Morning Report — Trump returns to power

In today’s issue:  

• Emboldened Trump gets to work
• Guide to altered inauguration schedule
• Amid ban, TikTok restored in the U.S.
• First hostages returned in Gaza ceasefire

© The Associated Press | J. Scott Applewhite

President-elect Trump today will revel with supporters during an indoor inauguration ceremony and publicly put foes on notice that he’s wasting no time before remaking American governance. 

The 47th president plans Monday and in the weeks that follow to use his executive power to thwart migrants, a federal workforce he doesn’t trust and Biden administration energy and climate policies he opposes. He told voters he will ease inflation, end wars, close borders and restore a mighty economy with tough tariffs, more oil drilling and fewer regulations.

The New York Times: Trump aims for a show of strength as he returns to power.

Many of Trump’s executive orders will be challenged in court by opponents who hope their resistance can galvanize a dispirited Democratic Party and perhaps some of the moderate voters who opted for Trump over Vice President Harris.

Immigration enforcement will test that theory beginning today. The new Trump administration, eager for a showy start, has been preparing to conduct raids against migrants in Chicago as soon as Tuesday, until the details leaked. Trump will sign executive actions Monday evening geared to strengthening border security.

▪ The New York Times Magazine: Birthright citizenship defined America. Trump wants to redefine it.

▪ The Hill: Trump plans a barrage of Day 1 executive actions on border, energy and the federal workforce. And during a Sunday rally, he teased possible pardons for some of the more than 1,500 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. “Tomorrow everyone in this arena will be very happy with my decision on the J6 hostages,” Trump said. “I think you’ll be very, very happy.”

Trump, 78, serving in his second and final term, by definition becomes a lame duck as his party gazes over the horizon to a new generation of ambitious Republicans. Conservatives and progressives will soon focus on the 2026 midterm elections. 

The Associated Press: JD Vance, 40, today becomes America’s first millennial vice president and MAGA torchbearer.

Trump will try to steer narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate to follow his lead, but he’s expected to run up against legislative hurdles. There is no precedent in today’s starkly divided Congress to accomplish — in a single year and in a single bill — the sweep of ambitious tax, immigration and energy changes Trump seeks. 

▪ The Hill: Senate GOP wants a new start with Trump, despite tensions.

▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from Trump inauguration eve rally.

And the rest of the world is on the lookout. Trump during his transition injected himself into a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas, the war between Russia and Ukraine and the battle involving TikTok and its Chinese parent company. Weeks before taking today’s oath of office, Trump threatened ally Canada with tariffs, knocked NATO and Denmark and said Greenland and the Panama Canal should be controlled by the U.S.

Nonetheless today, the red carpet rolls out for Trump, reports The Hill’s Brett Samuels.