President-elect Donald Trump reveled in his return to Washington during his inauguration eve rally, previewing several orders he plans to make on day one that include many promises he made on the campaign trail.
Trump is expected to sign a flurry of executive orders regarding immigration and government reform once he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States Monday afternoon.
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“You’re going to see something tomorrow,” Trump told rallygoers during his Sunday evening remarks. “You’re going to see executive orders that are going to make you extremely happy. Lots of them.”
After stepping onto a platform set up on the floor of the Capital One Arena from the crowd, as opposed to a more secure position backstage, Trump was introduced, as tradition, by Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA.”
“We won,” Trump told the crowd on Sunday. “What a good feeling. We like winning, don’t we?”
Trump looked back to last year’s election, reminding the crowd he won all seven battleground states for the 2024 Electoral College and the popular vote, and recounted the assassination attempt against his life in Butler, Pennsylvania last summer, sharing that he continues to experience a “throbbing feeling” in his ear. But he also looked forward to what he hopes to accomplish during the next four years starting Monday.
“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline and we begin a brand new day of American strength, prosperity, dignity, and pride,” he said, adding “by the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the invasion of our borders will have to a halt,” as an example.
Trump previewed that he will be announcing “sweeping” border security measures during his inaugural address, saying they would be the most “aggressive” effort to “restore our borders the world has ever seen.”
“We’ve allowed millions and millions of people into our country through open borders, no checks, no betting, no anything … And lots of those people are murderers,” Trump said. “We will expel every single illegal alien gang member and migrant criminal operating on American soil, and remove the savage gang trend Iraq from the United States.”
Against Capital One Arena’s stadium ticker of “45-47,” representing how he was the 45th president and will be the 47th president, Trump, too, underscored how TikTok was “back” after he consented to work with the social media application, despite a bipartisan divestment law passed because of national security concerns.
“We won the youth vote by 36 points, so I like TikTok,” he said.
Trump went on to tease day one pardons for Jan. 6 rioters and that he will travel to California to survey wildfire damage on Friday.
“Like hell we are,” he said of aides who proposed delaying executive action over a number of days instead of day one.
The president-elect also claimed that Apple CEO Tim Cook told him the company was going to make a “massive investment” in the United States because of his November victory.
“Today, I spoke with Tim Cook of Apple. He said they’re going to make a massive investment in the United States because of our big election,” Trump said, though it is not clear what the investment will be.
During the rally, Trump took the time to welcome Tesla, SpaceX, and X CEO Elon Musk and one of Musk’s children on stage at the three-quarter full arena. Regardless of reported tensions between the pair as the tech entrepreneur prepares to lead the advisory Department of Government Efficiency, Musk was more deferential than he has been in the past.
“We’re looking forward to making a lot of changes,” he said. “What matters going forward is to actually make significant changes… and set the foundation for America to be strong forever.”
Trump capped his hourlong speech by staying on stage while the Village People, a rally staple, sang the “Y.M.C.A.”
Earlier in the pre-program, a prayer was followed by a performance by Kid Rock, who, during his profanity-laced appearance, told the crowd he had “one question for them” as he sang “All Summer Long.” At that stage, the arena was half full.
“Is MAGA in the house tonight?” he asked.
Kid Rock’s set was interspersed with a prerecorded message from Trump, in which the president-elect described the crowd as “rock and roll patriots” and implored them to “Make America Rock Again.”
Kid Rock’s black singlet and jean ensemble could be compared to the likes of Sebastian Gorka’s striped suit, with the former deputy assistant to the president and incoming White House senior director for counterterrorism coming onto the media riser for a TV hit.
Jon Voight, one of Trump’s newly appointed “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, along with Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson, similarly spoke to the crowd.
“Donald J. Trump fought hard to save this country and now he will bring God back to our nation’s truths,” he said. “A man who never gave up on the American people and we, the people, never gave up on him.”
Later, incoming special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witoff disclosed to the crowd he had received photos of the first three hostages released in the ceasefire deal he helped President Joe Biden’s administration negotiate.
“We celebrate not just the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, but the enduring values of American strength and leadership and the vision that he represents,” he said. “President Trump has always understood that leadership is not about following trends but charting the new course in the face of these challenges.”
Eric and Lara Trump’s children, the president-elect’s grandchildren, Luke and Carolina, led the crowd in the pledge of allegiance, before Eric and Lara, in addition to Donald Trump Jr. and his oldest daughter Kai, expressed their gratitude to the crowd for its support of the incoming commander in chief.
“Our country is back, our country will be respected again,” Eric Trump said. “The bullshit ends right now. We love you. We love you. We love you.”
The crowd, provided with two different types of Trump signs, wore American flag and president-elect paraphernalia, from baseball hats, top hats, ponchos, sequined jackets, and even ski suits, with one group wearing “Make Canada Great Again” sweaters.
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Derek Noonan, 59, a businessman from Toronto, told the Washington Examiner he and his cohort had driven eight hours to be at the rally.
Another rallygoer, Susan Campbell Reneau, 72, a who is a writer and former Montana Republican state Senate candidate, donned a U.S. flag cowboy hat and was draped in a Trump flag pinned together with a button of the president-elect’s face.
“I’ve been celebrating since Nov. 5, so I’m just thrilled to be here,” Campbell Reneau told the Washington Examiner. “I had tickets to the inauguration and, of course, now the inauguration has been a little bit disrupted, but I’m still celebrating.”