LIVE | Trump’s first orders: US to leave Paris accord, pardon for Capitol attackers

President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to rename North America's tallest peak, Denali in Alaska, as Mount McKinley — reviving an idea he'd floated years ago that at that time saw strong pushback from state political leaders.

Trump, who took office for a second time Monday, said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.” Trump also announced plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Messages left for Alaska's three-member Republican congressional delegation and Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy weren't immediately returned. Alaska's US senators in 2017 vehemently opposed a prior suggestion by Trump that the name Denali be changed back to Mount McKinley.

In 2015, then-President Barack Obama changed the name to Denali to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives and acknowledge the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has sought to change place names considered disrespectful to Native people.

Denali is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one” or “the great one.” The iconic 20,310-foot (6,190-metre) mountain, snow-capped and dotted with glaciers, is in Denali National Park and Preserve.

A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. The name was formally recognised by the US government until Obama changed it — in spite of opposition from lawmakers in McKinley's home state of Ohio.

Trump raised the notion of a name change again during a rally late last year, following his election.

“McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said in December. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That's what they do to people.” Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was among those expressing opposition to a name change from Denali.

“You can't improve upon the name that Alaska's Koyukon Athabascans bestowed on North America's tallest peak, Denali – the Great One," she said at that time, adding that the issue "should not be relitigated.” The Tanana Chiefs Conference, a consortium of Athabascan tribes in Interior Alaska, spent years advocating for the peak to be recognised as Denali.

McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio, was the 25th president. He was assassinated early in his second term in 1901.

Alaska and Ohio had been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. 

The Department of Government Efficiency's first order of business was itself: It's now down to one leader.

Vivek Ramaswamy is no longer part of the commission that President Donald Trump championed, officials confirmed hours after the Republican took office Monday, and that leaves billionaire Elon Musk to run the cost-cutting operation alone.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024, has signalled plans to run for governor of Ohio next year. A native of Cincinnati, Ramaswamy, 39, had shown interest in Vice President JD Vance's recently vacated Senate seat before Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as Vance's successor.

“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE," Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the commission, said in a statement. "He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.” Trump picked Musk and Ramaswamy to lead DOGE, a nongovernmental task force that Trump has assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programmes and slash federal regulations — all part of what the new president calls his “Save America” agenda for his second term.

Musk's involvement in particular has raised ethics concerns because SpaceX, the company he founded and led, has massive defence contracts and competes for business from NASA. His Tesla electric-car company and other business interests could also benefit from Trump decisions in office.

Ambitious efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government historically have run into resistance when the public is confronted with cuts to trusted programmes that millions of Americans depend on for jobs, health care, military security and everyday needs.

One of the world's wealthiest millennials, Ramaswamy made a fortune in biotech before turning his attention to politics. He rose to prominence on the right as a fierce critic of identity politics and programmes that advance diversity, equity and inclusion.

He has positioned himself as a thought leader of Trump's populist “Make America Great Again” movement. He endorsed Trump in the GOP primary after finishing fourth in Iowa's leadoff caucuses.

In his first address after being sworn in on Monday, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading statements that he made during his campaign.

They included claims about immigration, the economy, electric vehicles and the Panama Canal. In remarks later at the Capitol's Emancipation Hall, he issued a number of other false claims, including one that distorts pardons made by President Joe Biden as he left office. Here's a look at the facts.

Biden did not pardon 33 murderers

CLAIM: Trump, at Emancipation Hall, said Biden pardoned “what is it, 33 murderers, absolute murderers, the worst murderers. You know, when you get the death sentence in the United States, you have to be bad.” THE FACTS: Biden announced on December 23 that he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. A commutation does not exonerate the person.

In making the announcement, Biden said: “These com­mu­ta­tions are con­sis­tent with the mora­to­ri­um my Administration has imposed on fed­er­al exe­cu­tions, in cas­es oth­er than ter­ror­ism and hate-moti­vat­ed mass murder.” The move spared the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities.

The three federal inmates that now face execution are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh's Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history.

Trump resurfaces false claim about the 2020 election CLAIM: “2020, by the way, that election was totally rigged.” — remarks at Emancipation Hall.

FACTS: The election was not rigged. Authorities who have reviewed the election — including Trump's own attorney general — have concluded the election was fair.

Biden won the Electoral College with 306 votes to Trump's 232, and the popular vote by more than 7 million ballots. Recounts in key states affirmed Biden's victory, and lawsuits challenging the results were unsuccessful.

Nancy Pelosi did not reject National Guard troops on January 6

CLAIM: Calling the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol the “Unselect Committee of political thugs,” Trump alleged that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “turned down the offer of 10,000 soldiers” on January 6, 2021 and that she was “in charge of security at the Capitol.” — remarks at Emancipation Hall.

FACTS: Trump has frequently claimed Pelosi rejected his offer to send National Guard troops to the Capitol on January 6. While he was involved in discussions in the days prior to January 6 about whether the National Guard would be called ahead of the joint session, he issued no such order or formal request before or during the rioting, and the guard's arrival was delayed for hours as Pentagon officials deliberated over how to proceed.

In a 2022 interview with the Democratic-led House committee that investigated the attack, Christopher Miller, the acting defence secretary at that time, confirmed that there was no order from the president.

Pelosi did not direct the National Guard. However, as the Capitol came under attack, she and then-Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called for military assistance, including from the National Guard.

The Capitol Police Board makes the decision on whether to call National Guard troops to the Capitol. It is made up of the House Sergeant at Arms, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol. The board decided not to call the guard ahead of the insurrection but did eventually request assistance after the rioting had already begun, and the troops arrived several hours later.

The House Sergeant at Arms reported to Pelosi and the Senate Sergeant at Arms reported to McConnell. There is no evidence that either Pelosi or McConnell directed the security officials not to call the guard beforehand. Drew Hammill, a then-spokesperson for Pelosi, said after the insurrection that Pelosi was never informed of such a request.

Trump repeats unfounded claim about immigrants

CLAIM: Trump, a Republican, said in his inaugural address that the US government "fails to protect our magnificent, law-abiding American citizens but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.” THE FACTS: There is no evidence other countries are sending their criminals or the mentally ill across the border.

Trump frequently brought up this claim during his most recent campaign.

Inflation did not reach record highs under Biden CLAIM: “I will direct all members of my Cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.” — inaugural address.

FACTS: Inflation peaked at 9.1 per cent in June 2022 after rising steadily in the first 17 months of Democrat Joe Biden's presidency from a low of 0.1 per cent in May 2020. The most recent data shows that as of December it had fallen to 2.9 per cent.

Other historical periods have seen higher inflation, such as a more than 14 per cent rate in 1980, according to the Federal Reserve.

The average price of basic consumer goods has seen major spikes in recent years. For example, a dozen large eggs went from a low of USD 1.33 in August 2020 to USD 4.82 in January 2023. They decreased in price to USD 2.07 in September 2023 but are currently on the rise again, at USD 4.15 as of December, partly attributable to a lingering outbreak of bird flu coinciding with high demand during the holiday baking season.

A gallon of whole milk rose to a high of USD 4.22 in November 2022, up from USD 2.25 at the start of Biden's term. As of December, it was at USD 4.10.

Gasoline fell as low as USD 1.77 a gallon under Trump. But that price dip happened during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns when few people were driving. The low prices were due to a global health crisis, not Trump's policies.

Under Biden, gasoline rose to a high of USD 5.06 in June 2022. It has since been on a downward trend, at USD 3.15 as of December.

Promise of an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs CLAIM: Promising to establish an External Revenue Service to collect “all tariffs, duties, and revenues,” Trump said in his inaugural address, “It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our Treasury, coming from foreign sources.” THE FACTS: Nearly all economists point out that American consumers will pay at least part, if not most, of the cost of the tariffs. Some exporters overseas may accept lower profits to offset some of the cost of the duties, and the dollar will likely rise in value compared with the currencies of the countries facing tariffs, which could also offset some of the impact.

But the tariffs won't have the desired impact of spurring more production in the US unless they make foreign-made products more expensive for US consumers.

In addition, many of Trump's supporters, and even some of his appointees, argue that he intends to use tariffs primarily as a bargaining tool to extract concessions from other countries. Yet if an External Revenue Service is established, it certainly suggests Trump is expecting to impose and collect many duties.

Calls for revocation of EV mandate that doesn't exist

CLAIM: “We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving the auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers.” — inaugural address.

FACTS: It's misleading to claim that such a mandate exists. In April 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency announced strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. The agency says these limits could be met if 67 per cent of new-vehicle sales are electric by 2032.

And yet, the new rule would not require automakers to boost electric vehicle sales directly. It sets emissions limits and allows automakers to choose how to meet them.

In 2019, Kamala Harris co-sponsored a bill as a US senator called the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act that would have required 100 per cent of new passenger vehicles sold to be zero-emission by 2040. The bill, which stalled in committee, did not ban ownership of vehicles that produce emissions.

China does not operate the Panama Canal

CLAIM: Discussing his desire for the US to take back the Panama Canal: “American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, and that includes the United States Navy. And, above all, China is operating the Panama Canal." — inaugural address.

FACTS: Officials in Panama have denied Trump's claims that China is operating the canal and that the US is being overcharged. Ricaurte Vásquez, administrator of the canal, said in an interview with The Associated Press that “there's no discrimination in the fees.” “The price rules are uniform for absolutely all those who transit the canal and clearly defined,” he said.

He also said China was not operating the canal. He noted Chinese companies operating in the ports on either end of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997. He added that US and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well.

Vásquez stressed that the canal can't give special treatment to US-flagged ships because of a neutrality treaty. He said requests for exceptions are routinely rejected, because the process is clear and there mustn't be arbitrary variations. The only exception in the neutrality treaty is for American warships, which receive expedited passage.

Trump, complaining about rising charges for ships transiting the canal, has refused to rule out the use of military force to seize control of the canal.

The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on December 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat.

Emergency officials and first responders from a Pennsylvania county where Trump was nearly assassinated last July marched in the inaugural parade.

Butler County first responders presented the colours and marched in a large U around the arena. They carried the fire jacket of Corey Comperatore, a rallygoer who was shot and killed during the attempt on Trump's life.

A moment of silence was held for Comperatore as well.

The inaugural parade included a nod to Trump's and Vance's formative years.

Students from the New York Military Academy, a private prep school near West Point, marched in the parade. Trump is a 1964 graduate of the school, as well as an alumnus of distinction from the school.

Also participating were the marching band and cheerleaders from Ohio's Middletown High School. Vance graduated from the school in 2003.

The community raised more than USD 140,000 through private donations and grants to send students from Vance's hometown to Washington.

Families of hostages from Israel attended the inauguration parade, including several with family members still in captivity and others whose loved ones have died.

The family members took the stage, lining up to shake hands with Trump.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's appointee for special envoy for peace in the Middle East, kicked off the speaking portion following the parade by celebrating the return of three Israeli hostages on Sunday.

"For the former hostages here today, welcome home," Trump said after being introduced by Witkoff.

Fresh off President Donald Trump's inauguration, the Senate on Monday passed a bill that would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes, the first measure he likely will sign into law and giving more weight to his plans to deport millions of migrants.

Trump has made a broad crackdown on illegal immigration his top priority, and Congress, with Republicans in control and some Democrats willing to go along, is showing it is ready to follow suit. The bill passed 64-35, with 12 Democrats joining with Republicans voting in favour.

Passage of the Laken Riley Act — named after a Georgia nursing student whose murder by a Venezuelan man last year became a rallying cry for Trump's White House campaign — was a sign of how Congress has shifted sharply right on border security and immigration. Passage came just minutes before Trump signed the first of his executive orders.

“We don't want criminals coming into our country,” Trump told supporters at the Capitol earlier Monday, adding he looked forward to holding a bill signing “within a week or so.” Trump is already ending many of former President Joe Biden's border and immigration programs, turning the United States away from the Democrat's attempts at more humane immigration policies at a time when record numbers of people were sometimes arriving at the border with Mexico. Swift action on immigration policy was proof of how Democrats were no longer resisting some strict enforcement proposals.

“If you come into this country illegally and you commit a crime, you should not be free to roam the streets of this nation,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who helped push the bill through the Senate.

The bill cleared a key procedural vote in the Senate last week also with support from Democrats, and similar legislation gained support from 48 House Democrats earlier this month.

The Republican-controlled House passed its version of the bill, but will still need to take up changes made in the Senate. The Senate expanded the legislation to target immigrants who assault a police officer or are accused of crimes that kill or seriously injure someone.

The legislation would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of crimes, including shoplifting, and would grant states new legal standing to challenge federal immigration decisions, including by immigration judges.

Critics of the bill say that provision will open the door for Republican state attorneys general to wage a legal battle against federal immigration decisions, injecting even more uncertainty and partisanship into immigration policy.

Deporting millions of migrants or enforcing the Laken Riley Act will largely depend on Congress' ability to allocate roughly USD 100 billion that Republicans have proposed for border security and immigration enforcement. Republicans are debating how to approve that money through a process known as budget reconciliation that will allow them to squeeze it through Congress purely on party-line votes.

That won't be easy in the House, where Republicans hold the majority by just a few seats. They will also face intense pressure to balance their pledges to tame budget deficits and concerns about the economic, as well as humanitarian, impacts of mass deportations.

Currently, the Laken Riley Act has no funding attached to it, but Democrats on the Appropriations Committee estimate the bill would cost USD 83 billion over the next three years, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has estimated it would need to nearly triple the number of detention beds and conduct more than 80 removal flights per week to implement the requirements, according to the memo.

“That's a lot of money to spend on a bill that is going to cause chaos, punish legal immigrants, and undermine due process in America — all while drawing resources away from true threats,” said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a floor speech last week.

Joe Biden on Monday wrapped up a more than 50-year political career, but promised that "we're not leaving the fight", as he bid farewell to the presidency and flew to California to unwind with his family and ease back into private life.

Biden spoke not long after watching his successor, Republican President Donald Trump, pledge during his inaugural address to "completely and totally reverse" everything that his Democratic predecessor did.

In the final hours before the noontime transfer of executive power, Biden extended courtesies to the man he turned out of the Oval Office four years ago.

Trump denied losing the 2020 election and refused to offer similar niceties to Biden upon his inauguration in 2021.

The bitter cold day opened with Biden and his wife, Jill, receiving Trump, and his wife, Melania, for a traditional Inauguration Day meet-and-greet over tea at the White House.

"Welcome home," Biden told Trump.

Afterward, the rivals who share a history of political animosity rode in a limousine to the Capitol where Trump was sworn in as the 47th president.

"Our recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal," Trump said about the work of the Biden administration.

Biden sat expressionless in the front row.

As Trump gave his address, the residence staff at the White House got to work. clearing out the remainder of Biden's belongings so they could move Trump and his family back in. The work included redecorating the Oval Office in time for Trump to sign a series of executive orders.

Walls in the press offices that were bare in the morning after most of the staff had ended their government service were decorated by midafternoon with fresh photographs of Trump.

After Trump's address, the new president and his wife walked the Bidens outside to a helicopter that had been waiting on the Capitol grounds to fly them to Joint Base Andrews for a farewell event with his staff.

"We couldn't have done anything we did without you," Biden told them.

"No president gets to choose the moment they enter history, but they get to choose the team they enter history with and we chose the best damn team in the world." Even though they may feel "knocked down" by the turn of events, he said what was important was how quickly they get back up.

"We're leaving office. We're not leaving the fight," Biden said, urging them to stay engaged.

He also appeared to joke about Trump's speech, chuckling as he said, "We heard the inaugural address today. We got a lot more to do." Biden then made the sign of the cross and everyone laughed.

He and the first lady then walked across the tarmac to the familiar blue-and-white plane he flew on as president for the flight to Santa Ynez, California, where they planned to unwind with family.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday directing the United States to again withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and once again distancing the US from its closest allies.

Trump's action, hours after he was sworn in to a second term, echoed his directive in 2017, when he announced that the US would abandon the global Paris accord. The pact is aimed at limiting long-term global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels or, failing that, keeping temperatures at least well below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels.

Trump also signed a letter to the United Nations indicating his intention to withdraw from the 2015 agreement, which allows nations to provide targets to cut their own emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

Those targets are supposed to become more stringent over time, with countries facing a February 2025 deadline for new individual plans. The outgoing Biden administration last month offered a plan to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 per cent by 2035.

Trump's order says the Paris accord is among a number of international agreements that don't reflect US values and “steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people." Instead of joining a global agreement, “the United States' successful track record of advancing both economic and environmental objectives should be a model for other countries,'' Trump said.

The withdrawal process from the Paris accord takes one year. Trump's previous withdrawal took effect the day after the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Biden.

While the first Trump-led withdrawal from the landmark U.N. agreement — adopted by 196 nations — shocked and angered nations across the globe, “not a single country followed the US out the door,” said Alden Meyer, a longtime climate negotiations analyst with the European think tank E3G.

Instead, other nations renewed their commitment to slowing climate change, along with investors, businesses, governors, mayors and others in the US, Meyer and other experts said.

Soon after taking charge as the 47th US president on Monday, Donald Trump signed a first round of executive orders aiming to assert control of the federal workforce, and withdraw from the Paris climate treaty, among others, to halt a slew of orders passed by the previous Joe Biden administration.

Among the executive orders Trump signed with a flourish in front of a cheering crowd was one mandating that federal workers return to their offices five days a week.

The move followed the new president's pledge to end the work-from-home culture that became common during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trump also signed an executive order directing the US to again withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and once again distancing the US from its closest allies.

Trump's action echoed his directive in 2017, when he announced that the US would abandon the global Paris accord.

The pact is aimed at limiting long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels or, failing that, keeping temperatures at least well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Trump also reversed an executive order issued by Biden that moved to lift the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Biden formally notified Congress just last week of his decision to lift the designation as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.

The day after the announcement, Cuba began releasing people who were convicted of various crimes, including some who were arrested after taking part in the historic 2021 protests, according to Cuban civil groups following the cases of detainees on the island.

What Trump has signed orders on:

* Halting 78 Biden-era executive actions

* A regulatory freeze preventing bureaucrats from issuing regulations until the Trump administration has full control of the government

* A freeze on all federal hiring except for military and a few other essential areas

* A requirement that federal workers return to full-time in-person work

* A directive to every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis

* Withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty

* A government order restoring freedom of speech and preventing censorship of free speech

* Ending “weaponisation of government”.