麻豆社国产

Skip to content

Trump meets with GOP senators as supporters cheer his return on eve of inauguration

WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 President-elect Donald Trump consulted privately with Republican senators Sunday before heading off to a series of events designed to celebrate his return to power and the 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 movement, despite deep national p
05090352fdf50766e8e8db24025cc468bd7d81bc43f9b04eaca28eb76585bf3d
President-elect Donald Trump and Melina Trump talk with family members of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Christian Knauss, in Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 President-elect consulted privately with Republican senators Sunday before heading off to a series of events designed to celebrate his return to power and the 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 movement, despite deep national political divisions on the eve of

The private meeting featured a breakfast at , the president's official guest residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and gave top GOP leaders a chance to lay last-minute plans barely 24 hours before Trump moves back into the White House.

Meanwhile, Trump supporters, many arriving from around the country and decked out in their fanciest clothes, including fur coats, filled parties 鈥 both formal and informal 鈥 at hotels and restaurants close to the White House. As they moved between the festivities, some could be heard chanting 鈥淢AGA鈥 or simply stating it as a greeting to fellow revelers.

Sunday is Trump鈥檚 first full day back in Washington since his election victory and gives him a chance to fire up his core supporters before the official pomp of Inauguration Day, including the swearing-in at noon.

The nation's capital to keep the events safe and secure. But unlike when Trump helped spark a mob of his supporters to and tried in 2021 after his loss to Democrat , officials are not expecting massive protests, unrest or violence. Instead, the city is braced for crowds celebrating Trump's second term and MAGA's of the Republican Party.

It is a remarkable turnaround from four years ago, when Trump left the nation鈥檚 capital in and . Trump blasted his way through the 2024 GOP presidential primary and won in November with an Electoral College margin unseen since Barack Obama was reelected in 2012.

Yet even with that comfortable victory and his party in full 鈥 albeit narrow 鈥 control of Congress, the incoming president remains one of the most polarizing figures in U.S. history, with nearly as many fierce detractors as ardent supporters. That means it could be difficult for Trump to fulfill postelection to promote bipartisanship while healing political differences.

The president-elect has insisted that unity will be a theme of his inauguration speech Monday, along with strength and fairness, but he also spent months as a candidate saying that if elected he would seek .

鈥淛anuary 20th cannot come fast enough!,鈥 Trump posted on his social media site. 鈥淓verybody, even those that initially opposed a Victory by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen.鈥

With expected Monday, Trump directed his oath of office and Officials held a rehearsal Sunday inside the U.S. Capitol. But because the Rotunda holds only 600 people, it was unclear if the 250,000-plus guests who had tickets to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds would have any opportunity to watch.

Large viewing screens that were erected around the National Mall were taken down, although Trump said there would be word on alternative, indoor locations for viewing the ceremonies. The traditional parade was to be held, in some form, at Capital One Arena, home to Washington鈥檚 pro basketball and hockey teams and where Trump was planning to address a MAGA rally later Sunday.

Meanwhile, national and global events drew some of Trump's attention Sunday. He took to his social media site to comment on the and the U.S. ban on TikTok.

鈥淗ostages starting to come out today! Three wonderful young women will be first," Trump wrote.

Overnight, millions of U.S. users of TikTok lost the ability to watch videos on as a federal ban on the app took effect. Though the site later began flickering to life for some users, the disruptions reflected a new law requiring its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest for national security reasons.

The company made a personal appeal to Trump to intervene, posting a message saying, 鈥淲e are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."

Trump subsequently posted, 鈥淚鈥檓 asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!" He promised to issue an executive order Monday "to extend the period of time before the law鈥檚 prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.鈥

The president-elect also wrote that he was interested in the U.S. owning 50% of TikTok in a 鈥渏oint venture鈥 model, though he did not offer much detail on what that would look like. Incoming national security adviser Michael Waltz insisted that Trump could find a solution by Monday.

鈥淚 think we should all be confident that he can craft that kind of a deal,鈥 Waltz told CBS鈥 鈥滷ace the Nation." He also noted that Trump discussed TikTok on a weekend call with Chinese President Xi Jinping and they "agreed to work together on this.鈥

鈥淲hat we need between now and Monday is to buy the president some time to evaluate those deals," Waltz said. 鈥淎nd if it goes dark, that鈥檚 going to be, obviously, extremely problematic.鈥

After meeting with senators, Trump headed to snow-covered graves at Arlington National Cemetery, where he and Vice President-elect JD Vance 鈥 each wearing dark overcoats and red ties 鈥 walked together to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a wreath-laying ceremony that included the playing of taps. Trump mouthed 鈥渢hank you鈥 after placing the wreath.

The ceremony was also attended by his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, and other relatives.

Many of Trump鈥檚 picks for the incoming administration鈥檚 Cabinet also stood quietly by. They included Trump鈥檚 choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and Tulsi Gabbard, the choice for director of national intelligence, as well as Trump's announced ambassador to the United Nations, Elise Stefanik. Several medal of honor recipients were also there, wearing their medals.

Trump and Vance later spent nearly half an hour in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, talking with families of three soldiers who died , as well as a fourth whom they did not identify.

The scene was far different than in August, when two Trump campaign staff members verbally 鈥渁bused and pushed鈥 aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60.

Will Weissert And Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks