave

A federal court has paused aspects of a plan by Donald Trump to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and put roughly 2,700 of its staff on leave.

District judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by the US president during his first term, agreed with legal arguments from the largest government workers’ union and an association of foreign service workers.

They sued to stop Mr Trump’s administration attempting to close USAID, which distributes billions of dollars of humanitarian aid around the world.

Justice department official Brett Shumate told Judge Nichols that about 2,200 USAID employees would be put on paid leave under the administration’s plans.

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What is USAID?

“The president has decided there is corruption and fraud at USAID,” said Mr Shumate.

It echoes comments President Trump made on Friday in a post on Truth Social accusing USAID – without evidence – of corruption and spending money fraudulently.

But Karla Gilbride, a lawyer for the unions, argued the plans were unlawful: “The major reduction in force, as well as the closure of offices, the forced relocation of these individuals were all done in excess of the executive’s authority in violation of the separation of powers.”

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Judge Nichols’s order, which is in effect until 14 February, blocks Mr Trump’s administration from implementing plans to place the 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave from Saturday.

It also reinstates some 500 employees who had already been furloughed.

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And there will be a ban on relocating USAID humanitarian workers stationed outside the US, after overseas staff were ordered to return home within 30 days.

Judge Nichols will consider a request for a longer-term pause at a hearing scheduled for next week.

But he rejected other requests from the unions to reopen USAID buildings and restore funding for agency grants and contracts.

Soon after being inaugurated, Mr Trump ordered all US foreign aid be paused to ensure it is aligned with his “America First” policy.

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The dismantling of USAID has largely been overseen by Elon Musk, who is spearheading the president’s effort to cut costs and bureaucracy.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio insists the government will continue providing foreign aid, “but it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest”.

Friday’s ruling is the latest setback in the courts for the Trump administration.

Judges have temporarily paused other controversial policies, including one offering financial incentives for federal workers to resign and another ending American citizenship for anyone born in the US if their parents are in the country illegally.

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Day 20: Inside Trump’s White House

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Day 20: Inside Trump's White House

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Twenty days into Donald Trump’s second term, US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone are joined by Washington DC cameramen Ed Young and Michael Herd to take a step back and discuss what it’s like covering the White House under President Trump compared to President Biden.

They also share some of the moments they got close (perhaps too close) to the most powerful man in the world.

You can email James, Martha and Mark on trump100@sky.uk

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Wreckage found in Alaska for missing Bering Air plane carrying 10 people

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Wreckage found in Alaska for missing Bering Air plane carrying 10 people

A small plane which crashed in western Alaska with 10 people on board has been found and the US Coast Guard (USCG) says there were no survivors.

The Bering Air flight left Unalakleet at 2.38pm on Thursday but contact was lost less than an hour later, the firm’s operations director David Olson said.

On Saturday, in a post on X, the coastguard said: “USCG has ended its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approx 34 miles southeast of Nome. 3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased.

“The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane. Our heartfelt condolences are with those affected by this tragic incident.”

The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan – carrying a pilot and nine adult passengers – was flying across Norton Sound when tracking site Flightradar24 reported it at 5,300ft before contact was lost.

It was travelling from Unalakleet, a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, to Nome, a gold rush town just south of the Arctic Circle.

The flight time is normally just under an hour.

Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft’s last known location by helicopter when they spotted the wreckage. They lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.

Nome in Alaska.
Pic: AP
Image:
The plane was heading to Nome, just south of the Arctic Circle. Pic: AP

In a post on Facebook, Nome’s fire department issued an update: “The Nome Search and Rescue Team is spooling up with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard with recovery efforts.

“From reports we have received, the crash was not survivable. Our thoughts are with the families at this time.”

On Friday, Lieutenant Benjamin McIntyre-Coble, from the Alaskan coastguard, explained that the plane suffered a rapid loss of altitude and speed, according to radar data, but did not expand on the potential cause.

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Weather in Unalakleet at take-off time was -8.3C (17F) with fog and light snow, according to the US National Weather Service.

Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska and air travel is often the only option of travelling long distances in rural parts of the US state, especially in winter.

It comes soon after two major air accidents in the US in recent weeks.

Sixty-seven people were killed when a jet and helicopter collided in Washington DC and seven died when a medical plane crashed in Philadelphia.

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