President-elect Donald Trump took a victory lap on Sunday with a campaign-style rally in Washington, D.C, the day before he is sworn in for a second term four years after losing the White House to Joe Biden.
Trump's "Make America Great Again Victory Rally" at the Capital One Arena marks his first major speech in Washington since he urged his supporters to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in protest against his defeat.
Thousands of people breached the building in an unsuccessful effort to prevent Congress from certifying the results. Trump has vowed to pardon many of the more than 1500 people charged in connection with the attack.
His rally remarks, along with his inaugural address on Monday, could offer a preview of the tone he plans to adopt in the early days of his second term in office. In recent weeks, Trump has disconcerted foreign allies by musing aloud about taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal and turning Canada into a U.S. state.
The world's richest man, Elon Musk, who has become a close Trump confidant since spending more than $250 million to boost his campaign, was scheduled to speak at the event, along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, conservative activist Charlie Kirk and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also planned to attend the rally, amid uncertainty over whether Trump will take steps to rescue the app from a U.S. ban set to take effect on Sunday. Chew was expected to join other tech executives at Trump's inauguration.
Singer and rapper Kid Rock, disco group The Village People, singer Billy Ray Cyrus and singer Lee Greenwood were all scheduled to perform.
President Joe Biden meanwhile made his last official trip as president on Sunday to Charleston, South Carolina, to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is on Monday, the White House said. He will attend services and speak about King's legacy at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. In the evening, he addressed well-heeled supporters at a dinner in Washington.
The inauguration is scheduled for noon ET (1600 GMT) on Monday, when Trump will take the presidential oath of office inside the rotunda of the Capitol building, after the cold weather prompted organizers to move the ceremony indoors. Approximately 25 000 law enforcement personnel will be on hand to provide security.
Cape Times