Donald Trump has begun his US presidency with a raft of executive orders and Day One pardons of January 6 rioters.
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Key Events
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Trump to make 'massive' infrastructure announcement
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'Shameful': Nancy Pelosi slams January 6 pardons
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China reacts to US withdrawal from Paris Agreement
Jewish group, chancellor in Germany slam Musk's salute
Billionaire Elon Musk's hand gesture while he spoke during a celebration of US President Donald Trump's inauguration drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute on Monday.
In Germany, the president of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, described the gesture as "highly irritating" in a statement.
"Far more worrying are Elon Musk's political positions, his offensive interference in the German parliamentary election campaign and his support for a party whose anti-democratic aims should be under no illusions."
Musk has backed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party labeled as right-wing-extremist by German security services, in an upcoming national election.
While speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also commented on the gesture.
"We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany. Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire," Scholz responded to a question about it.
"And what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme-right positions."
Reporting with Reuters
Users reporting blocked political content on Meta
On Meta apps #Democrat and other associated tags like #Obama and #KamalaHarris are blocked now but #Republican and #DonaldTrump are not. Is there anything official on this?? A sign of what’s to come??
– #What
We've seen a couple reports of Meta users being unable to access content under hashtags related to certain political parties or figures.
A statement from Instagram's communications team, seen by the ABC, says it is aware of the issue and directed us to Meta Communication Director Andy Stone's comment on X:
Some tags appear to be displaying content as normal, however.
'Trump effect' looms over World Economic Forum meeting
The World Economic Forum is meeting in Davos, Switzerland now — as business leaders grapple with the immediate impact of Donald Trump's second term.
While speaking at the forum, Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the importance of "cool heads" in the face of uncertainty.
"The United States is our closest ally outside Europe. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that it stays that way," Scholz said.
"My first good conversations with President Trump and also the contacts between our advisers point in this direction."
"Not every press conference in Washington, not every tweet should immediately plunge us into agitated, existential debates."
Trump's second term as US president will draw a lot of investment into crypto, the CEO of Coinbase told a panel discussion at the meeting.
"The Trump effect cannot be denied. To have the leader of the largest GDP country in the world come out undeniably and say that he wants to be the first crypto president," said the CEO, Brian Armstrong.
Legislation in Congress will bring a lot of new investment to cryptocurrencies, Armstrong said, adding that bitcoin's recent all-time high was largely due to Trump's inauguration.
Reporting with Reuters
Trump to make 'massive' infrastructure announcement
US President Donald Trump will make an infrastructure announcement on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said in an interview with Fox News.
"It's going to be a massive announcement," Leavitt told the Fox & Friends program without elaborating.
This is the first full day of Trump's second term, which he has indicated will include:
- scaling up fracking projects
- opening all federal lands for fossil fuel exploration projects
- cutting regulations on housing construction
- establishing a new missile defence shield
We summarised his policies in an article following Trump's election win late last year. Read it below.
Top Trump diplomat tested at first Quad meeting of the presidential term
As the US wakes to its first full day of a second Trump term, its new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will host a meeting in Washington, DC with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan.
These nations make up the Quad — four countries sharing concerns about China's growing power — and their immediate meeting is designed to signal that countering Beijing is a top priority for the new president.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who met her Indian and Japanese counterparts in Washington over the weekend, said the invitation for Quad foreign ministers to attend Donald Trump's inauguration showed a dedication to close co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region.
"It's a demonstration of the collective commitment of all countries to the Quad, an iron-clad commitment in this time where close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is so important," Wong said on Sunday of the foreign ministers' invitation to Washington.
Aside from the meeting itself, Republican Senator Marco Rubio — who was confirmed on Monday as Trump's top diplomat — is expected to meet separately with the three foreign ministers on Tuesday.
Reporting with Reuters
US waking to first full day of Trump administration
(Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)
It's just past 7.30am on Tuesday in Washington, DC and dawn is breaking.
It marks the first full day of Donald Trump's second administration.
It was expected Trump would sign up to 100 orders during his first hours back in the White House on Monday.
In the end, the figure was just shy of 50.
China calls for stable, healthy development of trade relations with the US
(Reuters: Florence Lo)
China has called for more dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperationafter Donald Trump required an investigation in the nation's trade practices.
Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said maintaining the steady growth of China-US trade ties serves "the fundamental interests of both countries" and "is conducive to global economic growth".
"China is willing to strengthen dialogue and communication with the United States based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, properly manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation," Guo said.
"We hope that the United States will work with China to jointly promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations."
Can presidents overturn their predecessors' executive orders?
Can a sitting president issue executive orders cancelling the previous president executive orders or pardons?
– Paul
Presidents can choose to cancel the executive orders of their predecessors.
It's a move incoming presidents often make, including Joe Biden when he first took office in 2021.
However, the same can't be said of presidential pardons.
George W Bush was able to revoke a pardon he granted in 2008, but that was allowed only because the pardon attorney had not yet signed the grant of clemency.
The Supreme Court hasn't issued an opinion outlining exactly when a pardon becomes irrevocable, so it remains to be seen whether Donald Trump would be able to rescind any issued before his time in office.
If you'd like to read more about presidential pardons, I took a look at their controversial history in December.
Ex militia leader involved in January 6 riots released from jail
A former militia leader who helped orchestrate the January 6 riot has left prison hours after Donald Trump's executive order.
Oath Keepers extremist group founder Stewart Rhodes had been serving an 18-year sentence for a plot that culminated in his followers attacking the US Capitol.
He was the first person convicted of seditious conspiracy in the January 6 riots.
(Reuters )
World Health Organisation hopes the US will reconsider withdrawal
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it "regrets" Donald Trump's executive order to withdraw the US.
In a statement posted to X, WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he hopes the US will reconsider the move.
"WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go," the statement reads.
What has the reaction been to Elon Musk's rally geature?
What’s the reaction been like to Elons Salute?
– Lesley
Social media is awash with accusations that Elon Musk gave a fascist salute.
Here's how my colleagues Lucia Stein and Rebecca Armitage described the moment:
"Speaking at the Capital One Arena hours after he was sworn in, Musk thanked Americans for choosing Trump at "a fork in the road of human civilisation".
"He then grunted, placed his hand over his heart, bit his lip, and extended his arm out to the crowd."
The Jewish Council of Australia's executive officer Max Kaiser and Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler were among those who condemned the gesture.
But the American Defamation League (ADL), which fights antisemitism in the US, said it seemed more like "an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm".
The ADL did, however, condemn Donald Trump's pardon of the January 6 rioters, saying it "risks reinvigorating violent extremists and other insurrections".
Responding to the controversy, Musk claimed suggestions he had given a fascist salute were "dirty tricks".
'Shameful': Nancy Pelosi slams January 6 pardons
(Reuters: Yuri Gripas)
Democratic Party juggernaut Nancy Pelosi has branded the pardons of January 6 rioters "an outrageous insult" to the justice system.
"Tonight, the President announced pardons and commutations of sentences for those who violently attacked the Capitol and law enforcement officers on January 6th. The President's actions are an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution," the former House speaker said in a statement.
"It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power. Despite the President’s decision, we must always remember the extraordinary courage and valor of the law enforcement heroes who stood in the breach and ensured that democracy survived on that dark day."
In his first hours as president, Donald Trump issued pardons for about 1,500 people who were involved in the attack on the Capitol Building in 2021.
Just 14 offenders were not pardoned, but their sentences were commuted, meaning they will be freed alongside the other rioters.
You can read more about the executive order below.
China reacts to US withdrawal from Paris Agreement
Donald Trump once again withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement on Monday, pointing the finger at China's carbon emissions.
"I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris climate accord rip-off," he said before signing the order in front of supporters at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
"The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity."
China has said it is concerned about the announcement, citing climate change as a common challenge faced by all humankind.
"No country can stand aloof from it, nor can any country do it alone," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday.
Guo said China has been consistent in addressing climate change, and will actively respond to the challenges and jointly promote global green and low-carbon transformation.
The executive order by Trump places the US alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015 pact.
Under the deal, governments agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Reporting with Reuters
First two January 6 prisoners released after pardon
Two brothers convicted in connection to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol have become the first rioters to be freed following a pardon issued by Donald Trump.
Andrew and Matthew Valentin were released from the Central Detention Facility in Washington, DC just before midnight, local time, officials announced.
(X: Paul Ingrassia)
Sergeant Michael Bowman from Washington's Metropolitan Police Department reportedly told a crowd gathered outside the jail that no one else would be released overnight.
That decision has come under fire from Trump supporters, including Paul Ingrassia, the White House Liaison for the Department of Justice.
"This is completely unacceptable and against the law," Ingrassia wrote on X.
Welcome to our coverage of the first full day of Donald Trump's second term
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Donald Trump's first full day in office.
It's currently the wee hours of Tuesday morning in Washington, DC, but there's still plenty to keep across.
My colleague Tessa Flemming and I are here to bring you the latest updates.
In the meantime, you can catch up on the key moments from the inauguration below.
