The Latest: Trump leaves the stage at raucous Washington ‘victory rally’

2. Foreign leaders are in town: Previously, no heads of state have made an official visit to the U.S. for an inauguration. But this year, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni will be in attendance. 

3. A TikTok ban reversal: Trump announced he plans to give the popular app’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer, prompting the app to restore service, thanking Trump in the process.  

Here's the latest: Black conservatives toast to Trump’s inauguration 

Black conservatives toasted to a new era Sunday night at the “Legacy of Freedom Ball” at Arena Stage in Washington. 

The gala of a few hundred featured a jazz band playing covers from artists like John Legend and Marvin Gaye. Conservative activists and GOP donors mingled in a VIP section slated to host rapper Waka Flocka Flame. 

“Black folks have rented out of this beautiful facility, and that just tells you, economically, we’re advancing,” Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, who is running to become Virginia’s governor, told The Associated Press. 

Sears added that she welcomed the incoming administration’s focus on crime and hoped the administration would prioritize boosting entrepreneurship and tackling immigration. 

Sears said she hoped a focus on “building generational wealth” would prompt more Black Americans, who overwhelmingly backed Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election, to reconsider Trump. 

“Can’t we just give him a chance,” Sears asked. Trump to head to Blair House 

After his raucous victory rally at Capitol One Arena, Trump is scheduled to head for a break at the Blair House, the president’s official guest residence. Later tonight, he will take part in a candlelight dinner that won’t be accessible to the press. Bidens plan to vacation in California after inauguration 

Biden and his wife Jill will travel to Santa Ynez, Calif. on Monday after attending Trump’s inauguration, the White House announced. 

They will depart the Capitol after the ceremony and attend a farewell event with former staffers at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington before boarding an Air Force plane for the trip. 

The plane will be known as “Special Air Mission 46” — for the 46th president — and not “Air Force One”, since Biden will no longer be the sitting president after noon on Monday. The Bidens previously vacationed in Santa Ynez over the summer after Biden ended his bid for reelection. Trump brings up ‘racehorse theory’ while lauding Musk and his son 

Trump appeared to reference “racehorse theory,” the idea that certain bloodlines produce superior offspring, while complimenting Musk and his young son who joined him onstage. 

“If you believe in the racehorse theory, he’s got a nice, smart son,” Trump said of Musk. 

The term, which Trump has previously explained as meaning that “fast horses produce fast horses,” is a reference to racehorse breeding. It has at times been used by white supremacists, Nazis and eugenicists to promote racial purity. Trump speech ends 

Trump has finished speaking at this pre-inaugural rally in Washington. 

Trump wrapped up his hourlong speech with a performance by the Village People, who sang “YMCA,” the anthem that closed out nearly all of Trump’s campaign rallies. 

Trump swayed on stage, bopped his head and sang along as they performed. Trump says he’ll visit Los Angeles wildfire wreckage on Friday 

Trump shared plans to travel to L.A. on Friday to survey the damage of wildfires that killed at least 27 people and scorched the largest urban area of California in at least 40 years. 

Trump said he’s praying for the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires and will help rebuild the city “more beautiful” than ever before. 

He also mentioned plans to help North Carolina hurricane survivors get “rocking and rolling,” arguing they’ve been “treated very badly as a state.” Air Force One TVs tuned to Trump rally 

The plane’s televisions were tuned to MSNBC and showed coverage of Trump as he started to speak at his rally in Washington. 

Biden was returning to the U.S. capital after visiting Charleston, South Carolina. It was his final official trip as president. Musk says he plans ‘significant changes’ 

Elon Musk, co-director of Trump’s DOGE initiative to dismantle parts of the federal government, stuttered a bit when he was invited onstage to discuss the program’s plans. 

“What matters going forward is to actually make significant changes, cement those changes and set the foundation for America to be strong for a century, for centuries, forever,” said Musk, dressed in a black overcoat and tie that was dressier than his typical attire. 

“This victory is the start, really,” he said. Trump doubles down on immigration comments 

Trump repeated several of his campaign lines on immigration, including the unfounded claim that foreign governments are “emptying” their prisons, jails or mental institutions into the U.S. 

He said the press excoriated him during the campaign for repeatedly bringing up the fictitious character Hannibal Lecter but suggested some of the immigrants living in the U.S. “are probably worse.” 

The crowd applauded as he teased plans for mass deportation, without going into detail. Trump lauds TikTok’s return 

“As of today, TikTok is back,” Trump said to loud applause at a pre-inaugural rally in Washington. Trump credited TikTok with helping him perform much better with young voters than Republicans have historically. 

“Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it. A lot of jobs. We don’t want to give our business to China. We don’t want to give our business to other people.” 

Trump suggested he would use his leverage to seek a joint venture in which the U.S. government owns half of the company without putting up any money. 

“So whether you like TikTok or not, we’re going to make a lot of money,” Trump said. Trump says ceasefire deal ‘would have never happened’ if he weren’t elected 

Trump took credit for the first hostages being released from Gaza, rebuffing Biden, who has also taken credit for the deal. 

“We achieved more without being president than they achieved in four years with being president,” Trump said, dwelling on the moment. Trump boasts economic outlook 

Since the election, “the stock market has surged” and “Bitcoin has shattered one record high after another,” Trump says. ‘Four long years of American decline:’ Trump rally speech echoes his campaign 

Trump is staying consistent to the framing he often used in his campaign, criticizing Biden’s term as a “failed administration” and promising to “end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment.” 

“Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline and we begin a brand-new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” he told supporters. Trump arrives at his ‘MAGA Victory’ rally 

Trump is taking the stage at his rally in Washington, less than a day before he will be sworn in as president. Trump family gins up excitement at rally 

As Trump gets closer to speaking, his family members are pumping up the crowd. 

Trump’s son Eric Trump’s kids delivered the pledge of allegiance in their parents’ arms. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said the next four years “is going to be the pièce de resistance.” 

“Has anyone ever been this excited for Monday morning to roll around?” Trump Jr. said. Melania Trump joins her husband in backing a meme coin 

Melania Trump is out with her own cryptocurrency token days after President-elect Donald Trump launched a meme coin of his own. The incoming first lady launched the meme coin with posts on her social media accounts on Sunday while her husband’s rally was underway in Washington. 

Her husband’s coin soared in value after it was announced late Friday, potentially boosting his net worth as he prepares to take office. 

Some crypto enthusiasts hailed the Trump meme coin’s release, saying it’s symbolic of the incoming president’s support for an industry that felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. Trump has promised to usher in crypto-friendly regulations and picked crypto cheerleaders for key government positions. 

Critics said the Trump meme coin could be a dangerous way for special interests and foreign governments to try and buy influence with the president. 

▶ Read more about the couple’s meme coins Trump’s Mideast envoy on ceasefire: ‘It doesn’t happen without Donald J. Trump’ 

Biden and Trump have both claimed credit for the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal that resulted in the release of the first three hostages from Gaza to Israel on Sunday. 

Biden’s administration worked for months to broker peace, while Trump later warned of “hell to pay” if a deal wasn’t done by his inauguration. 

Trump’s incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who was involved in the talks alongside Biden’s Mideast pointman, credited Trump in remarks at the president-elect’s rally Sunday. 

“We had a great team but it doesn’t happen without Donald J. Trump,” Witkoff said. “The president was responsible for this release and we all owe him a debt of gratitude, as do all the families.” Trump rally feels a lot like the campaign 

Trump is about to be sworn in as president, but his pre-inaugural rally in Washington at times feels like he’s still campaigning for the job. 

Trump supporters are aggressively attacking outgoing President Joe Biden, defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and their fellow Democrats, using many of the same broadsides they lobbed during the campaign. 

“It’s been four long years,” said Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s top advisers who will have a senior role in the White House. “Four years of weakness for years of humiliation and embarrassment, four years of persecution, four years of inflation, poverty incompetence. Four years of betrayal, four years of wide open, undefended, unprotected, open borders. But tomorrow at 12 p.m., that’s all going to end.” 

Conservative commentator and podcast host Megyn Kelly called Harris “the fakest person involved on that side at the aisle.” She said Harris was a candidate “who pretended that she wasn’t the border czar, who pretended that she was middle class, who pretended that she was smart.” ‘Justice is coming:’ Stephen Miller forecasts immigration crackdown 

Trump’s new deputy chief of policy Stephen Miller cheered an expected immigration crackdown in his remarks at Trump’s inauguration eve rally. 

Miller spoke of an executive order “taking America back” through deportation of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. He said it would bring justice for those whose loved ones have been killed by those immigrants. 

Immigrants in large cities have been bracing for the president-elect’s planned “mass deportation program” even as Trump has offered few details of what it will look like. 

America has gone through “four years of weakness, four years of humiliation and embarrassment,” Miller said. “It’s about to be a country that is respected.” Puerto Rican singers celebrate Trump at rally 

Anuel AA and Justin Quiles, two Puerto Rican musicians, spoke in support of Trump onstage at his inauguration eve rally. 

The moment stood in stark contrast to one of Trump’s rallies near the end of the campaign, when a comedian opening the rally called Puerto Rico a ” floating island of garbage.” ‘MAGA Victory’ rally in Washington gets underway 

Trump’s pre-inaugural rally in Washington is starting with a performance of the national anthem, a prayer and a performance by musician Kid Rock. 

Trump fans are filling into Capitol One Arena in Washington, but the nosebleed seats are still mostly empty. The floor, first and second sections are largely full, other than VIP seats. Trump is scheduled to speak later. Vance greets Chinese vice president 

JD Vance greeted Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, welcoming his soon-to-be counterpart to the United States and the inauguration. 

The Trump transition team says Vance and Han “discussed a range of topics including fentanyl, valancing trade and regional stability.” 

Dignitaries from around the world are expected when Trump and Vance are inaugurated on Monday. 

In an unorthodox move, Trump last month invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to the inauguration. No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration, according to State Department historical records. Trump lays wreath 

Trump appeared solemn as he placed a wreath on an easel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Moments later, Vance did the same. 

After he placing the wreaths, Trump, Vance and their wives met with families of soldiers buried at Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery, a burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Trump greeted each family individually at the gravestones of their loved ones and appeared to place challenge coins on their headstones. Trump arrives in Arlington 

Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have arrived at Arlington National Cemetery. They walked down the stairs through a drizzly rain and past a silent crowd. 

Trump is set to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, part of his multi-day schedule of inauguration events. Cabinet members and family await Trump’s arrival in Arlington 

Trump family members and his picks for several Cabinet positions are at Arlington National Cemetery, where the president-elect will soon participate in a wreath-laying ceremony ahead of a rally. 

Among those in attendance are his wife, Melania Trump, and his children: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and Ivanka Trump. 

Also present are Pete Hegseth, his pick for defense secretary, Marco Rubio, his pick for secretary of state, Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence and Elise Stefanik, his pick for United Nations ambassador. JD Vance’s spouse, Usha Vance, was also in attendance. Thanking Trump, TikTok restores service for US users 

Hours after Trump vowed to delay TikTok’s ban once he enters office, the platform was beginning to come back online for some U.S. users. 

The company that runs TikTok posted on X, referencing Trump’s post, said it was “in the process” of restoring service. 

“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” the company said. Trump ‘ebullient,’ ‘serene’ ahead of taking office, Roger Stone says 

Close confidants of Trump believe he’s in high spirits on the eve of his inauguration. 

“I haven’t talked to him in a couple of days, but I would describe him as an ebullient, serene, calm, excited, I mean, about the potential. He’s much more engaged in the formation of his administration than he was in 2017. He’s actually in a great mood,” Roger Stone, a political consultant and close ally of Trump, told the Associated Press Saturday evening. 

Stone consulted on Trump’s 2016 campaign run and was a central subject of investigation for the special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller into potential Russian election interference. 

Stone said he preferred the inauguration being held indoors for security reasons, not inclement weather. 

“I’m happy it’s going inside. We have had, undeniably, two assassinations attempts on him. I speak only for myself here, but I think he’s much safer under these circumstances,” Stone said. Hispanic Inaugural Ball celebrates pan-American right 

Members of Congress like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar mingled with conservative Hispanic American business leaders as well as Latin American politicians at the Saturday night event, which took place at the at Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. 

Venezuelan centrist opposition politician Juan Guaidó was hailed by attendees and was greeted by U.S. lawmakers. 

Argentinian President Javier Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” who has carried out an audacious economic agenda in the South American nation, was hugged Vivek Ramaswamy on stage before delivering remarks. 

Ramaswamy, a Trump insider, called Milei “an inspiration” and “DOGE before there was DOGE in America.” 

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also rallied gala attendees during remarks. Both Milei and Peña are conservative economists turned politicians. Each praised Trump’s agenda and said they hoped for deeper ties between the U.S. and Latin America. Trump’s cabinet takes a photo 

As Trump was preparing to retake the White House, most of his choices for his in-coming Cabinet gathered for the first time at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. 

Trump’s picks for key Cabinet posts – including his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – attended a closed-door, formal dinner on Saturday night. 

Kash Patel, Trump’s choice as FBI director, shared on social media a photo of the Cabinet picks lined up in three rows and facing the camera. Many – but not all – were smiling. “I’d write a caption,” Patel wrote. “But y’all do it.” Trump has breakfast with GOP senators 

Trump kicked off his formal events for Inauguration Day eve with a private breakfast with Republican senators. 

The closed-door gathering was held at Blair House, the president’s official guest residence on Pennsylvania Avenue. It is located across the street from the White House, where Trump slept Saturday night. 

Vice President-elect JD Vance, a senator from Ohio until his recent resignation, was also seen arriving at Blair House Sunday morning, as the breakfast began. Trump vows to give TikTok a 90-day extension 

Trump said Sunday that he’ll issue an executive order to extend TikTok’s life in the U.S. another 90 days, allowing more time to work out a deal with China to avoid a permanent ban. 

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday as well as other events and conversations.” 

He said he’s interested in the U.S. owning 50% of TikTok in a “joint venture” model, though he didn’t offer much detail on what that would look like. 

TikTok stopped working for users in the U.S. on Saturday evening and the app was removed from prominent app stores in the country. Trump says he won’t punish companies that keep TikTok functioning before he takes office Monday. Clothes in the closets and favorite foods in the fridge: Moving day comes to the White House 

Most presidents get to move into the White House once. President-elect Donald Trump is doing it twice, and his wife, Melania, says it’s a lot easier the second time around. 

“I know where I will be going. I know the rooms where we will be living. I know the process,” the incoming first lady said recently. She described their first move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2017 as “challenging.” 

Regardless of who is president, the whole process also challenges the White House residence staff: The maids, butlers and others who look after the president’s private living space have about five hours — from start to finish — on Inauguration Day to move out one first family and settle in the next one. 

“Everything needs to be planned to the minute,” Melania Trump said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” 

The clock starts ticking when the outgoing and incoming presidents leave the White House together for a shared limousine ride to the Capitol for the swearing-in. 

“As soon as they leave, the executive residence staff swings into action,” Matthew Costello, chief education officer of the White House Historical Association, said during a recent online program about Inauguration Day history. “Essentially, staff is working nonstop to inventory, process and move all of the personal items of one first family out and a new first family in.” 

▶ Read more about the process of moving day at the White House What to watch at the inauguration tomorrow 

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the country’s 47th president was expected to be an extravagant break from tradition — before it got moved indoors due to cold weather. 

There will still be well-known performers, influential billionaires as guests and foreign heads of state. Unlike his first inauguration eight years ago, Trump will be welcomed back to office by business titans and global leaders, groups that often shunned him in his first term. 

▶ Read more about what to expect on Monday The inauguration is moving indoors. Here’s what to know about the changed plans 

Sub-freezing temperatures forecast for Monday in Washington mean President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office from inside the Capitol Rotunda. Almost everyone visiting Washington won’t be able to see the ceremony in person. 

It will be the first time in 40 years that the swearing-in won’t take place on the Capitol steps. Plans are underway to accommodate some attendees at the city’s pro basketball and hockey arena. 

▶ Read more about what to know about the change of venue The schedule for Sunday: 

The pageantry and parties surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration kick off this weekend with fireworks and a rally before Monday’s inaugural ceremony, parade and balls. 

Here’s the schedule for Sunday: 

Arlington ceremony: The president-elect will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. 

MAGA rally: In the evening, Trump will hold a campaign-style “MAGA Victory” rally at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. 

The rally is set to include performances by Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Village People, Lee Greenwood and a Liberty University choir that will pay tribute to the attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where one rallygoer was killed and three people were injured, including Trump, whose ear was grazed by a bullet. 

Rally speakers will include Trump, Vance, Elon Musk, former wrestling star Hulk Hogan, actor Jon Voight, UFC President Dana White, Puerto Rican reggaeton star Anuel AA, Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk and conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, 

Dinner: Trump will attend a candlelight dinner, at which he’s expected to speak. 

▶ Read more about the schedule for today and Monday