Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President on Monday for a historic second term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his “dear friend” Trump on his inauguration and wished him a “further successful tenure”.
“I look forward to working together once again to benefit both our countries and shape a better future for the world,” PM Modi posted on Instagram.
My dear friend President, congratulations @realdonaldtrump On your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working together again to benefit both our countries and shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a…
-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 20 January 2025
PM Modi did not attend the inauguration ceremony – which was attended by several world leaders – but he sent External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to attend the event as his special envoy. “It was a privilege to represent India as External Affairs Minister and Special Envoy of the Prime Minister at the swearing-in ceremony of the 47th President of the United States of America in Washington DC today,” he said earlier on X.
Trump solemnly took the oath of office under the massive Rotunda of the US Capitol with one hand in the air and the other on a Bible given to him by his mother.
In his first speech after being sworn in as US President, Trump listed several executive orders he would soon sign, including a national emergency at the Mexico border. The main objective of these orders is to fulfill his election promises.
Tech giants like Elon Musk, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Google CEO Sundar Pichai had prime seats in the Capitol, along with Trump’s family and Cabinet members.
While Trump refused to attend Biden’s 2021 inauguration after falsely alleging election fraud, the former president reinstated the tradition. Earlier, he met Trump and Melania for a traditional tea at the White House with his wife Jill Biden. Republican Trump and Democratic Biden then traveled together by motorcade to the Capitol, where the inauguration ceremony was being held indoors instead of the initially planned outdoor venue for the first time in decades due to bitter cold.
