Summary

Media caption,

'Their lives have been ruined' - President Trump defends Capitol riot pardons

  1. Trump signs declaration of 'national emergency' on southern borderpublished at 00:55 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Trump is now back in the Oval Office, where he is signing more executive actions.

    Among them are ones relating to the definition of birthright citizenship and another declaring a "national emergency" at the US's southern border.

    "That's a big one", Trump says as he signs it.

  2. Trump is in the Oval Office, againpublished at 00:51 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Trump with desk full of executive actionsImage source, Get

    Trump has returned to the Oval Office and is signing more executive actions.

    Earlier today, he signed a handful of executive actions at Capital One Arena.

    Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest.

  3. Senators consider support for Trump's other cabinet pickspublished at 00:49 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Rachel Looker
    Reporting from Capitol Hill

    I’ve been standing outside the Senate floor as lawmakers voted for the first time since President Donald Trump has taken the oath of office.

    Many are keeping quiet on some of Trump’s day one actions and where they stand when it comes to supporting Trump’s cabinet picks.

    One Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, says she’s still deciding whether she will support Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth’s confirmation.

    Hegseth has become one of Trump's most controversial choices, having faced allegations of sexual assault. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

    Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, also a Republican, told a large gaggle of reporters that she wouldn’t comment on any of the nominees.

    Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, raised concerns over whether Trump’s nominees will stand up to the president if he asks them to do something unconstitutional.

    He said he believes Marco Rubio, who he voted to confirm as secretary of state a short while ago, would stand up to Trump. “I know him,” he said.

    When asked if there are any other nominees Blumenthal is planning to support, he responded: “I’m not sure yet.”

  4. Migrants await Trump's immigration actionpublished at 00:41 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    All day we've been awaiting potential immigration action from President Donald Trump, after he declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border in his first speech of the day.

    Here's a look at how that anticipation has been playing out at the US-Mexico border.

    Media caption,

    Watch: Tears and confusion at US-Mexico border as Trump takes office

  5. 6 January riot supporters await promised pardons outside DC jailpublished at 00:30 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Emma Vardy
    Reporting from Washington DC

    6 January defendant supporters outside the DC jailImage source, BBC / Emma Vardy

    Outside the DC jail, where defendants accused of crimes related to the 2021 Capitol riot are being held, a crowd of supporters have been waiting in the cold most of the day.

    There have been cheers as they heard the news they were hoping for, as President Donald Trump told the crowd at the Capital One arena that he would soon be signing pardons for the 6 January "hostages" when he gets to the Oval Office.

    "Freedom!" shouts one woman.

    People here believe that as soon as those pardons are signed, defendants could be walking out of the jail gates within a few hours.

    Trump has characterised those jailed for the attack on the Capitol as "political prisoners" and he had promised to grant pardons, though it has not yet been made clear how far these will go, and whether it will also include those convicted of violent assaults.

    "We're going to release our great hostages… that for the most part, didn't do a lot wrong," Trump told the arena crowd.

    Meanwhile, critics say that pardoning riotors sends the wrong message, and will be seen as a betrayal by many police officers who were injured that day.

  6. Donald Trump arrives back at the White Housepublished at 00:19 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    Following his appearance at the Capital One Arena for the inauguration parade and the signing of executive actions, Donald Trump has now arrived back at the White House.

    Sometime soon, he'll sign executive orders, which he said would include pardons for some of the 6 January 2021 rioters.

    Those signings will take place in the Oval Office of the White House, with a limited number of reporters present.

    Stay with us for more updates.

  7. Marco Rubio confirmed as secretary of state in Senate votepublished at 00:17 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January
    Breaking

    Rachel Looker
    Reporting from Capitol Hill

    The Senate has confirmed Marco Rubio to serve as secretary of state.

    Rubio was unanimously confirmed by a vote of 99-0.

    He just exited the Senate floor, telling reporters he feels “good” about his confirmation and that it’s a “great honour".

    This is the first Trump cabinet official to be approved for a role.

  8. Analysis

    Trump turns executive orders into rally spectaclepublished at 00:15 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Anthony Zurcher
    North America correspondent

    Donald Trump took an ordinary presidential act – rescinding orders from a previous administration of different party – and turned it into spectacle.

    After giving another winding speech – his third of the day – Trump moved to a small desk on the stage at the downtown sport arena where his indoor inaugural parade had just concluded. Then he went to work freezing new federal regulations and hiring, reversing Biden administration directives, mandating federal workers work in-office full-time and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords.

    “Can you imagine Joe Biden doing this?” he asked after signing the regulation freeze – but that could have applied to visuals of the moment as much as to the content of the orders.

    He also signed more symbolic orders to end the “weaponisation of government” and instruct his administration to address the higher cost of living.

    It’s just the start of what promises to be a record number of first-day executive actions, including a promised pardon of many of some who participated in the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.

    After the arena ceremony, Trump tossed the pens he used into the crowd – another Trumping flourish.

  9. What orders did Trump just sign?published at 00:12 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Trump has just signed a number of orders in front of his supporters inside the arena in Washington DC.

    This is the list as it was described to the arena:

    • The rescission of 78 Biden-era executive actions
    • A regulatory freeze preventing bureaucrats from issuing any more regulations until the administration has full control of the government
    • A freeze on all federal hiring, excepting the military and a number of other excluded categories until full control of the government is achieved
    • A requirement for federal workers return to full-time in-person work immediately
    • A directive to every department and agency in the federal government to address the cost-of-living
    • Withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement
    • A directive to the federal government ordering the restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship of free speech
    • A directive to the federal government ending the "weaponisation" of government against the "political adversaries" of the previous administration
    Media caption,

    Watch: President Donald Trump signs first executive orders in arena

  10. Crowd loves theatre of Trump's executive order signingspublished at 00:07 Greenwich Mean Time 21 January

    Gary O'Donoghue
    Senior North America correspondent, reporting from the Capitol One Area

    Donald Trump entered the arena brandishing a binder, waving it around and pointing to it - a binder that contained the various executive orders and actions he had brought to sign in front of this crowd of 20,000 supporters.

    After his Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff introduced some of the families of the hostages held in Gaza - some of whom already know their loved ones are dead - and others who still have relatives being held, Trump told the crowd he'd be signing orders in the Oval Office later tonight pardoning what he described as the 6 January "hostages" - many of whom are actually convicted criminals - for their part in the riots at the Capitol four years ago.

    Among the plans he highlighted was his insistence that his whole cabinet would have to "marshal every hour to bring down inflation" - though just how he wasn't saying.

    He also said he would sign measures to end the "weaponisation" of the justice system, something he believes he's been the victim of for years.

    He signed nine items in all including a document withdrawing the US from the Paris climate treaty - which he did before at the beginning of his first term.

    It was a piece of theatre the crowd loved - all topped off, of course, with the Trump anthem, YMCA, playing from the speakers.

  11. Trump ends speech and leaves arenapublished at 23:59 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    The crowd chants "USA, USA" as Donald Trump departs the stage with Melania.

    JD Vance and his wife follow.

    The president is now expected to head to the White House, and the YMCA - which has become a Trump campaign anthem - fills the arena.

  12. Trump signs order withdrawing from Paris climate agreementpublished at 23:58 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    Trump holds up executive actionImage source, Reuter

    Trump has just signed a handful of other executive actions including:

    • One that says the US will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement
    • Another executive action informing the United Nations of that decision
    • An executive action directing the federal government to order a restoration of freedom of speech

    He promises the crowd he will sign many more when he returns to the Oval Office and begins throwing pens up in the air to the crowd.

  13. Trump signs orders on regulatory freeze and federal hiring pausepublished at 23:57 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    The arena hears the next action Trump is signing relates to a "regulatory freeze preventing bureaucrats from issuing anymore regulations" until the administration has full control of the government.

    The President signs it and holds it up.

    He then does the same for an order that is introduced as a freeze on federal hiring, excepting the military, and a number of other excluded categories, again until "full control" of the government is achieved.

    Each signing is getting large cheers.

    "Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don't think so," Trump says.

  14. Trump starts signing executive actionspublished at 23:52 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January
    Breaking

    Trumps signs paperImage source, Reuters

    Donald Trump has started signing a number of executive actions.

    The first one is rescinding 78 Biden-era executive actions.

    Trump signs the action and holds it up to the crowd as they cheer.

  15. 'We're going to stop some wars', says Trumppublished at 23:49 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    Trump tells the arena "you're going to watch a lot of good things happen".

    "We're going to stop some wars," Trump says, suggesting the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza would not have happened if he had been in power.

  16. Trump says Capitol rioters did nothing wrongpublished at 23:48 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    Trump is speaking now about his plans for the 6 January "hostages" as he describes them - referring to those imprisoned as a result of the 2020 Capitol riot.

    He has been teasing for days now that he would pardon individuals convicted of wrongdoing during the riot in 2021.

    He's telling the crowd they didn't do anything wrong.

  17. Trump says he will end 'weaponisation' of justice systempublished at 23:46 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    At the arena, Trump says he is going to end what he describes as the "weaponisation" of the justice system, referring to "these creeps".

    "I've been investigated more than any human being in the world," he says.

    The president then criticises his predecessor Joe Biden for pardoning members of his family before leaving office. "Can you imagine that?" Trump says, and the crowd boos.

    For context: Earlier today Biden pre-emptively pardoned several family members, including his brothers James and Frank Biden, and sister Valerie Biden Owens, saying the pardons were intended to shield them from politically motivated attacks and should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment of any wrongdoing.

  18. Trump sees his first legislative success while on stage across townpublished at 23:44 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    Rachel Looker
    Reporting from Capitol Hill

    The Senate has passed the Laken Riley Act: 64 votes to 35.

    It now heads back to the House. Lawmakers must vote on the amended version before it heads to President Trump’s desk, where he's likely to sign it.

    This is likely to be considered his first legislative success.

    The Senate will now proceed to vote on Rubio’s nomination to be Secretary of Defence.

    Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest from Capitol Hill and the arena where Trump is speaking.

  19. Barron gets big cheerpublished at 23:43 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    Iona Hampson
    Reporting from Capital One Arena in Washington Dc

    Barron Trump is seen on screen at Capital One ArenaImage source, BBC / Iona Hampson

    All day here at the Capital One Arena, the 20,000-strong crowd have cheered when 18-year-old Barron Trump has been shown on the screens - he now gets a huge cheer from the audience as his father Donald Trump acknowledges him here on stage.

    The president says Barron Trump "knew the youth vote", which helped him win the election.

    President Trump's granddaughter, 17-year-old Kai Trump, who is popular on YouTube and TikTok, is also presented as someone who is a young, influential part of the Trump brand.

  20. 'Tariffs are going to make us rich as hell', says Trumppublished at 23:42 Greenwich Mean Time 20 January

    Trump is speaking about tariffs, a popular topic of conversation for the president.

    "Tariffs are going to make us rich as hell," Trump says to loud applause.

    Trump tells the crowd God is first, religion is second, love is third and tariff is fourth in terms of the most beautiful words in the dictionary.

    He tells the crowd he will sign an executive order on free speech.

    Throughout the campaign, Trump had promise to slap heavy tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on day one of his administration.

    But Trump officials told US media on Monday that he would issue a broad trade memorandum that stopped short of immediately imposing tariffs and instead focus on investigating US trade relationships with those three countries.