Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations

Trump's Sunday rally in D.C. offered an inauguration preview

President-Elect Donald Trump speaks at his victory rally at the Capital One Arena on Sunday.
Scott Olson
/
Getty Images
President-Elect Donald Trump speaks at his victory rally at the Capital One Arena on Sunday.

The day before Trump was set to be sworn in as the 47th president, he and his followers celebrated with an hours-long rally at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

"Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity, and pride," Trump told the crowd to loud cheers.

"Once and for all we're going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington, a failed administration."

He took the opportunity to preview several of his planned Day 1 actions, including on border security, energy, and ending the Biden administration's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in government agencies.

He also celebrated his election win and took credit for multiple recent developments, including the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel that went into effect on Sunday, Biden's last full day in office.

"I know that Biden is saying they made the deal, well," he said, trailing off and chuckling as the crowd booed.

Trump's pick for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, joined President Biden's Middle East envoy in the final push of talks on the deal.

Trump also cheered the fact that Tiktok, the popular video app, is back online. TikTok was taken offline Saturday night in compliance with a law that effectively banned the service nationwide unless it splits off from its China-based owner, but Trump on Sunday posted on Truth Social that he would pause the law and extend a liability shield to technology companies that support TikTok.

At the rally on Sunday, he reiterated a proposal he made on social media: for the U.S. government to take a 50% stake in the social media platform, without providing further details.

His promotion of Tiktok is a reversal from 2020, when Trump attempted to ban the platform.

Read more about Trump's remarks, plus who else appeared onstage.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Danielle Kurtzleben
Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk. She appears on NPR shows, writes for the web, and is a regular on The NPR Politics Podcast. She is covering the 2020 presidential election, with particular focuses on on economic policy and gender politics.