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Top 5 Inauguration Day moments

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Top 5 Inauguration Day moments

President Trump was inaugurated for a second time on Monday. 

The inauguration kicked off the day on a historic note, with the ceremony moved indoors due to freezing temperatures. Notable moments played out throughout the day, including Trump’s fiery speech shortly after being sworn in, to an audio mishap that inadvertently turned into a collaborative singing effort. 

Here are the top five moments from Trump’s second inauguration. 

TRUMP’S SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS A TRIUMPH FOR HIM, HIS SUPPORTERS

Trump ushers in ‘Golden Age of America,’ bashes Biden-Harris admin in inaugural speech 

“The golden Age of America begins right now,” Trump said shortly after being sworn in. “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.”

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Trump started out his first speech officially as president by saying the U.S. would now be “the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”

The president assailed the Biden-Harris administration as the former president and vice president looked on. Trump specifically slammed the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government” and said the country has been operating under “a radical and corrupt establishment.”

“While the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair, we now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home,” Trump said.

DEMS PROMISE TO ‘STAND UP TO’ TRUMP BUT LAUD ‘PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER’ AFTER SPEECH

Trump criticized the Biden administration’s handling of various national disasters, including hurricane damage in North Carolina and recent wildfires in California. 

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“Jan. 20th, 2025, is Liberation Day,” Trump said. “It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country.”

President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, did their first dance together as POTUS and FLOTUS Monday night at the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The dance featured a nifty spin move by the President.

First lady Melania Trump donned a white, strapless gown with black detailing following a full day of inauguration festivities. She coupled the dress with a black choker.

The ball is one of two others that Trump made an appearance in: the Liberty Ball and Starlight Ball.

Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, also joined Trump and Melania onstage for a quick dance, before they exchanged partners with military servicemembers.

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TRUMP’S INAUGURATION BRINGS OUT SPORTS WORLD’S KEY FIGURES

Melania Trump wore a custom Adam Lippes double-breasted navy coat with a matching boater hat designed by Eric Javits; Sen. John Fetterman wore his signature shorts-and-hoodie getup. (Getty)

From the best to worst dressed: Melania Trump, Sen. John Fetterman draw eyes over fashion choices 

First lady Melania Trump donned a weather-appropriate outfit for her husband’s second inaugural ceremony. Melania was pictured wearing a custom Adam Lippes double-breasted navy coat with a matching boater hat designed by Eric Javits while on her way to a service at St. John’s Church on Inauguration Day, according to Page Six. 

Social media users flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to post compliments on the first lady’s inaugural getup, with many saying she looked “elegant” and “classy.”

TRUMP VOWS ‘NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SUCCESS,’ SAYS AMERICA’S ‘DECLINE IS OVER’ IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, on the other hand, had a slightly more warmer-weather-style outfit for the inauguration ceremony. Fetterman was seen sporting gray gym shorts, a dark hoodie and sneakers as he arrived at Capitol Hill.

The senator’s attire also drew attention given the chilly temperatures on Monday. Trump’s second inauguration notably marked the coldest presidential inauguration ceremony in more than 40 years.

Trump’s awkward kiss attempt with Melania 

Trump tried to kiss Melania shortly before his swearing-in after initially entering the Capitol Rotunda, leading to an awkward air-kiss encounter. 

Trump and Melania were surrounded by former presidents and their wives along with Cabinet nominees, foreign dignitaries and other high-profile guests upon entering the building. Trump leaned in to give Melania a kiss on the cheek when Melania’s hat got in the way.

They ultimately settled on an air kiss.

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Carrie Underwood sings a cappella following music mishap

Country singer Carrie Underwood showed she was a true professional during her rendition of “America the Beautiful” after a hiccup with the music. 

Underwood was welcomed with a round of applause as she was introduced. Once on stage, Underwood patiently waited for the instrumentals to start, which ultimately never came.

“If you know the words, help me out here,” she finally said before launching into an a cappella version of the song.

Members of the audience, including the former president and vice president, joined in singing the song.

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Underwood wrapped up her performance by shaking Biden’s hand and sharing a moment with Trump and Vice President Vance before leaving the room.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Bought Market Dip Before Trump Paused Tariffs, Profiting From the Rally

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Bought Market Dip Before Trump Paused Tariffs, Profiting From the Rally

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, disclosed on Monday that she had purchased between tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock on April 8 and 9, the day before and the day of President Trump’s announcement that he was pausing a sweeping set of global tariffs, a pivot that sent the stock market soaring out of a sizable slump.

Ms. Greene bought between about $21,000 and $315,000 in stocks on those days. The day before Mr. Trump’s move, she also dumped between $50,000 and $100,000 in Treasury bills, according to required public disclosures made to the House.

The report came as Democrats in Congress have demanded investigations of whether the president’s whipsawing moves on trade might have been aimed at manipulating the market and giving his allies a lucrative opportunity for insider trading.

Members of Congress are required to report their stock trades within 30 days of making them, though they only have to mark down broad ranges rather than specific dollar amounts. Ms. Greene’s April 8 and 9 trades — 21 each in the range of $1,001 to $15,000 — are some of the first among members of Congress that will be reported over the coming month as lawmakers detail their financial moves around the time the president encouraged people to buy the dip ahead of his pause on tariffs.

“THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Mr. Trump wrote on social media the morning of April 9. About four hours later, he said he was pausing most tariffs on every country except China, an announcement that resulted in massive one-day gains in stocks.

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Ms. Greene, one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal allies in the House and an active stock trader, appeared to heed the advice, making an unusually large volume of stock purchases. That day, she bought stock in several companies, including Apple, which has since gone up in value by about 5 percent. She also bought stock in other technology companies, as well as energy firms such as Devon Energy Corporation and the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Company, according to her public disclosures.

The day before, she purchased stock in Palantir, whose value has since gone up 19 percent, and in Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., whose stock has since risen 21 percent. She also sold the Treasury bills as government bond yields were rising amid the tariff chaos, (Ms. Greene had previously purchased up to $500,000 in Treasuries before April 2, when Mr. Trump announced his most expansive tariffs to date.)

Ms. Greene, who is the chairwoman of the DOGE subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee, did not respond to a request for comment. When her stock trades were examined in the past, she told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution that she relies on a financial adviser to trade on her behalf and does not have input on which companies are being traded, or when.

Lawmakers in both parties have long championed legislation to ban individual stock trading by members of Congress as a way to appeal to growing populist sentiment among constituents.

The tumult in the stock market caused by Mr. Trump’s erratic moves on tariffs has led Democrats to question who is gaining financially because of it. Ms. Greene is not alone in appearing to have capitalized on the market volatility.

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Representative Rob Bresnahan, a Pennsylvania Republican who has emerged as one of the most active stock traders in the freshman class despite saying during his campaign that he wanted to ban congressional stock trading, also appears to have profited from Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

Mr. Bresnahan sold up to $50,000 in Alibaba stock on March 4, the same day Mr. Trump doubled the tariff on Chinese imports to 20 percent. Alibaba is an e-commerce giant with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The stock price rose by about 30 percent between Mr. Bresnahan’s initial purchase and his final sale.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Bresnahan said that he relies on a financial adviser to trade stocks for him, and never knows about the trades before they happen or when they occur. The Alibaba trade, she said, was part of a larger strategic stock package. When it was reported in his disclosure, Mr. Bresnahan’s team put in guardrails so that he would not be able to trade that stock again.

While there has been no evidence of insider trading, Democrats have zeroed in on the potential for malfeasance as a way to attack Mr. Trump’s tariff moves and suggest that he and his friends are exploiting decisions that have hurt ordinary people.

“It is unconscionable that as American families are concerned about their financial security during this economic crisis entirely manufactured by the president, insiders may have actively profited from the market volatility and potentially perpetrated financial fraud on the American public,” a group of Democrats led by Senators Adam Schiff of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote in a letter last week to Paul Atkins, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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In the letter, they demanded that Mr. Atkins open an investigation to determine whether Mr. Trump or any “insiders” had engaged in insider trading or other securities law violations.

Separately, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, wrote in a fund-raising appeal on April 11 that “any member of Congress who purchased stocks in the last 48 hours should probably disclose that now,” after Nasdaq call volume spiked ahead of Mr. Trump’s announcement. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has been a longtime proponent of legislation to ban stock trading for members of Congress.

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EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Mace targeted by Pennsylvania man arrested for threatening Trump

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EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Mace targeted by Pennsylvania man arrested for threatening Trump

EXCLUSIVE: A man charged with making threats to murder President Donald Trump was also found to have threatened Rep. Nance Mace, R-S.C., a source with knowledge of the matter told Fox News Digital.

Mace’s office was informed by U.S. Capitol Police that Shawn Monper of Butler, Pennsylvania, made threats against her on social media in January, the source said.

The man allegedly wrote of Mace on YouTube, “If I ever see her unprotected in public I would live to be the one to put a bullet in her skull. What a disgusting peice [sic] of trash.”

FLORIDA CHARGES TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER, TERRORISM 

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., questions U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

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Mace appears to be the only member of Congress targeted by the suspect for now, the source told Fox News Digital.

It’s not immediately clear why Mace, an outspoken Trump ally, was threatened.

But it comes amid concerns about escalating threats against elected officials on both sides of the aisle.

Trump, who was subject to two failed assassination attempts during the 2024 election, was targeted by Monper in a series of threats on YouTube, according to a release by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

STATE-CONTROLLED IRANIAN NEWSPAPER CALLS FOR FIRING BULLETS INTO TRUMP’S ‘EMPTY’ SKULL

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Donald Trump smiles in a navy suit and red tie

President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Evan Vucci/AP)

The FBI “received an emergency disclosure regarding threats posted to YouTube by user ‘Mr Satan’” between Jan. 15 and April 5, according to the release.

Monper also got a firearms permit “shortly following” Trump’s inauguration, and posted in Februrary under the aforementioned username, “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office,” the DOJ said.

Posts in March showed Monper threatening a mass shooting.

Further posts uncovered by federal authorities show him targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and Elon Musk, the release showed.

Nancy Mace speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention

Rep. Nancy Mace speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 17, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

The U.S. Secret Service was alerted to the suspect’s threats against Mace as well, the source told Fox News Digital.

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U.S. Capitol Police said it would not comment on potential investigations when reached for confirmation.

Mace’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

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Salvadoran president says he won't return man deported by mistake

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Salvadoran president says he won't return man deported by mistake

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said he would not return to the United States a man who was wrongly deported by the Trump administration, despite a Supreme Court ruling that said the U.S. should take steps to facilitate his return.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, had lived in the U.S. for 14 years before the Trump administration deported him — an act White House officials called an “administrative error.” Although U.S. government officials acknowledge he was wrongly deported, they now contend that forcing his return would interfere with El Salvador’s sovereignty.

“This is up to El Salvador to return him,” U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said Monday at the White House, where President Trump and Bukele were meeting with other officials.

Asked if he would return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., Bukele responded, “Of course I’m not going to do it.”

Without presenting any evidence, White House officials repeated claims that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, and that he presented a threat if returned to the United States. Abrego Garcia has no criminal record.

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He did have a withholding order, which prevented him from being deported to El Salvador, because of concerns he would be harmed by local gangs there. In its court order, the Supreme Court called his deportation “illegal.”

Protestors chant Monday outside the Salvadoran Embassy in Washington.

(Nathan Howard / Associated Press)

“The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” the court said in its order.

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However, the Supreme Court questioned a lower court’s language that the U.S. government “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return, and the ambiguity of the term “effectuate.”

“The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs,” the court ruling said. “For its part, the Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps.”

Trump administration officials seized on the court’s ruling. “If [El Salvador] wanted to return him, we would facilitate it — meaning, provide a plane,” Bondi said.

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But Bukele was unequivocal. “How can I return him to the United States? I smuggle him into the United States? What do I do? Of course, I’m not going to do it,” he said.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) asked Bukele for a meeting during his trip to Washington. Van Hollen said he had been in touch with Abrego Garcia’s wife, mother and brother, who are concerned about his well-being in the Salvadoran prison.

“If Kilmar is not home by midweek — I plan to travel to El Salvador this week to check on his condition and discuss his release,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland, was deported March 15 to the Terrorism Confinement Center, Salvador’s huge maximum-security prison.

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The Oval Office meeting united two closely allied leaders who share a populist rhetoric and a disdain for democratic norms.

Bukele, a 43-year-old former marketing executive who has described himself as an “instrument of God” and the “world’s coolest dictator,” came to power in 2019 and quickly made global headlines by making El Salvador the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.

Faced with some of the highest homicide rates in the world, his government first tried to contain the violence by secretly negotiating a truce with gangsters.

When that failed, Bukele declared a state of emergency that suspended civil liberties as authorities jailed some 85,000 people — including about 5% of the nation’s men between the ages of 18 and 35. Many of the people locked up were not criminals, human rights advocates say, and some were children as young as 12. Dozens of inmates have died in his prisons.

Pro-democracy activists and journalists cried foul, but as homicides plunged, Bukele’s approval ratings skyrocketed.

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That support was crucial last year when Bukele engineered a constitutional change that allowed him to seek a prohibited second term. He won with 83% of the vote.

His popularity has made him a hero of the American right, with Bukele speaking at last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference and taking meetings with Elon Musk. Like Trump, who during Monday’s meeting repeatedly berated a CNN reporter who was present, Bukele abhors traditional media, preferring to disseminate his messages via TikTok over granting interviews with journalists.

Many of El Salvador’s investigative journalists have been forced to flee the country amid a campaign that targeted them with spyware.

Bukele’s government has also gone to war with human rights advocates, detaining at least 21 of them, according to a U.S.-based think tank, the Washington Office on Latin America. The group on Monday warned against Trump’s alliance with Bukele. “Behind the handshake and praise lie grave human rights violations and threats to democracy,” it said.

Pinho and Savage reported from Washington and Linthicum from Mexico City.

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