 "An air kiss, Musk’s ‘Nazi’ salute, Zuckerberg’s stare: Biggest moments from Donald Trump’s inauguration")
On Monday (January 20), in an event that could be described as nothing short of a spectacle, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America. A galaxy of former world leaders, former US presidents, tech titans and other renowned people were in attendance for the Trump inauguration that was moved inside the Capitol Rotunda owing to the frigid temperatures in Washington, DC.
With an event of this scale and significance, it is not surprising that it would have been meticulously planned — everything from the inaugural address to the guest list. However, no inauguration day is without surprises, glitches and a whole lot of viral moments — and Trump’s second inauguration didn’t fail on this count.
If you missed out on Trump’s inauguration, here’s what you might have missed and what people will be talking about for days to come.
Trump unpacks in longest modern-day inaugural address
Donald Trump is fond of breaking records and making history, and he did so on Monday at his inauguration ceremony. His second inaugural address (the first he delivered back in 2017) became the longest in modern history, clocking in at 29 minutes and 48 seconds. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, spoke for 21 minutes and 18 seconds.
However, the record for the longest inaugural address in American history, through the years, is held by William Henry Harrison in 1841. He delivered a speech that went on for an hour and 40 minutes and consisted of 8,445 words. He died a month later of pneumonia, some said brought on by exposure to the elements during his ceremony.
But it’s not just the duration of Trump’s inaugural address that was significant. In his speech, Trump declared that the country’s “decline” will end immediately, ushering in “the golden age of America.”
He also ripped into America’s past leadership — namely Joe Biden — by calling him incompetent and corrupt, echoing some of the darker rhetoric he used daily on the campaign trail. While he didn’t name Biden, there was no question about whom he was talking. “We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad,” Trump charged.
He charged that the current government protects dangerous immigrants instead of law-abiding citizens, protects foreign borders at the expense of American borders and “can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency.”
“All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly,” he said.
Trump continued in an apparent tirade all while Biden sat in the crowd, often seen smiling in disbelief and occasionally grimacing. Kamala Harris , on the other hand, who was Biden’s vice president and who went up against Trump in the elections, remained stony-faced throughout.
A biblical error
Before the inauguration ceremony, it was reported that Trump would take the oath of office on two bibles — a Trump family bible and the so-called Lincoln Bible, which was used by the 16th president in 1861 and by Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013.
However, it seems that either Trump wasn’t in the mood to follow through or he just forgot, as he didn’t place his hand on the bibles during his oath-taking ceremony. Instead, he just stood with his left arm planted by his side as he raised his right hand for the oath of office.
Notably, touching the bible isn’t a legal requirement. The American constitution simply states that presidents declare fealty to it “by oath or affirmation”. It does not specify what they should be doing with their hands.
Adam Schwarz, a political historian, told The Times: “I have looked back at decades of US presidential inaugurations and can’t find another example of this.”
Hitting a low note
After Trump’s inaugural speech concluded, American country singer Carrie Underwood took to the stage inside the Capitol Rotunda to sing America the Beautiful.
The singer, who hit the headlines first in 2005 by winning the talent show, American Idol, hit a bum note at the start of her performance. A technical malfunction cut off her backing music, forcing her to go acapella.
“You know the words, help me out here,” she said after a few moments following which the crowds joined in and her performance ended with an applause.
Trump misses the kiss
Most inaugurations will have a dash of romance and Trump chose to follow this path too. However, it turned into a meme-worthy moment.
At the start of the event, when Trump walked on stage to his swearing-in at the Capitol, he reached his wife, Melania and leaned in for a kiss. However, all he got was her wide-brim hat, making it hard to reach her face. The result: an air kiss that many social media users called the “most awkward kiss ever”.
For those who don’t know, Melania Trump arrived in a dark blue and white ensemble, complete with an eye-catching hat. However, the Eric Javits headpiece effectively became a boundary against Melania, blocking Trump’s kiss.
As one user wrote on X, “I’ve just realised why Melania is wearing that wide-brimmed hat — it made it impossible for Trump to land his attempted kiss. Smart woman.”
However, Trump was successful a second time around when he leaned in for a kiss after being sworn in.
Missing Michelle
Giorgia Meloni was there. Javier Milei was there. Boris Johnson was there. George W Bush was also there with his wife, Laura. As were Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
But when Barack Obama arrived at Trump’s inauguration, the absence of wife Michelle , was glaring. Her decision to miss Trump’s swearing-in was a break with tradition for the ceremony.
According to a People magazine report, a source said that the former First Lady had decided to skip the inauguration as she did not want to show fealty to a man she did not believe was fit for office.
The Zuckerberg stare and the Musk ‘Nazi’ salute
One notable feature at Trump’s inauguration was the presence of all the big ‘Tech Bros’ —Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Google chief Sundar Pichai, Apple boss Tim Cook were all in attendance.
However, their presence alone at the Trump inauguration wasn’t viral-worthy. It was when Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder, was seen on camera staring at Bezos’ fiancé, Lauren Sanchez. Sanchez was seated next to Bezos at the event dressed in a white blazer and lace bralette.
Mark Zuckerberg was caught fact-checking 😂 pic.twitter.com/guiFdmCOvR
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) January 20, 2025
And the internet couldn’t stop going berserk over the Facebook founder staring at Sanchez in her tight-fitted outfit. One social media user commented that “Zuckerberg was ready to risk it all for Lauren Sanchez”.
But Zuckerberg wasn’t the only tech titan that earned viral status at Trump’s inauguration. Elon Musk, Trump’s closest ally and First Buddy, also captured eyeballs when he made an one-armed gesture, which many compared to a Nazi salute.
Speaking at a rally after the inauguration, Musk said, “This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilisation.
Billionaire Elon Musk gave what appeared to be a fascist salute Monday while making a speech at the post-inauguration celebration for President Donald Trump at the Capital One Arena.
— PBS News (@NewsHour) January 20, 2025
“Some elections are important, some are not. But this one, this one really mattered and I just… pic.twitter.com/K8Fo0sdozL
“This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you,” he said as he thumped his right hand over his heart and extended the arm out at an upward angle with his palm down and fingers together.
He then made the same gesture to the crowd behind him.
George W Bush’s playfulness and Hillary’s laugh
Why should only Trump have the spotlight, is what former US President George W Bush may have thought during the inauguration.
As Trump was being sworn in, viewers made note of Bush’s particularly animated expressions during the ceremony. At one point, the former US president darted his eyes from side to side as he tried to contain a playful grin, sparking a wave of memes on social media.
Is it me or does George W. Bush look like he ate a Pot Brownie?pic.twitter.com/BfBhZmETnU
— Bryce Lipscomb 🟨⬛️ (@BryceMLipscomb) January 20, 2025
“Idgaf what anyone says,” one user wrote on X. “I love George Bush and his 10-year-old-Christmas-concert-spirit.” Another user wrote, “He’s like that kid at the school play that sees his parents and can’t stop winking and making faces.”
If that wasn’t enough, Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election, also grabbed eyeballs for laughing when Trump announced his plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali during the inauguration.
Hillary Clinton can’t contain her laughter as Trump says he’s changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. pic.twitter.com/FgFR1dd4G6
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) January 20, 2025
In the viral video, as Hillary Clinton could be seen laughing, Bill Clinton turned towards her.
Talk about being casual
Inauguration style is among the most-talked topics — everyone is discussing what Melania wore, what US Second Lady Usha Vance wore. But what about Senator John Fetterman?
The Pennsylvania senator chose to be most casual at one of the most formal events, donning an oversized hoodie, long, loose athletic shorts and sneakers. A lot of chatter focused on why Fetterman chose to give a coat a skip and opted for shorts on a day so frigid.
But maybe Fetterman chose comfort, as he usually does.
With inputs from agencies
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