Donald Trump Jr. ran through the widest possible range of emotions on Monday as his father was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
He first grinned as Donald Trump completed the oath of office.
Then as ‘Hail to the Chief’ rang around the Capitol‘s Rotunda and Joe Biden stepped forward to shake his father’s hand, his eyes misted over and shone bright with tears.
His smile appeared to stiffen as if he was fighting back a wave of emotion as the proud son of a new president.
His face reflected what many in Trump’s inner circle felt Monday: Vindication in victory after four tough years in the wilderness, surviving election defeat and then battling a raft of criminal prosecutions.
‘Have you ever been more excited about a Monday? American strength is back,’ he posted on X ahead of the ceremony.
It is not the first time Don Jr. has shown his emotion as pivotal moment. His eyes appeared wet when his father made his triumphal arrival at the the party convention in July, says after surviving an assassin’s bullet.
Donald Trump Jr. ran through a range of emotions as his father was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. He beamed with delight
And then his eyes shone with moisture as he looked at his father with pride
He sat alongside his proud siblings during the ceremony, with sister Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, and brother Eric to his right.
He shared a joke with the world’s richest man Elon Musk, who sat at his left shoulder.
And when his father stepped forward for the oath, he moved into a prime spot for a close-up view.
‘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,’ Trump said.
It marked an extraordinary return to power for a president impeached twice in his first term, convicted of business fraud during his time out of office, and who narrowly survived assassination during the campaign last year.
A cadre of billionaires—including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Tim Cook— were in prominent positions in the audience, reflecting how Trump has won over doubters.
It means that Don Jr and his siblings have moved from outcasts in the wake of 2020 election defeat back to being at the center of political, business and social life in the nation’s capital.
‘The golden age of America begins right now,’ said Trump in his inaugural address.
From L to R, Eric Trump, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump, Jr. applaud during the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025
About 600 dignitaries assembled in the Capitol’s Rotunda for the inauguration ceremony
‘From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.’
After his speech, he stopped by the Capitol’s visitor center where he delivered, a longer, informal speech.
He returned to some of his favorite campaign themes, such as voicing suspicions about the electoral process and railing against President Joe Biden’s 11th-hour pardons.
‘I think this was a better speech than the one I made upstairs,’ Trump said.
He is later expected to sign dozens of executive orders in a sign that he wants to hit the ground running, overturning Biden era regulations on green energy, diversity, equity and inclusion, and foreign aid.
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