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CNN Live Event/Special
Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff Introduces President Trump; President Trump Gives Remarks at Capital One Arena; Trump Revoking Dozens of Biden's Executive Actions Tonight. The Inauguration Of Donald Trump. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 20, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: The dancing, dancing on both sides. This is a performance.
KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: It really is a performance. I had no idea our Jeff Zeleny was in the Cornhusker Marching Band, perfect correspondent for this moment.
It's worth noting, Melania Trump stood back up for this.
BURNETT: Yes.
Kasie, there are at least a hundred, at least, performers. And there were multiple dance routines going on and different. This was --
HUNT: One on each side.
BURNETT: -- by far the biggest we have seen.
HUNT: I am officially a fan of this marching band. They are quite impressive.
And, again, now everyone on the dais, all standing up.
One, we were -- Erin and I are talking here, one notable fact apparently about --
BURNETT: NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, a graduate of this HBCU.
HUNT: Thank you to our photojournalist producer for that particular fact.
One thing we're noticing here is that J.D. Vance is struggling --
BURNETT: And now they're showing them dancing, the pool.
HUNT: The pool. There's one camera so viewers understand that it's controlling the shot. So, you can't see all the dancing we can see.
BURNETT: That's right. There are a number of -- there's a section of women dancing and also men with batons.
HUNT: On the dais, J.D. Vance is struggling to wrangle his three children. You've seen him stand up a couple of times. One of them is dancing, waving her arms in the air. As a parent of current toddlers, I sympathize.
BURNETT: This performance is different than the others. It is obviously much more involved there.
HUNT: It's taken over the room in a way that the other performances didn't necessarily. Obviously, the other ones, you know, smaller high school bands who are having a real big moment. This team, man, they're used to performing for a crowd inside a big football stadium, and they have captured the room like the pros they are.
BURNETT: And now they are starting to move towards the exit. But as we said, there's got to be more than 100 easily.
HUNT: Easily more than 100, if not two.
BURNETT: In this, yes.
HUNT: The crowd whooping for them over the corner here as they exit, clearly appreciating the skills on display.
BURNETT: Now they are starting to move towards the exit, as you can see from this aerial view.
Oh, there we go, close to 300, I believe, the announcer, Dan Taylor, just said for this band.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Mississippi Valley State University Band takes great pride in presenting culturally diverse presentations for students, faculty, and the surrounding Mississippi communities. Take a look at that brass out there. Woo! That's just part of a big, green, marching machine. The Mean Green Marching Machine from Itta Bena, Mississippi, ladies and gentlemen.
[18:05:00]
BURNETT: We understand this will be the last band performing. So, at this point, Steve Witkoff, who has been essential to the Trump administration's involvement with the hostage release deal in the Middle East, going to be introducing the president who will be signing those executive orders. A giant sack of them, Kasie, that we saw and we could still see on that red desk as this band leaves.
HUNT: He walked in with a binder and that includes a speech set on that podium that we just saw. There's that desk with the executive orders. So, we anticipate he's likely to make remarks as well as to sign those executive orders.
And as you noted, Steve Witkoff expected to introduce him. One thing that we touched on briefly but that I think is worth coming back to is in the front row right to our right -- in fact, you can see them in the camera shot with their yellow scarves -- BURNETT: Yes, with the yellow scarves.
HUNT: -- on the side of your screen. Those are some of the family members of Israeli hostages that are still being held in Gaza. Many of them are carrying pictures of their loved ones. And, of course, Donald Trump essentially demanded a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Israel, between Israel and Hamas, before he came into office.
And that demand seems to have put sufficient pressure on all the parties in the region. And Steve Witkoff was there with the Biden administration officials, you know, keeping tabs on that very, very involved. Now, many of them, of course, here today to see Donald Trump's sworn in and having talked to some of them in recent days to make sure that they are sending a message to the president that he will recognize that he will receive. Usually that means giving him credit so that he will continue to work to free their loved ones.
BURNETT: Yes. So, Steve Witkoff will be coming up in just a moment. As those drums are passing, perhaps you can tell by our microphones about 15, 20 feet from where Kasie and I are sitting, 20 feet maybe.
Jeff Zeleny, you're here with us now this resounding applause as they are ready for truly what is the main event here at the Capitol Arena, the president's remarks and those executive orders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our new special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
BURNETT: If you just heard the announcer, he did say the special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is going to be speaking. And we do know that he will be introducing President Trump. So, you see Steve Witkoff walking across the front of that dais to the podium, where he will give those introductory remarks to the president ahead of the executive order signing.
HUNT: And you can see the Vance children are being ushered off the stage again, as they struggled to sit still.
STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO MIDDLE EAST: And I'd like to describe to you some of the things we're doing, and how it informs on President Trump's policies.
First of all, it is an honor to stand before you today as I reflect on the enormity of the role that President Trump has tasked me with. I am constantly reminded of the privilege it is to serve under the leadership of my boss, President Donald J. Trump.
His presidency has provided a clear, bold vision for the Middle East, and it is this vision that guides every step I take in the mission. President Trump's leadership has redefined what is possible in the pursuit of progress and stability in the Middle East. His decisive, pragmatic approach ensures that even the most entrenched conflicts are met with fresh perspectives and innovative strategies. His policy delivered remarkable successes, such as yesterday's release of hostages in Gaza.
[18:10:00]
Thank you.
This achievement demonstrates the strength of President Trump's leadership and the respect he commands on the global stage. It is yet another example of his ability to deliver results in the most complex and challenging situations. The Abraham Accords, a testament to his vision and determination, have also brought historic progress to the region, transforming old rivalries into new alliances. These agreements are not merely symbolic. They represent a practical roadmap for peace, economic cooperation, and mutual respect across nations.
My role, as tasked me, is straightforward yet profoundly challenging, to turn his vision into actionable outcomes. He sets the agenda, he lays the framework, and he inspires people like me into bold action. My responsibility is to implement his vision, engaging with leaders across the region to find pathways towards sustainable peace and stability. And let me tell you, having Donald Trump as a boss makes this task not only possible, but far more effective.
President Trump's reputation as a leader who delivers results resonates far beyond Washington. Leaders in the Middle East know he means what he says. His ability to cut through bureaucratic gridlock and focus on tangible results is the game changer. It allows me to approach delicate negotiations with the confidence that the full weight of the United States is behind me.
The principles President Trump has laid out for our approach to the Middle East and foreign policy in general are fourfold and they are clear. One, respect for sovereignty, every nation deserves the right to determine its own destiny, free from the interference of external powers. Two, economic prosperity as a bridge to stability, through economic partnerships and investment, we can build a foundation for cooperation that transcends historical grievances. Three, courageous diplomacy, real progress requires difficult conversations and bold decisions. And it is through these that trust is built and maintained. And finally, four, reciprocity and accountability, the United States requires reciprocal actions from our partners. We are done carrying the financial burden for nations that are unwilling.
We are done carrying the financial burden for nations that are unwilling to fund their own progress. The days of blank checks are over. Partnerships under President Trump's leadership must be equitable and contributions must reflect shared commitments to our goals.
In my work, I've seen firsthand how these principles resonate. They provide a foundation that transcends politics and speaks to the shared humanity of all people in a region. Leaders across the Middle East recognized that this Trump administration is serious about results, not symbolic gestures, but real, meaningful progress that improves lives.
It's -- thank you.
It's not always easy. There are moments of deep challenge and frustration. Decades of mistrust cannot be undone overnight.
[18:15:00]
Yet I take comfort in knowing that I am not in this alone. President Trump's clarity of vision ensures that I never have to question what success looks like. His leadership provides the confidence and direction necessary to navigate these complexities.
As we move forward, my commitment is to continue the work of advancing President Trump's vision for the Middle East. Whether through expanding the Abraham Peace Accords, fostering economic development, or facilitating dialogue between longstanding adversaries, my focus remains on actionable results.
Let me close by saying this. A stable and prosperous Middle East is not an unattainable dream. It is a goal within our reach made possible by strong leadership and unwavering commitment. Under President Trump's guidance, we are proving that the impossible can become reality.
Thank you, but I have one more thing to say. We have some special people for me to introduce you to tonight. President Trump has been talking to them as well. They are the families of hostages from Israel who had been in Gaza for the last year-and-a-half. There are many of them here today. Several of the families have lost children and loved ones, and they're here because they're part of an effort to retrieve their bodies so they can be buried in a proper way. Several have children who are still in captivity. There is an American family here whose loved one is scheduled to come out in 14 days and they're going to be meeting the president tonight. So, let's give them all some love and a big hand. Come on up.
And now, I get to introduce my dear friend and the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
[18:20:00]
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, everybody. I appreciate it. Thank you.
So, now the work begins. We won, but now the work begins. We have to bring them home. And, you know, tonight, I'm going to be signing on the J6 hostages pardons to get them out. And as soon as I leave, I'm going to the Oval Office and we'll be signing pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people.
And thank you to Steve Witkoff. He's a great guy. He's a friend of mine. He's been a very successful man. He's a great negotiator. He's a wonderful guy. People love him. And he's got a tremendous power of persuasion. And that's what we need. We don't need stiffs. We don't need stiffs. We got a lot of stiffs. You just had a whole load of them.
And to the former hostages with us today, welcome. Welcome home. Some of the folks are former hostages. Not a good situation. The three young ladies that came home yesterday, you saw that more coming home every day now. They're coming home. But they were hurt. They were hurt. They were hurt. One had her head blown off, fingers on her hand indeed was blown off. She was trying to defend herself from a bullet being fired. Do you believe this? A bullet knocked off her hand. I don't know. You look at it, it's a disgrace.
We never stopped praying for you, and we're so glad that you're reunited with your friends and families. And God bless you all. And some of them are just saying, no, my son is gone, but please just bring home his body. Right, Steve? Many of you have told me that. That your son is gone, but bring home his body. This should have never happened. Three years, it's ridiculous, should have never happened, wouldn't have happened.
I also want to express my tremendous gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of proud American patriots who came from all across the country to join us in this celebration. It's a celebration of a big win. And you're witnessing the dawn of the golden age of America. That's what it's going to be. We're bringing it back. We're going to bring it back fast. We're going to bring it back fast.
Let us also thank the incredible service members, National Guardsmen, Police, Secret Service and law enforcement personnel who are keeping us all safe, even though they are great people, New York's finest. I grew up with New York's finest and we got to give them their authority back. You won't have any crime. There'll be no crime. You give them little authority back. The whole way they run things in this country now, it's disgraceful. But it's going to change rapidly. We're going to make our city safe again, too.
Even though we're indoors, we've had a magnificent inaugural parade. And let's give a big round of applause. They were great. To all of the incredible performers and hardworking men and women who made it possible, those people really talented, amazing people.
I also want to thank my wonderful family for being here, especially my beautiful wife, our first lady, Melania.
They love our first lady. And also J.D. How good has J.D. been? And his beautiful wife, Usha. How good has J.D.? J.D. has been great. He's another good negotiator, Steve. He's a great negotiator, too. We need negotiators in this country.
But so many of the people on this stage, we had not only family members, as an example, Lara Trump, the wife of Eric.
[18:25:00]
She was the head of the Republican Party along with my friend, Michael, stand up, the two of you, what a job, what a job they did. They worked so hard, they knew they'd be rigging, but they said, we're going to make it too big to rig, and we did, we made it too big to rig. We won every swing state by a lot. We won the popular vote by millions and millions of votes. We won the whole ball of wax. And now we're going to go and drill, baby, drill and do all the things that we've wanted to do and bring your costs down, your prices down and make our country safe. So, thank you very much, Michael. Thank you very much. What a job you've done, Michael. I'm never moving you. You know, he was thinking about getting a nice job in the administration. I said, no, I'm leaving you right where you are. You've done a very good job. We're not moving you, Michael. I'm sorry. Anyway, thank you very much. I appreciate it. I appreciate it very much.
Right here with us also in the arena, I'm about to sign some very important executive orders of our new administration.
Hey Don, will you stand up please? Don is another one. How about Don, this guy? He's a popular one. He goes out and speaks. He gets a big crowd. He's a little on the rough side sometimes, but that's what you want. He's done a fantastic job and he loves our country. Thanks, Don, great job. You've done a great job.
And Ivanka. And, you know, Jared negotiated the Abraham Accords, which are the biggest -- it's the biggest deal made in the Middle East in many, many years. And it's really something. Jared, stand up, Jared, the Abraham Accords.
And Tiffany's going to have a little baby and (INAUDIBLE).
And then I have a very tall son named Barron. Has anyone ever heard of him?
Thank you.
He knew the youth vote. You know, we won the youth vote by 36 points. And he was saying, Dad, you got to go out and do this one or that one. And we did a lot of them. And he respects them all. He understood them very well. He said, Dad, you got to go out. Do Joe Rogan, do all these guys. And we did. We did. And Joe Rogan was great. They were all great, right? Barron, they were all good. He understood the market.
Another famous one, how about Kai? Stand up, Kai.
Is that Byron Donalds back there? Stand up, Byron. Stand up. What a future this one has. What a future. That's great, Byron. Thank you very much.
And how about Lutnick, secretary of commerce? He's going to take in more money than any country has ever even thought about. He's going to take in some money. And we have many others. Look, I'm not going to go through it, but we're going to sign some orders right now. And that's really what I want to do.
So, we're going to sign executive orders. First, I'll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration, one of the worst administrations in history -- maybe the not one of them, the worst, anybody that would allow millions of people to pour through our borders from jails, prisons, mental institutions, insane asylums, gang members to be taken off the streets of Venezuela and deposit in our country, and many -- not just Venezuela. You know, crime in Venezuela is down 74 percent, because they took their criminals and gave them to us through an open border policy of the previous administration.
All over the world, they're emptying their prisons into our country. They're emptying their mental institutions into our country. It stops as of 1:00 this afternoon, okay? It stops.
So, I'm revoking nearly 80 destructive radical executive actions of the previous administration, they'll all be null and void within about, what, five minutes? Is that them over there? Five minutes?
And next, to gain immediate control of the vast federal out of control bureaucracy, I will implement an immediate regulation freeze, which will stop Biden bureaucrats from continuing to regulate. Most of those bureaucrats are being fired. They're gone. It should be all of them, but some sneak through, but we have to live with a couple, I guess.
I'll also issue a temporary hiring freeze to ensure that we're only hiring competent people who are faithful to the American public. And we will pause the hiring of any new IRS agents. We will also require that federal workers must return to the office in person. And we're going to take the 88,000 people that they hired to go after you with guns. By the way, they're allowed to use guns and harass you like they were so many other people.
Remember this, okay, remember we got -- do you remember a little statement about tips? Does anybody remember that little statement? I think we won Nevada because of that statement. But they went out and harass you over the tips. In other words, we are restoring control of our government to the people. We're going to take those 88,000. Let's see if they'd like to work on the border because that's where we want them, really. So, we're going to have no tax on tips, right? No tax on tips.
We may have like the speaker of the House. Is he here? He's done such a good job. Is Mike here? Is he around here someplace? I saw him just a little while ago. Hello, fellows. Look at you guys. Thank you so much. Yes, he's -- I know it, he's great, he's doing great. They're all doing good. The Republican Party has never been unified like it is right now. They want to save our country. And we're going to more than save it, we're going to make it greater than it's ever been before by a lot.
Next, I'm going to sign a presidential memorandum directory directing every member of my cabinet to marshal every power at their disposal to defeat inflation and rapidly bring down the cost of daily life because your costs have gone through the roof in the last four years. Perhaps you didn't notice. Does anyone notice their costs are like double, triple, quadruple? You can't buy bacon. Apples have doubled in price. You want an apple, anybody, pay twice what you did two years ago. We'll put more money in your pocket and we'll bring back the American dream and to reduce energy costs and liberate our economy, so we have more oil and gas than any country in the world. And we're going to use it.
We're not going to do the wind thing, wind, big, ugly windmills. They ruin your neighborhood. They ruin you -- If you have a house that's near a windmill, guess what? Your house is worth less than half. And did you see up in New England with the whales? You see what's happening? So, they had two whales killed in about 14 years. Last year and the year before total, they had 28. So, if you're into whales, you don't want windmills either. And they're the most expensive form of energy that you can have by far. And they're all made in China, by the way, practically all of them. And they kill your birds and they ruin your beautiful landscapes. But other than that, I think they're quite good, right?
Now, remember when we used to joke and kid when we were kidding, but we don't kid anymore. They want to watch the debates on television.
[18:35:01]
They want to watch your favorite president on television. But the wind isn't blowing, so we can't watch television that night, Gladys. Remember? Gladys, I'm sorry, the wind is just not blowing. We're not watching Trump tonight, but I'm immediately withdrawing from the unfair one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off. The United States will not sabotage your own industries while China pollutes with impunity. You know, China -- I mean, look, they use a lot of dirty energy, but they produce a lot of energy. And when that stuff goes up in the air, you know, it doesn't stay there. It's not like you got a wall. We love walls, don't we? Not like you have a wall around and it just -- it doesn't. It floats into the United States of America after three and a half to five and a half days. It floats across the oceans and it comes right over your neighborhood and it falls into your neighborhood.
So, they all say, we have to fight for cleaner air, but the other dirty air is dropping all over us. So, what the hell are they talking about? Unless everybody does it, it just doesn't work. You know, we had the cleanest air and the cleanest water that this country's ever had under the Trump administration. And we didn't do anything to stop jobs and stop production, believe me.
You're going to see a lot of companies come pouring back because tariffs. I always say tariffs is the most beautiful word to me in the dictionary. Then I was reprimanded by the fake news. They said what about love, religion, and God? I said, I agree. Let's put God number one, let's put religion number two. Love, I don't know, we got to put that number three, I guess, right? And then it's tariff, because tariffs are going to make us rich as hell, it's going to bring our country's businesses back that left us.
And I'll also sign an executive order to immediately end federal government censorship of the American people. In America, we believe in free speech, and we're bringing it back starting today to stop the weaponization. Oh, do I know about that? These creeps, deranged Jack Smith, you ever hear of him? Deranged -- he's a deranged prosecutors. He's sick. They suck him on me. He's now been reduced to getting on an airplane going back to The Hague or wherever the hell he came from. We got to get rid of that guy.
Hey, was he one of the many people that bar that got a pardon today? Did they pardon Jack Smith? You know, did you know that Biden, while I was making my speech, pardoned his whole family? The brother, the whole deal was pardoned. Can you imagine that while I was making my speech?
Did everybody hear my speech? Did you like my speech?
Thank you.
I mean, the only thing wrong with it is I had a lot of tough things to say, and I have some great people that work for me. Sir, this is such a great speech. It's so unifying. Don't talk about Biden with his pardons of his family. We want a unified country. They said don't talk about the J6 hostages that you're going to be releasing today. Sir, don't put that in your speech, please.
I said, but, really, I want to put it in my speech. He said, sir, it won't be unified like it is. It's so beautiful the way it is, and it is getting great reviews. You know, if I put things like that in, I'll get terrible reviews. One little paragraph that's a little bit wrong, the fake news goes crazy, right?
So, I said, all right, I won't put it in my speech, but you know what? I'm speaking in front of a hell of a lot of people at a place called Capital One Arena, and I'll talk about it there. So, we're going to be going over to the beautiful Oval Office, one of the great offices in history. Even if it wasn't beautiful, it's the Oval Office, but it is beautiful.
Now, we love the Oval Office. It all starts with the Oval Office. The wars start and end there. Everything starts and ends at the Oval Office. We love it. But we're going to go to the Oval Office, we're going to sign, we're going to release our great hostages that didn't do -- for the most part, they didn't do stuff wrong.
[18:40:11]
You see, take a look at what went on. And look what happens in other parts of the country, in Portland, where they kill people, they destroy the city, nothing happens to them. In Seattle, where they took over a big chunk of the city, nothing happened. In Minneapolis, where they burned down the city, nothing happened. Essentially nothing happened. All they want to do is go after the J6 hostages. A 76-year- old grandmother was arrested the other day because she was looking -- I think because she was looking at the Capitol or something like that. No, we're not going to put up with that crap anymore.
And to stop the weaponization of law enforcement, I've been investigated more than any human being in the world. I believe I have the all-time record. Every day, a subpoena, every single day would get subpoenas. I was more than any person -- Alphonse Capone, remember I used to talk about him. You know, Alphonse Capone, Scarface, he was a pretty rough guy. He was investigated about one in one hundredth what Trump was investigated. My father's looking down at me, my mother, how the hell did this happen? You know what it is? They investigated their political opponent, the opponent of Biden, and then ultimately Kamala.
Has anyone ever heard of Kamala? We had to beat two opponents, you know? We had to beat Biden. Then we beat him. Now he goes on top, the guy was like 39 points down. I think I could have beaten Trump. They should have left me and I would have beaten -- no, his debate performance wasn't the best, right? That's what killed him.
And then they had a change, and they -- it's like you get into a fight. The great Dana White spoke last night. We love Dana White, right, UFC. That's like he puts in two fighters, one of them is getting creamed, getting really beaten, and they say, all right, take him out, let's put somebody else in to finish up the fight. That's what they did to us. They gave us somebody new, but we took care of both of them. So, we beat actually two, we beat actually two opponents.
But to stop the weaponization of law enforcement and our government, I will also sign an order directing every federal agency to preserve all records pertaining to political persecutions under the last administration of which there were many and beginning the process of exposing any and all abuses of power, even though he's pardoned many of these people. Can you believe it? He's pardoned them.
You know why he did it while I was speaking? Because that way I couldn't speak about it. I was speaking. I didn't know he did it. I finished my speech. And they said, sir, he pardoned his whole family. I said, oh, can I go back out there and talk about it?
Somehow that wouldn't be very elegant. Our first lady would say, please don't do that. But we have plenty of time to talk about it, and we will. We're doing all of this on our very first day in office. You know, don't forget, we've been in this position, really, where we won the primaries in record time, the fastest win of a primary ever in political history, which is a very nice thing. It's nice to know.
Well, the second election was rigged, so we knew we were doing well. And if it wasn't, you know what? If it wasn't, I would have never run. I would have never run. But this third one was just a monster. Boy, was that a big one, huh? That was a big one. On the second one, we got like 10 or 12 million votes more than the first one. How about that? We did great on the first one. We did much better on the second one. But, man, did we do well on the third one. So, we're going to, we're going to have some fun. It's very simple. We're going to make our country great. We're going to make our country great again. We're going to make America great again.
How good a name is MAGA though, right? You know? I was going to say keep America great, but unfortunately it wasn't great. Can't say keep it great. It will be great again. But KAG, Keep America Great, KAG, I don't think it's ever going to replace MAGA. Does anybody like KAG? I don't think so. It's never replacing MAGA. Nothing will ever replace MAGA. MAGA was the most successful political operation, political movement in the history of our country, maybe in the history of the world. Let's see what happens, because we're not finished yet.
[18:45:02]
We're not finished yet. We got a long way to go. But we're doing this in the very first day in office. And in just a few moments, I'm not only signing the release of the J6 hostages, I'm signing other things that you're going to love. Oh, you're going to be happy reading newspapers tomorrow and the next
day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day. So I just want to thank -- I mean, look at this place. It's full to the rafters. You don't have any. Look at those people up there. You don't have any empty seats.
And by the way, the Capital One owners, they are so good. We got to root for their teams because they have been so great to MAGA, to us. And I just want to thank Ted and everybody. You guys have been fantastic. And they're the ice hockey teams doing great.
Ovechkin -- Ovechkin is pretty good, right? They're doing great. So I want to thank them, Capital One Arena owners, they have been absolutely fantastic. And thank you once again to everyone.
And I can only tell you -- you're going to be very happy. You're going to watch a lot of good things happen. We've got to stop some wars that are happening and going on. Some stupid things are happening. The war with Ukraine would have never happened. And it has.
As you know, Israel would have never been hit on October 7th. And you would -- none of you would be up here. None of you would even know anything about this tragedy that you're going through right now.
But Iran was broke. Anybody that bought oil from Iran, they couldn't do any business with us. You're not going to do business with America. China passed. Everybody passed. They were broke.
They didn't have money for Hamas. They didn't have money for Hezbollah. And your sons would be alive. And they certainly wouldn't be incarcerated like they are. It's a shame, but we're -- we're getting a lot of people out in a short period of time.
So I'm going to go right over to here, and I'm going to sign in front of you. Is that okay? Good.
(APPLAUSE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right. So there he is, the president of the United States. He's meeting with some of the family members of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
And you see them, they were invited to come up to the stage. And he's speaking with them right now. He's going to walk over to the desk and start signing some executive orders and some pardons. He says he's going to sign pardons for what he calls the J6, the January 6th hostages pardons. He says for a lot of people.
And then there will be a celebration, he says. Hundreds of thousands of people will be celebrating. And he calls this the dawn of the golden age of America that is about to begin.
But first, he signed some executive orders, and I think there will be some pardons as well. Let's listen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rescissions of 78 Biden era EOs and presidential memoranda.
TRUMP: I want to call it out. Do you want to say it? Do you want to say it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, if you want me to, sir?
TRUMP: Why don't you say what I'm saying?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. The first item the President Trump is signing is the rescission of 78 Biden era executive actions, executive orders, presidential memoranda and others.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
The second item, President Trump, is a regulatory freeze. As you announced in your speech, preventing bureaucrats from issuing any more regulations until we have full control of this -- the government and this administration.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, can I have a pen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The next item, sir, is a freeze on all federal hiring, excepting the military and the number of other excluded categories, again, until full control of the government is achieved. And we understand the objectives of government going forward.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
TRUMP: Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don't think so. I don't think so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, the next item, as you announced in your speech is a requirement that federal workers return to full time in- person work immediately.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
Next, we have a directive to every department and agency in the federal government to address the cost of living crisis that has cost Americans so dearly.
(APPLAUSE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
The next item here is the withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: We're going to save over a trillion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to save over $1 trillion by withdrawing from that treaty.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the next item, sir, is a letter that will be transmitted to the United Nations explaining that we are withdrawing from the Paris climate treaty.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
This next item is a directive to the federal government ordering the restoration of freedom of speech and preventing government censorship of free speech going forward.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And lastly, sir, before we go back to the oval office to sign a large number of other items, is a directive to the federal government ending the weaponization of government against the political adversaries of the previous administration, as we've seen.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much, sir.
TRUMP: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: So there you see the president of the United States just signed nine documents on a variety of issues, all of which he promised during the course of the campaign he would do. And he's implementing that in these first few hours after the inauguration.
John King is our chief national correspondent. He's with us right now.
John, he started off with a declaration of signing of a document ending various Biden era actions that were put in place over the last four years. That's a pretty significant development, even by itself.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We need to get the list of the 78 Biden executive actions. And some of the some of them were executive orders, some of them were other Biden memorandums. We need to get the list to see exactly what those policies are.
And then a regulatory freeze, a hiring freeze, the return to work will be controversial. But I think, Wolf, what's also significant here is what he didn't sign there because we need to see the details of the immigration executive orders he's going to sign to see just how sweeping the big changes in policy are and how quickly they would take effect. What he tries to do through executive action, and what he might have to wait to try to get more congressional approval or some other way to do it. We don't know that until we see the details.
He also said the January 6th pardons -- he calls them hostages. They are defendants and they are in prison after being convicted in court. He says that will come tonight, but it did not come here. He's off to the Oval Office now.
Well, I was most struck by is this is the day, Wolf, we've been through so many of these together. This is a day when you turn the page to the new administration. It's normally a day where maybe you have a few less critiques of the last administration when there's a change of power, but you're mostly looking forward.
When we see the immigration policy, we will get that. When we see the January 6th pardons, we will be there. When we see other new Trump policies, we'll be there.
[18:55:01]
But what we heard there was largely a reminder that we are going to keep fighting, keep litigating, he says, the weaponization of the Justice Department. He went after the special counsel, Jack Smith, the January 6th. Again, he calls them hostages, a long, searing critique of the Biden administration there.
So it is a new administration, but with very familiar grievances that play very well in that hall, because that is Trumps most fervent base.
I do think there is a risk for the new president who did win the popular vote, because a lot of people were frustrated with the cost of living, frustrated with President Biden and then Vice President Harris for other reasons. That slice of Trump's political base, the new base, the part that gets him from 40 to 49 -- I'm not sure they want to relive all this, but we're about to find that out because he shows no signs of letting that stuff go now.
BLITZER: No sign at all.
Laura Coates is our CNN anchor and chief legal analyst.
And, Laura, he didn't announce any signing of any document pardoning some of the January 6th rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol to protest the election of Joe Biden and to try to prevent Joe Biden's becoming the president of the United States.
Although he's now off to the White House, he'll get into a motorcade from the Capital One Arena and head over to the White House, a short little drive over there. He'll be there soon, and he's going to sign some more documents. I assume he's going to sign some pardons for some of the January 6th rioters who are already in jail, some for violent crimes, some for nonviolent crimes.
He's going to commute the sentences, presumably, at least he indicated earlier he might commute the sentences of those who were convicted of attacking police officers, as opposed to pardoning them. But explain the legal difference.
LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: Well, there's two categories here of clemency that a president can actually give. One is the pardon power, which essentially forgives the actual crime without erasing the record. But it does allow you to restore your civil rights and things of gun ownership, being able to apply for certain offices, the right to vote as well.
The other aspect of it, commutation, usually reduces a particular sentence. It's not the same as a pardon, but both of them have the similar effect of the president of the United States doing that, which Congress cannot undo, only at the federal level, of course. I did expect for him to actually have some semblance of these pardons here, given the crowd and of course, his day one promises, but a few numbers here to keep in mind, Wolf, about the number we're going to talk about.
We have that there is more than 730 people convicted of misdemeanor offenses in connection with the January 6th. They had charged more than 1,480 people and secured about 1,270 convictions so far, with about 300 or so pending cases. If the president were to pardon or commute all that, that would be a great number of a broad, sweeping authority. Also, anyone who might be presently in prison could go free. Others have already served their sentence.
But the thing to keep in mind here, of course, is that we still don't know the categories of people who might indeed get the benefit of the pardon, and it's a huge benefit of clemency. We don't know if it's the category of simply nonviolent offenders or who he's qualifying as actual violent.
Remember Enrique Tarrio, you had Stewart Rhodes, both convicted of what's known as the Jewish conspiracy. And under that particular crime, you're talking about people who are planning, not necessarily in the midst of the presumed violence. Will they be categorized in a similar way as the others or treated differently? We'll see at the White House what might come up.
BLITZER: He also announced that he was ordering an immediate his word immediate freeze on all federal hirings, with the exception of the U.S. military. Legally speaking, I assume he can do that.
Is that right?
COATES: He has a great deal of discretion. One of the things he has a caveat until we are able to get full control of the government, it almost appeared as if he was trying to have a interim learning curve period. We'll have to see how that unfolds. But we're really looking at the most controversial aspects of it. Of
course, including not only the regulatory freezes, the return to work, the cost of living, but the idea of restoring freedom of speech. That was an important one, the eighth one, and the no infringement of free speech going forward.
Well, that's the expectation of our government as is. That's the first amendment principle.
So how would one effectuate that? Are there particular avenues that he is targeting? Freedom of association, the press or other aspects of it? He did not clarify. And we're left with some vague details of what appears to be a symbolic gesture as of now.
BLITZER: And very quickly, Laura, the ninth document he signed was to end the weaponization of government. Explain what he's talking about.
COATES: Well, he has used this as a rallying cry to suggest that he has been targeted in a two system or two tiered system of justice where people are going after political adversaries. Now, this is quite quizzical for many people because he has spoken about this issue and often talked about retribution, potentially. And I remember Pam Bondi, his attorney general pick, has said there will be no enemies list for the Department of Justice.
So we're left to understand, as he has alluded to, his comments about the decision of now, his predecessor, Joe Biden, and his decision to give a preemptive pardon. Will he see that under the same category of weaponization or otherwise. This is going to be a looming question as to how the orders will be carried out.
And, of course, we heard from Kash Patel earlier today, his pick to be the FBI director. What will his plans be, and will it be in line with what Pam Bondi has said she will effectuate?
BLITZER: Laura Coates, thanks very much. John King, thanks to you as well.
And, of course, stay with CNN.
Much more of our special coverage of President Trump's inauguration with Erin Burnett in Washington. That comes up now.