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CNN Live Event/Special

The Inauguration of Donald Trump. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired January 20, 2025 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[11:30:01]

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: There's Melania Trump. Of course, I should -- Melania Trump walking in, being escorted into the Rotunda.

She's in the Crypt now, making her way over to the Rotunda, where she will be seated, obviously. There's Usha Vance, J.D. Vance's wife, who's also coming in, a newcomer to this political scene and certainly the MAGA scene as well.

As we noted earlier, Melania Trump has been preparing intensively for this role in her second coming as first lady. I have been told she's been studying up on world affairs, sitting in with some of the meetings that Trump has had, because, obviously, that's a key role that the first lady occupies as well.

And she actually formed a lot of relationships with world leaders and their spouses the last time they were in office and is expected to do so again this time. Trump often leans on her for advice. She's really seen as the only person he listens to or has kind of a veto power when it comes to what Trump is doing.

So that will be something to watch for in her second time. The East Wing obviously was a source of intense scrutiny in her first time as first lady. She said that a lot of the roles and responsibilities she had she didn't realize would be something that came with being first lady, from the Christmas decorations to hosting state leaders when they came for state dinners.

And so all of that she has said she's better prepared to do this time around, because, like her husband, they're coming in knowing what the levers of the job are, what the responsibilities of the role are.

And that will be something that she will be looking at, Jake, obviously, and what that looks like now that they're coming back into something where they have had the power before.

("Oh, America!" performed by opera singer Christopher D. Macchio)

(CHEERING)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: We are seeing now the leaders of Congress being escorted in.

That is Steve Scalise, the House majority leader, along with Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader of the Senate, the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

ANNOUNCER: ... the House of Representatives, the Honorable Kevin F. McCumber, Mr. John Bessler, Mrs. Kelly Johnson, Mrs. Iris Weinshall, and Mrs. Jennifer Scalise.

TAPPER: These are spouses of congressional leaders. There's also a number of individuals who are part of the Inaugural Committee.

President-elect Donald Trump walking in. There is Capital One Arena, where so many of Donald Trump's supporters have gone to watch the inauguration, because they can't attend an outdoor inauguration because of the bitterly cold weather. They are cheering the president.

There is incoming first lady Melania Trump being escorted into the Capitol Rotunda for the inaugural ceremonies, also being met with huge cheers in the Capital One Arena. There she is with her son Barron Trump.

And, Dana, that's Melania Trump's father to the left there. Is that...

DANA BASH, CNN HOST: Yes, I believe it is.

They're running a little bit behind schedule. I'm told that part of the issue is that, because they moved everything so quickly and there's a lot of movement inside the building, it's just -- it's taking a little bit longer to get them where they need to go.

TAPPER: The mad scramble the planners had to do once it was decided to relocate it to indoors.

Let's listen and watch.

ANNOUNCER: Ranking member of the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, the Honorable Deb Fischer, House Democratic Leader the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Majority Secretary the Honorable Robert Duncan.

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, the Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr., and vice president of the United States, the Honorable Kamala Devi Harris.

(APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, escorting the vice president-elect, the executive director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Mr. Michael Wagner, Senate Deputy Sergeant at arms and doorkeeper Jason Bell, and House Deputy Sergeant at Arms Mr. Sean Keating.

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, the vice president-elect of the United States, the Honorable J.D. Vance.

[11:40:03]

(CHEERING)

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, escorting the president-elect, the staff director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Elizabeth Farah (ph), House Sergeant at Arms the Honorable William P. McFarland, Senate Sergeant at Arms and doorkeeper, the honorable Jennifer A. Hemingway, Senate Majority Leader the Honorable John Thune, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies House Democratic Leader the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries.

House Majority Leader the Honorable Steve Scalise, Speaker of the House of Representatives the Honorable Mike Johnson, Senate Democratic Leader the Honorable Charles E. Schumer, Ranking Member of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies the Honorable Deb Fischer, and Chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies the Honorable Amy Klobuchar.

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, the president-elect of the United States, the Honorable Donald John Trump.

(CHEERING)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

Please welcome the chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, the Honorable Amy Klobuchar.

(APPLAUSE)

[11:45:03]

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the 60th Presidential Inauguration. Today, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance will take their Oaths of Office, and we will witness the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy.

(APPLAUSE)

For the past year, I've chaired the Inaugural Ceremony Committee, which includes the leadership of Congress from both parties. We thank the committee and Capitol staff and law enforcement, who worked so hard over the last year, and especially the last three days. You've done a beautiful job, and you have shown grace under pressure.

(APPLAUSE)

Our theme this year is "Our Enduring Democracy". The presence of so many presidents and vice presidents here today is truly a testament to that endurance. We welcome President Biden and Dr. Biden. We welcome Vice President Harris and Doug Emhoff, President Obama, President Clinton and Secretary Clinton, President Bush and Laura Bush, Vice President Pence, Vice President Quayle and Marilyn Quayle. The justices of the United States Supreme Court are with us, all nine of them -- I counted -- and of course, the Trump and Vance families.

This ceremony marks what will soon be 250 years of our democracy. It is the moment when leaders, elevated by the will of the people, promise to be faithful to our Constitution, to cherish and defend it. It is the moment when they become, as we all should be, the guardians of our country.

Through war and peace, through adversity and prosperity, we hold this inauguration every four years, and today, it falls on Martin Luther King Day, a further reminder that we must strive to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution, the freedoms, the liberties and, as is inscribed on the entrance of the United States Supreme Court, equal justice under law.

(APPLAUSE)

But what makes this moment more than a passing ceremony is all who are watching it across the country, the people of this nation, the ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

President Kennedy, who at one point worked as a Senator in this building and would often walk through this very Rotunda, once said, "In a democracy, every citizen, regardless of interests in politics, holds office. Every one of us is in a position of responsibility. With that responsibility of citizenship comes an obligation not to seek out malice, as President Lincoln once reminded us, but to view others with a generosity of spirit despite our differences. With that responsibility of leadership comes an obligation to stand our ground when we must and find common ground when we can."

With everything swirling around us, the hot mess of division, it is on all of us, to quote an incredible songwriter who just happened to be born in my state, "To ensure that our nation's democracy is our shelter from the storm."

There is a reason this ceremony takes place at the Capitol. In other countries, it might be in a presidential palace or a gilded executive office building. Here, it is traditionally held at the Capitol, the people's house. It is a fitting reminder of the system of checks and balances that is the very foundation of our government, three equal branches of government. That is how, for nearly 250 years, our great American experiment grounded in the rule of law has endured.

So as we inaugurate a new President and Vice President, let us remember that the power of those in this room comes from the people -- the construction workers who build our country, the teachers and healthcare workers who nurture us, the troops defending our freedoms, and yes, the firefighters in Los Angeles putting themselves on the line for us.

[11:50:00]

(APPLAUSE)

Our democracy's strength and grit must match theirs. May God bless our nation. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. DEB FISCHER (R-NE): Good afternoon.

Endurance through the years is the ultimate test. To persevere through time is the truest measure of an idea, an institution, and a nation. Our founders wrote the Constitution so that America could withstand all of the twists and turns of time. They wrote it to guide us and to preserve forever our right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

But as much as the truths and principles enshrined in our Constitution remain the same, our democracy promises the American people the power to change, to chart their own destiny. That's the beauty, that is the importance of democracy.

It allows the endurance, the permanence of a nation through change. It allows nations like our United States both to avoid the obstacles and to seize the opportunities God has placed before us, always staying true to our founding principles.

Today is our country's 60th inauguration ceremony. Like all the others before it, it is a celebration of our right to set our uniquely American course. The past several years have been trying at times for many, many Americans and also for the nations of the free world that we humbly strive to lead.

In November, Americans chose again to steer this nation towards greatness, the secure, safe, and prosperous future that our founders envisioned for all of us.

And, today, we celebrate not only their decision to do so, but also the simple right and wisdom of a free people to make their own choice so that their nation might endure.

And now allow me to welcome Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Reverend Franklin Graham, who will deliver our invocation.

Please rise.

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN, ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK: Be still and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme on the Earth.

Let us pray.

Remembering General George Washington his knees at Valley Forge, recalling Abraham Lincoln at his second inaugural: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." Remembering General George Patton's instructions to his soldiers as they began the Battle of the Bulge eight decades ago: "Pray. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night. Pray by day."

Observing the birthday of the Reverend Martin Luther King, who warned: "Without God, our efforts turn to ashes."

We, blessed citizens of this one nation under God, humbled by our claim that, in God we trust, gather indeed this Inauguration Day to pray for our president, Donald J. Trump, his family, his advisers, his Cabinet, his aspirations, his vice president, for the lord's blessings upon Joseph Biden, for our men and women in uniform, for each other, whose hopes are stoked this new year, this Inauguration Day.

[11:55:02]

We cannot err in relying upon that prayer from the Bible, upon which our president will soon place his hand in oath, as we make our own the supplications of King Solomon for wisdom as he began his governance.

God of our fathers, in your wisdom, you set man to govern your creatures, to govern in holiness and justice, to render justice with integrity. Give our leader wisdom, for he is your servant, aware of your -- of his own weakness and brevity of life.

If wisdom which comes not from you be not with him, he shall be held in no esteem. Send wisdom from heavens, that she may be with him, that he may know your designs. Please, God, bless America. Please mentor every flaw. You are the God in whom we trust who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen.

THE REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM OF SAMARITAN'S PURSE AND THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION: Mr. President, the last four years, there are times I'm sure you thought it was pretty dark.

But look what God has done. We praise him and give him glory.

(CHEERING)

GRAHAM: Let us pray.

Our father and our God, thou has said blessed is the nation whose God is the lord. As the Prophet Daniel prayed, blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his. He changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings. He raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

Our father today, as President Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office once again, we come to say, thank you, oh, lord, our God. Father, when Donald Trump's enemies thought he was down and out, you and you alone saved his life and raised him up with strength and power by your mighty hand. We pray for President Trump that you will watch over, protect, guide, direct him, give him your wisdom from your throne on high. We ask that you would bless him and that our nation would be blessed through him.

We also ask that you would bless and protect Melania as first lady. We thank you for the beauty, the warmth, and grace that she shows, not only to this nation, but to the whole world.

We thank you for vice president-elect J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, and their young family. May he be a strength to President Trump, to stand beside him, to hold up his arms like Aaron held up the arms of Moses in the midst of battle.

The Prophet Samuel reminded the people, it was you that brought them up from the land of Egypt. And he said, now, stand still, that I may reason with you before the lord.

So, father, we take this moment to stand still, to remember the great things that you have done for this nation. Thank you for the protection, the bounty, the freedoms that we so enjoy. We remember to keep our eyes fixed on you.

And may our hearts be inclined to your voice. We know that America can never be great again if we turn our backs on you. We ask for your help. And we pray all of this in the name of the king of kings, the lord of lords, your son, my savior, and our redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen.

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Associate Justice Kavanaugh to administer the vice presidential oath of office.

BRETT KAVANAUGH, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Please raise your right hand and repeat after me: I, James David Vance, do solemnly swear...

VANCE: I, James David Vance, do solemnly swear...

[12:00:00]