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Donald Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk has responded after being accused of performing a Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration celebrations on Monday, dismissing the accusations as “dirty tricks”.
The new president signed a deluge of executive orders last night, just hours after being sworn in as the 47th president at the Capitol rotunda and delivering an address that both chastized Joe Biden’s outgoing administration and promised a new “golden age of America”.
Trump then set to work, just as he had promised, by signing a stack of executive orders.
On immigration alone, Trump moved to declare a national emergency at the southern border, end birthright citizenship, designate Central America’s cartels terrorist organizations, reinstate his “Remain in Mexico” policy and ended “catch and release” practices.
He also pardoned 1,500 “J6 hostages”, withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization and Paris climate accord, affirmed that the government recognizes only two genders, renamed the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali, overturned 78 Biden-era regulations, froze federal hiring and postponed the implementation of a law banning Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok for 75 days.
Watch: Trump to make ‘massive’ infrastructure announcement this afternoon
Karoline Leavitt, the new White House press secretary, spoke to Fox & Friends Tuesday morning and said President Donald Trump will make a “massive” infrastructure announcement at 4 p.m. when he speaks with the press.
Oliver O’Connell21 January 2025 14:19
Trump meeting with Republican congressional leadership on Tuesday
Here’s what the president is up to today:
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 14:15
Watch: Donald Trump issues warning to Vladimir Putin on first day in office
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 14:00
Musk responds to ‘Nazi salute’ controversy
This is how the tech boss responded to the outcry over his iffy gesture, replying to a commenter on his social media platform on X by saying:
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Meanwhile, here’s James Liddell on whether or not he’ll be granted an office in the West Wing to carry out his DOGE activities.
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 13:45
Melania Trump’s inauguration hat spawns hilarious memes: ‘She looks like the Hamburglar’
The first lady’s broad-brimmed hat inevitably inspired plenty of ridicule on social media yesterday.
Here’s Kayleigh Werner with the best of the reaction.
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 13:30
Watch: Jon Stewart offers generous interpretation of Elon Musk’s inauguration ‘Nazi salute’
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 13:15
Billy Ray Cyrus gives ‘disaster’ performance at Trump’s Liberty Ball
It was by no means smooth sailing for everyone yesterday, with the 63-year-old country star suffering a set described as an “epic disaster” riddled with technical glitches.
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 13:00
Marco Rubio confirmed by Senate as Trump’s secretary of state
The former Florida Republican Senator became the first of the president’s cabinet picks to be given the greenlit by the upper chamber of Congress yesterday.
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 12:45
Truth Social: Trump announces purge of Biden administration personnel
As you might imagine, the president had little time for social media yesterday but did put up a couple of choice videos of himself signing off on executive orders.
He did announce this firing of Biden personnel late on, however.
Chef Jose Andres has already responded to Trump in mocking fashion, revealing that he submitted his resignation last week:
Here’s more from Holly Evans.
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 12:30
Trump orders hiring freeze and end to remote work for federal employees
“Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis,” Trump’s order states.
But department and agency heads will be allowed to “make exemptions they deem necessary,” it adds, seemingly defeating the point.
Mary Papenfuss has this on the president’s first moves to rein in the federal government.
Joe Sommerlad21 January 2025 12:15