Live updates: Trump pardons Jan. 6 rioters and signs sweeping orders on TikTok, border, energy

President Trump briefly spoke to attendees at the Liberty Ball late Monday night, the second inaugural ball he and Vice President Vance attended.

He gave a shoutout to members of his family, who also appeared on stage with him. Sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. and daughters Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump, in addition to other family members were on the stage with him. He also gave a shoutout to Vance and second lady Usha Vance.

“There’s a longing for competence in this country,” Trump told attendees.

“I was saying before we’re the party of common sense. You know, we don’t want to have men playing in women’s sports. We don’t want to have transgender operations for everyone, and we just want to have a great country,” he said, referring to gender-affirming surgery for transgender individuals. “Well, we want education. We want houses that don’t cost a fortune. We want low interest rates. We want low taxes. We want a strong, powerful military, and we’re going to have that.”

President Trump, Melania Trump, Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance have arrived at the Liberty Ball, the second stop of their evening.

They danced to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” as they did at the Commander in Chief Ball.

Trump cut into a large cake, bedecked with an airplane figure on top, with his vice president, JD Vance, and did a little dancing when the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” blared on the speakers at the Commander-in-Chief Ball.

He asked some attendees if they wanted some cake, and Vance jokingly asked if they could catch the cake.

Trump pledged to “build the most powerful military the world has ever seen” as he addressed a celebratory crowd at the Commander-in-Chief ball, where he appeared alongside first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

“I’ve had no higher privilege in life than to serve as your commander in chief, not once, but twice,” Trump said to applause.

“We will again build the most powerful military the world has ever seen. We’re going to have it,” the president said. “We’re not going to be defeated. We’re not going to be humiliated. We’re only going to win win win. We’re going to win win win.”

It was Trump’s first stop at an inaugural ball after signing a barrage of executive orders in the Oval Office.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump took the stage at the Commander in Chief Ball to audible cheers, taking to dance. Trump is wearing a tux while his wife wears a black and white floor length dress.

They were soon joined by Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance. The vice president also donned a tux while his wife worn a sparkly blue sleeveless floor-length dress.

Trump’s motorcade arrived at the DC Convention Center just after 10 p.m. Eastern for the Commander in Chief ball.

The event is Trump’s first stop at an inauguration celebration after signing a barrage of executive orders in the Oval Office. He’s expected to give remarks.

President Trump revoked an executive order issued by the Biden administration imposing sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers found to have committed violence against Palestinians in the West Bank,

The move lifts sanctions on a number of individuals and organizations that the Biden administration had identified as undermining peace and security in the West Bank.

Last week, Biden’s secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of violent attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians had reached record levels. Blinken criticized the Israeli government for expanding official settlements in the territory and turning “a blind eye to an unprecedented growth in illegal outposts.”

Former District of Columbia police officer Michael Fanone, who was attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol, said Trump’s pardon of rioters has left him feeling betrayed.

“I have been betrayed by my country, and I’ve been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump, whether you voted for him because he promised these pardons, or for some other reason, you knew that this was coming, and here we are tonight, six individuals who assaulted me, as I did my job on January 6, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now walk free,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday night.

He also criticized the GOP for its role in supporting law enforcement and Trump.

“I think that Republican Party owns a monopoly on hypocrisy when it comes to supporting or their supposed support of law enforcement, because, tonight, the leader of the Republican Party pardoned hundreds of violent cop assaulters,” Fanone said.

He was among several individuals who received preemptive pardons from President Biden on Monday morning.

Former Vice President Harris praised first responders and volunteers in Los Angeles as the city grapples with wildfires that have devastated California.

“We wanted to come out in particular to this extraordinary community, and just let people know that we see them and that they are cared for,” Harris told reporters, per footage from CBS News.

“And as I said to these courageous and extraordinary firefighters, moments of crisis really do reveal the heroes among us,” she said.

She praised first responders and volunteers for “coming together with a shared sense of purpose and identity as a community of people” amid the crisis.

Harris headed to her home state of California after attending the inauguration in Washington earlier in the day.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a member of the former House Jan. 6 committee, told CNN on Monday night that the new Trump administration has “a lot of explaining to do” about clemency issued to hundreds of people convicted in cases related to the Capitol riot cases.

“Why were they being pardoned? That’s my question. In other words, were they innocent? Nobody’s asserting that. Were they denied due process? No one’s asserting that. So are they reformed and rehabilitated and no longer a threat to democracy, no longer a threat to society? Or were they being pardoned simply because they were the willing political soldier for Donald Trump when he incited an insurrection against the government?” Raskin asked host Kaitlan Collins.

A message from Trump played during halftime of the college football playoff game on Monday night. Ohio State, which is Vance’s alma mater, is playing Notre Dame.

“Fight hard and fight fair and let the better team win,” Trump said.

He also said that the US is entering a golden age, which was a key message of his inauguration address.

President Trump late Monday issued a pair of executive orders that seek to bolster oil and gas drilling — including in contentious areas of Alaska. 

One order seeks to open up drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve.

The other initiates a review of all policies that “burden the development of domestic energy resources.”

Read the full story here.

Trump also signed an executive order implementing an “America First foreign policy” at the State Department.

The text of the EO calls for the secretary of State to issue guidance “bringing the Department of State’s policies, programs, personnel, and operations in line with an America First foreign policy, which puts America and its interests first.”

“From this day forward, the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first,” the order reads.

Trump signed an executive order that authorizes the deployment of troops to the southern border.

The order directs U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), one of 11 combat command centers, to deploy troops to the border to repel “forms of invasion, including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.”

The order directs Trump to receive a revised mission plan from NORTHCOM within 10 days and says the Secretary of Defense must receive a level 3 planning requirement, or a detailed plan, within 30 days. It also orders a steady planning requirement to maintain border operations.

Trump had pledged on the campaign trail to deploy active-duty troops to the border. The executive order does not establish how many or which types of troops would be deployed.

In the past, both the Trump and Biden administrations have deployed troops to the border, but generally only in specific instances.

Trump signed an executive order revoking the security clearance for numerous former officials who signed a letter asserting that the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop was false.

The signers of the letter said they believed the Russian government may have been operating a disinformation scheme with stories about the laptop and emails on it.

Trump’s order accuses these officials of engaging in partisan activity and revoked any clearances they may currently have.

The 50 officials include former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and former CIA Director John Brennan.

The order also revokes the clearance for former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, citing a book that Bolton wrote after being fired in 2019 that it claims was “rife with sensitive information.” Bolton has become an outspoken critic of Trump since leaving the administration.

Trump wrapped up questions from reporters after signing a surge of executive action from the Oval Office, ranging from sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters to withdrawal from the World Health Organization.

The president signed orders from behind the Resolute Desk after doing the same before supporters at the Capital One Arena earlier that day.

Balls and celebrations are still on Trump’s schedule for later in the evening.

Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the World Health Organization.

“Ooh, that’s a big one,” Trump said as he was handed the executive order to sign while sitting at the Resolute Desk.

Trump said that former President Biden’s decision to pardon members of his family before he left “surprised” him and said it made Biden look “very guilty.”

“I could have pardoned my family. I could have pardoned myself and my family. I said, if I do that, it’s going to make me look very guilt– I don’t think I’d be sitting here, frankly.”

President Trump has declared an energy emergency, which his team has said would unlock additional powers to jumpstart production.

The declaration unlocks additional authorities to allow the U.S. to bolster energy production, an official told reporters on Monday morning.

However, it was not immediately clear what powers are unlocked by the order.

Read the full story here.

Trump described war-ravaged Gaza as “a massive demolition site” shortly after a ceasefire deal went into effect over the weekend.

“Gaza is like a massive demolition site. That place is – it’s really got to be rebuilt in a different way,” Trump said as he signed executive orders and took questions from reporters in the Oval Office, adding that he “might” help rebuilding.

“You know, Gaza’s a phenomenal location, on the sea, best weather,” Trump said. “Some fantastic things could be done with Gaza.”

Trump was asked which former president he would take advice from and he replied that he would take advice from Bill Clinton.

“I thought Bill Clinton was a very good politician,” Trump says, claiming that the former president told former first lady Hillary Clinton to go visit Michigan and Wisconsin during the 2016 race, when Trump beat her.

“They all laughed at Bill Clinton like, the hell does he know? And he turned out to be right because I won both of them,” Trump said.

He added, “he had great political sense, I think.”

Trump said he will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after he said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump, in the Oval Office, said Zelensky wants to make a deal but said he wasn’t sure if Putin was looking to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Zelensky wants to make a deal. I don’t know if Putin does, he might not,” Trump said. “I think he’s destroying Russia. I think Russia’s going to be in big trouble, take a look at their economy, inflation. I got along with him great, I would hope he wants to make a deal.”

Trump said he signed an executive order to delay a ban of TikTok as he has called for negotiating a solution to the situation.

The order instructs the attorney general to delay by 75 days enforcement of the ban, which was set to start on Sunday. He has also said he wants the U.S. to take 50 percent ownership of the app.

Trump said he would not pledge that TikTok would remain available after the 75 days, but he has the authority to decide whether to force a sale or ban it.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called President Trump’s pardoning about 1,500 Capitol riot defendants an “outrageous insult” in a statement on Monday.

“It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” she said.

“Despite the President’s decision, we must always remember the extraordinary courage and valor of the law enforcement heroes who stood in the breach and ensured that democracy survived on that dark day,” she added.

Trump was asked if he’s a dictator on day one, after he warned that he could be one in a second term while running in the 2024 race.

“No, no. I can’t imagine being called that. I believe in the sanctity of the vote. The Democrats didn’t because they cheat like dogs,” he said. “Really the opposite.”

Trump said that kids in the United States have bigger problems than TikTok, while he signed an executive order that gave him the right to sell or close the app.

“If China is going to be information about young kids, I don’t know. I think we have bigger problems,” the president said. “TikTok I think is not their biggest problem.”

Asked whether anyone who assaulted law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots should face punishment, Trump went on defense.

“Well, I will say this: They’ve been in jail for a long time already. I see murders in this country get two years, one year, and maybe no time,” Trump said, adding that “these people have been destroyed.”

“Even people that were aggressive — and in many cases, I believe they happen to be outside agitators, but what do I know?” Trump said.

The president on Monday issued pardons for some 1,500 people convicted of crimes related to the riots, whom he’s long referred to as “Jan. 6 hostages.”

A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) slammed President Trump’s executive orders on Monday, saying that he was more interested in renaming landmarks than focusing on the issues he campaigned on.

“Donald Trump’s first day in office shows where his priorities lie: with the billionaire backers he put front row at his inauguration, while leaving his supporters out in the cold,” DNC communications director Rosemary Boeglin said in a statement.

“Trump’s reckless executive orders would mean higher prices and fewer American jobs in the clean energy economy,” she said. “Killing manufacturing jobs and giving kickbacks to Big Oil and Big Gas executives that make people sick is hardly putting ‘America first.’”

President Trump told reporters that he’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He declined to offer a time for the meeting, explaining it was being set up by officials.

Trump was asked about his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine on day one of his administration, saying there is still time on Monday.

“This is only half a day, I have another half a day left,” he said.