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Donald Trump has left St John’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC after attending a prayer service ahead of his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.

The 78-year-old’s arrival at the historic church, located across from the White House, was his first public appearance on Monday as he prepared to return to the White House.

He is set for a momentous day as millions of people around the world watch on.

Mr Trump arrived at the prayer service, a tradition for president-elects on inauguration day, with his wife Melania at around 8.45am local time (1.45pm UK time).

They sat in the front row with their son Barron, 18, to their left, and incoming vice president JD Vance and his wife Usha to their right.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos were also spotted sitting in the same row as each other in the church.

President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and their son Barron walk to their seats. Pic: AP
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President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and their son Barron walk to their seats. Pic: AP

President-elect Donald Trump talks with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Usha Vance before the service. Pic: AP
Image:
President-elect Donald Trump talks with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Usha Vance before the service. Pic: AP

The service lasted around 30 minutes.

Afterwards, Mr Trump returned to Blair House, often referred to as the “President’s Guest House”, where he stayed on Saturday and Sunday.

The Republican is hours away from being sworn in as president for a second time after he defeated Democratic candidate and vice president Kamala Harris in the US presidential election in November.

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump arrives for a service at St. John's Church on Inauguration Day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump arrives for the service at St. John’s Church. Pic: Reuters

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's son Eric Trump arrives for a service at St. John's Church on Inauguration Day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
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Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump arrives for the service at St. John’s Church. Pic: Reuters

He will also become the first convicted criminal to become president when he takes the oath eight years after his first inauguration in January 2017.

Before the ceremony inside the Capitol Rotunda, he will meet with outgoing president Joe Biden and his wife Jill for tea at the White House at around 9.45am local time (2.45pm UK time).

Mr Trump will be joined by incoming first lady Melania for the tea, which is traditionally held on inauguration day to welcome the new president.

The meeting offers a stark contrast to four years ago, when Mr Trump refused to acknowledge Mr Biden’s election victory or attend his inauguration.

This time around, the incoming and outgoing presidents will travel in the same car as they join a motorcade to depart for the Capitol at around 10.25am local time (3.25pm UK time).

Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden at the White House in November last year. Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden at the White House in November last year. Pic: Reuters

Mr Trump, who will become only the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms, is expected to arrive at the Capitol around five minutes later.

Mr Vance is expected to be sworn in at 11.25am local time (4.25pm UK time).

The 40-year-old will take the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a bible given to him by his great-grandmother.

Mr Trump is expected to take the oath at around 11.40am local time (4.40pm UK time).

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A general view shows the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building during snowfall a day before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated for a second term, in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch .
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The US Capitol building ahead of the inauguration. Pic: Reuters

He will use both a family Bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration as chief justice John Roberts administers his oath.

Mr Trump will then deliver his inaugural address, which is expected to last just over 30 minutes and will likely be watched by millions of people across the world.

The ceremony will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda after it was moved indoors because of what is forecast to be the coldest inauguration day in 40 years.

It is not clear how the ceremony will be adapted to the setting, but only a fraction of the originally expected crowd will be allowed in.

Former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will be in attendance, in keeping with former incumbents of the White House attending inauguration day.

However, there will be two notable absences: former first lady Michelle Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Neither gave an explanation as to why they were skipping the ceremony.

Organisers prepare the Capitol Rotunda for the swearing-in ceremony. Pic: AP
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Organisers prepare the Capitol Rotunda for the swearing-in ceremony. Pic: AP

A cadre of billionaires and tech titans who have sought to curry favour with Mr Trump and have donated handsomely to his inaugural festivities, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, will also be in attendance.

Following Mr Trump’s inaugural address, there will be a ceremonial farewell to Mr Biden and Ms Harris at 12.40pm local time (5.40pm UK time).

Mr Trump and Mr Vance will head to the President’s Room just off the Senate Chamber in the US Capitol for a signing ceremony watched by members of Congress at around 12.50pm local time (5.50pm UK time).

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Trump shows off his dance moves

An hour later the new president and vice president will attend a luncheon at Statuary Hall in the US Capitol hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Mr Obama, Mr Clinton and Mr Bush will not attend the luncheon despite receiving invites, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News has reported.

At around 3.50pm local time (8.50pm UK time), Mr Trump and the new first lady will travel to the Capitol One Arena for the parade celebrations to start.

JD Vance is preparing to be sworn in as vice president. Pic: AP
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JD Vance is preparing to be sworn in as vice president. Pic: AP

The original plan for a traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue has been turned into an indoor event because of the cold.

Mr Trump will speak to his gathered supporters at the arena, where many of the people who had planned to watch the swearing-in ceremony outside will have watched a live broadcast of the inauguration instead.

The event is expected to feature remarks from Mr Trump and marching bands.

The new president will then head to the White House for an Oval Office signing ceremony at 5pm local time (10pm UK time).

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During Mr Trump’s speech on Sunday, he promised to sign close to 100 executive orders on his first day in office, including repealing “every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration”.

A trio of glitzy balls will follow in the evening, punctuated by musical performances and remarks from Mr Trump.

Country music band Rascal Flatts and country singer Parker McCollum will perform at the Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball, which is geared toward military service members.

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Trump shows off his dance moves

Meanwhile, the US rapper Nelly and disco band The Village People are scheduled to appear at the Liberty Inaugural Ball which is geared towards Mr Trump’s supporters.

Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will perform at the Starlight Ball, at which guests are expected to be big donors of the incoming president.

Mr Trump’s return to the White House marks a stunning comeback after he overcame criminal indictments and two assassination attempts to regain the presidency.

It also comes after he lost the 2020 election, before denying his defeat and attempting to cling on to power.

He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while legislators were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the country’s traditional peaceful transfer of power.

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What China could do next as Trump’s tariff war ramps up

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What China could do next as Trump's tariff war ramps up

The severity cannot be overstated, if an additional 50% tariffs are levied on all Chinese goods it will decimate trade between the world’s two biggest economies.

Remember, 50% would sit on top of what is already on the table: 34% announced last week, 20% announced at the start of US President Donald Trump’s term, and some additional tariffs left over from his first term in office.

In total, it means all Chinese goods would face tariffs of over 100%, some as high as 120%.

It’s a price that makes any trade almost impossible.

China is really the only nation in the world at the moment that is choosing to take a stand.

While others are publicly making concessions and sending delegations to negotiate, China has clearly calculated that not being seen to be bullied is worth the cost that retaliation will bring.

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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump

The real question, though, is if the US does indeed impose this extra 50% tomorrow, what could or would China do next?

It has said it will “fight to the end”, but what does that mean?

In reality, there are few good options.

There are some obvious measures that China will almost certainly enact.

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Further export controls on rare earth minerals (crucial for the development of high-tech products) are one example. China controls a huge proportion of the world’s supply, but the US would likely find workarounds in time.

Hiking tariffs on high-impact US products such as agricultural goods is another option, but there is only so far this could go.

The potentially more impactful options have significant drawbacks for Beijing.

It could, for instance, target high-profile American companies such as Apple and Tesla, but this isn’t ideal at a time when China is trying to attract more foreign investment, and some devaluation of the currency is possible, but it would also come with adverse effects.

Other options are more political and come with the risk of escalation beyond the economic arena.

In an opinion piece this morning, the editor of Xinhua, China’s state news agency, speculated that China could cease all cooperation with the US on the war against fentanyl.

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This has been a major political issue for Mr Trump, and it’s hard to see it would not constitute some sort of red line for him.

Other options touted include banning the import of American films, or perhaps calling for the Chinese public to boycott all American products.

Anything like this comes with a sense that the world’s two most powerful superpowers might be teetering on the edge of not just a total economic decoupling, but cultural separation too.

There is understandably serious nervousness about how that could spiral and the precedent it sets.

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Social media posts spark US markets upturn – before White House clarification sends them back into the red

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Social media posts spark US markets upturn - before White House clarification sends them back into the red

A rumour on social media fuelled a brief upturn for struggling US stock markets – but they swiftly swung back down again after the claim was debunked by the White House.

Markets around the world have struggled since some of Donald Trump’s new import tariffs came into effect over the weekend.

Tariffs latest: Starmer sets out response to US levies

The US markets opened on Monday with a fall for the third day in a row but briefly rallied and showed growth of over 2% at 3.15pm UK time.

The upturn came after a social media rumour claimed a top Trump administration adviser had suggested the president could be considering a 90-day pause on tariffs.

The origin of the false report was unclear but it appeared to be a misinterpretation of a comment made by a White House employee during a Fox News interview.

Asked if the US president would consider a pause, Kevin Hassett, White House National Economic Council director, said: “I think the president is going to decide what the president is going to decide.

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“There are more than 50 countries in negotiation with the president.”

Nearly two hours later, multiple X accounts posted identical messages claiming Mr Hassett said a pause – for all countries except China – was being considered.

The identical posts were picked up by some news outlets and stock traders, sending the markets skyrocketing.

However, when the White House said any talk of a pause was “fake news”, they were sent back into the red.

This brief upturn was market volatility writ large

It was the stock market as a spectator sport.

The moment, mid-morning, when a Trump aide had given a TV interview and subsequent headlines screamed that Trump was considering a 90-day pause on tariffs.

Suddenly, the markets went from red to green.

Make that green to red, just minutes later, when the White House dismissed the story as fake news, insisting there would be no pause.

Investors duly reverted back to panic mode.

It was market volatility writ large.

The stance inside the White House can be best characterised as ‘panic, what panic?’.

Donald Trump on Monday joked his way through a photo call with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of baseball’s World Series, ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

For those two men, there is much on the agenda, of course – not least the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza.

On that, this will be an important stage in a grinding diplomacy that has ground to a halt around a ceasefire.

On tariffs, with Netanyahu, there will be a first look at how negotiations work with the punitive president.

Israel faces a 17% tariff from its largest trade partner and ally.

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With Trump’s first visitor since the tariff announcement comes a first test of how negotiations work and what they produce.

The world will be watching agog – as all the world has a stake.

Mr Trump has remained defiant despite fears that his levies could be pushing the US towards a recession.

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The US president has insisted the taxes are necessary for rebuilding domestic manufacturing and resetting trade relationships with other countries.

“Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” he wrote on Truth Social on Monday.

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What’s going on with the stock markets?

Mr Trump – who played golf in Florida over the weekend – has also threatened an extra tariff on China, after Beijing announced a retaliatory levy on the US.

He said if Beijing does not withdraw its retaliatory tax, the US will impose an additional 50% levy on China and “negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately”.

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Meghan reveals ‘huge medical scare’ after childbirth

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Meghan reveals 'huge medical scare' after childbirth

The Duchess of Sussex has spoken about medical complications she suffered after the birth of one of her children.

Meghan revealed she was diagnosed with postpartum pre-eclampsia, a condition similar to pre-eclampsia which affects women during pregnancy.

In the first episode of a new podcast, Meghan described the condition as “so rare” and “so scary”.

“You’re still trying to juggle all these things and the world doesn’t know what is happening, quietly and in the quiet you are still trying to show up for people,” she added.

“You’re still trying to show up, mostly for your children. But those things are huge medical scares.”

While Meghan spoke about suffering with postpartum pre-eclampsia, she did not reveal whether it happened after the birth of five-year-old son Archie or three-year-old daughter Lilibet.

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What we learnt from Meghan series

Postpartum pre-eclampsia is a serious condition linked to high blood pressure which occurs most commonly within the first seven days of a birth, but can be a risk up to six weeks after delivery, according to the charity the Preeclampsia Foundation.

The NHS says symptoms include severe headaches, vision problems, pain below the ribs, vomiting and sudden swelling of the feet, ankles, face and hands.

Without immediate treatment, it can lead to serious complications including, in rare cases, convulsions, liver and blood clotting disorders and strokes.

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Meghan’s podcast, Confessions Of A Female Founder, is the latest show she has produced since the release of her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan and her new brand As Ever.

She has promised the podcast will feature “girl talk” and advice on how to create “billion-dollar businesses”.

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Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of dating platform Bumble, spoke to Meghan on her podcast about the impact of childbirth.

The first episode was released on the same day Prince Harry appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in London for the latest stage in his legal challenge over the level of security he is given when he is in the UK.

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