As the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, takes office today, LAOLU AFOLABI chronicles his second journey to the White House, and concerns over his immigration and border policies, among others

At exactly noon today (6.00 pm Nigerian time), President Donald Trump will take the oath of office as the 47th United States President in the presence of United States Chief Justice John Roberts. Trump will move back into the White House after the inauguration ceremony, which includes a formal swearing-in ceremony as well as musical performances, a celebratory parade and several formal balls. Vice-President-elect JD Vance will also take the oath of office, joining Trump on stage to officially begin their new administration.

A key part of the ceremony includes the president-elect reciting the oath of office: ?I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.?

This year, Trump will use a personal Bible given to him by his mother in 1955 and the historic Lincoln Bible, a velvet-bound volume used at President Abraham Lincoln?s inauguration in 1861. The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee also said that Vance will also swear on a personal Bible, a family copy that belonged to his maternal great-grandmother.

His swearing-in follows his victory for a second non-consecutive term. He follows in the footsteps of President Grover Cleveland, making them the only two former presidents in US history to return to office after being defeated for reelection. Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th US President. Trump is the 45th President and will be sworn in as the 47th President today at the age of 78. While Cleveland succeeded his successor, Benjamin Harrison, in 1892, Trump faced a less popular candidate in Vice President Kamala Harris, having ?bullied? President Joe Biden out of the race.

Expected at the ceremony which has been moved indoors due to ?dangerous? cold were former President George Bush and his wife, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former President Barack Obama, outgoing President Biden and wife, Vice-President-elect, J. D. Vance and his wife, world leaders, including China?s Vice President Han Zheng, and diplomats. According to the US media report, billionaire tech chiefs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, are also expected to attend the ceremony. A prominent Nigerian pastor and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi will also attend the event. This will be the first time in 40 years that the inauguration will be moved indoors due to the coldest weather. The second inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1985 was moved into the rotunda of the US Capitol due to the extreme cold.

Trump, the Republican nominee, lost to Biden, the Democratic Party?s nominee and former vice president, in the November 3, 2020, election in what was described as the most highly disputed election in history. The election took place during the global COVID-19 pandemic and related recession. It saw the highest voter turnout by percentage since 1900. Biden received more than 81 million votes, the most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate in US history. There were, however, protests by Trump?s supporters after the election, including the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, as he insisted he did not lose the election.

He skipped Biden?s inauguration ceremony, which marks the formal transfer of power, and became the first ex-president to have done so in 150 years.

His electoral defeat in 2020 was celebrated majorly by Black leaders and voters, civil rights activists, among others, as they came out of hiding to celebrate ?freedom?. They claimed Trump brought racial division during his presidency. Many migrants, including Nigerians living in the US, celebrated Biden?s inauguration with special attire, popularly called ?aso ebi,? showcasing Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris photos, with a caption, ?victory party.?

Many of those who celebrated Biden?s victory over Trump claimed the travel ban imposed on Muslim nations and some other immigration policies by the Trump administration brought fear to them. They had to be careful as there were massive arrests by immigration officers. Biden brought relief for them. On his first day, Biden signed 17 Executive Orders, one among which lifted the ban on Muslim nations from coming to America.

Having lost the Presidency in 2021, Trump had his eyes on a return to the White House. He launched his candidacy in November 2022 under a dark cloud, following the disappointing midterm cycle election loss for Republicans. Not a single member of Congress attended the Trump campaign kickoff at Mar-a-Lago. Not deterred, Trump clinched the GOP nomination on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, with wins in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington, among others. He surpassed the 1,215-delegate threshold needed to become the Republican nominee. He won over rivals such as the Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis; his former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator, Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie and Mike Pence, his vice president in 2017-2021.

Trump became the GOP?s standard-bearer at a time of profound legal trouble. He faced 91 felony charges in cases that span from the New York hush money case to his efforts to overturn the election and his hoarding of classified documents. He was indicted in four separate criminal investigations and his first trial, which centres on payments made to a porn actress, began on March 25, a few days after clinching the Republican primary ticket.

On July 19, 2024, Trump accepted the GOP nomination for president for the third time in a row, closing out the Republican National Convention with his first speech since he was shot in a failed assassination attempt. He reiterated his campaign slogan, ?Make America Great Again.? Speaking for more than an hour and a half in what was the longest convention address in modern history, Trump recounted the fatal shooting at his rally in Pennsylvania. With a bandage covering the wound where a sniper?s bullet tore through his ear, Trump told Republican delegates in Milwaukee, ?I am not supposed to be here tonight. ?I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God. And watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was.?

He was involved in security incidents during his presidential campaigns. The most significant incident was an attempt to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania campaign rally during the presidential election, which resulted in two deaths (including the would-be assassin) and an injury to Trump?s ear. After the shooting, Trump rose from the ground to pump his fist in the air and yell ?Fight!? as blood streamed down his face. Another assassination attempt took place in September 2024 at the Trump International Golf Club. Trump, however, deftly used the legal cases and the assassination attempts as a rallying cry, portraying them as a plot hatched by Democrats to keep him out of power.

Major turnaround in the election took place during the June 27, 2024, debate between Trump and Biden. America witnessed a pale and feeble Biden take the stage. The aftermath threw Democrats into a panic, leading them to urge Biden to withdraw from the race. Biden was ?bullied? by Trump and, days after, he acknowledged his poor performance. Some of the most powerful members of his party urged him to abandon his bid. A COVID-19 diagnosis forced the President into isolation in Rehoboth Beach, where he ultimately withdrew from the race 107 days before Election Day and endorsed Vice President Harris.

Taking the baton, Harris promised a fresh start for a Democratic Party in despair. She took the campaign a notch higher and garnered more support from black voters and women. She announced her 2024 campaign for president on July 21, 2024, and became the official nominee of the Democratic Party on August 5. Harris picked Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate the following day. Harris became the first presidential nominee to not participate in the primaries since Vice President Hubert Humphrey in 1968. It was also the shortest general election presidential campaign in history, lasting only 107 days.

On September 11, 2024, Vice President Harris and former President Trump participated in their first presidential debate in Philadelphia. Unlike Biden, Harris dominated and destabilised Trump in the debate. Trump tried to portray Harris as a far-left candidate who would pursue open-border policies, ban fracking and confiscate people?s guns. Harris responded by questioning Trump?s fitness for office and calling him a ?disgrace?. She also attempted to dismiss the former president as an object of ridicule. At several points, she appeared to be suppressing her laughter as Trump spoke.

In the United States, votes for president are cast on the first Tuesday in November. For 2024, it fell on November 5. In the presidential election, Trump defeated Harris. Republicans also gained control of the Senate and held narrow control of the House of Representatives, winning a government trifecta for the first time since 2016. In the end, Trump, according to AP, won 312 electoral colleges, with over 77 million votes while Harris won 226 electoral colleges, with over 75 million votes. The winner must win 270 electoral colleges to be declared.

Unlike Trump in his Nov 2020 defeat, Biden called to congratulate the president-elect on his election victory and vowed to work toward a ?smooth transition? ahead of the January inauguration. Also, Harris called President-elect Trump on November 6 to concede the election and congratulate him on his victory.

Having won the Presidency, Trump has been involved in peace efforts in most war-torn countries. His intervention was said to have influenced the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. He is reportedly ready to maintain peace with China as he claimed he would, alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping, do everything possible to make the world more peaceful and safe. Trump is also expected to mediate in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. He once invited the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a meeting at his Florida home.

Trump, 78, who joked he would be a ?dictator? on ?day one?, is expected to unleash a blitz of executive orders and actions, including mass deportations, pardons for January 6, 2021 rioters and aggressive tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. It is expected that the second Trump White House will be more organised and more effective.

Trump landed at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on Saturday, ahead of his inauguration, alongside his wife, Melania and other family members.

He told NBC News that he planned to sign a record number of executive orders after being sworn in, beginning ?right after? he delivers his inaugural address on Monday. He said the number of orders he would sign after taking office had not yet been determined, but the figure would be ?record-setting.? When asked if it would exceed 100, Trump said, ?at least in that category.?

The president-elect is expected to sign orders undoing many of the policies advanced during Biden?s administration, including his promises of a mass deportation programme on his first day in office. The expulsion of undocumented migrants will ?begin very, very quickly,? Trump told NBC. ?I can?t say which cities because things are evolving. And I don?t think we want to say what city. You?ll see it firsthand,? he said in the phone interview.

Hardline immigration official, Tom Homan, whom Trump has named his ?border czar,? told The Washington Post on Saturday that the incoming administration was rethinking its initial moves on deportation following media leaks. Multiple US outlets had reported the Trump administration planned a major raid in Chicago on Tuesday, but Homan said ?Trump?s team hasn?t made a decision yet. We?re looking at this leak and will make a decision based on this leak.?

Homan added that he did not know why Chicago had become the focus of media reports but the new administration will arrest people deemed ?public safety threats? from day one. ?We?ll be arresting people across the country, uninhibited by any prior administration guidelines,? he said.

Enabled by a Republican-controlled Congress, a conservative Supreme Court and a cabinet chosen primarily for loyalty, Trump stands to benefit from a Republican party reshaped in his image, a demoralised Democratic opposition and the rise of rightwing media influencers who amplify his message. (The PUNCH)

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