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2025-01-24 07:07:43 UTC
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PermalinkTuesday defended his decision to grant clemency to people convicted of
assaulting police officers during the 2021 attack on the Capitol and
suggested there could be a place in American politics for the Proud Boys
and Oath Keepers, extremist groups whose leaders were convicted of
seditious conspiracy against the U.S.
The president also continued to dismantle the governments promotion of
diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI. The White House issued a
memo placing on paid leave all federal staff who work on those efforts,
with plans to lay them off soon. DEI trainings were also canceled.
Trumps actions were the latest step in his drive to overhaul Washington
and erase the work of President Joe Bidens administration.
A priority for Trump has been helping supporters who laid siege to the
Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, making their pardons his first official action
once he returned to the White House after his inauguration on Monday.
Among the roughly 1,500 people pardoned by Trump were more than 200 who
pleaded guilty to assaulting police. At least 140 officers were injured
during the riot many beaten, bloodied and crushed by the crowd as
Trumps supporters tried to overturn Bidens election victory.
Before the Capitol attack, the Proud Boys was a group best known for
street fights with anti-fascist activists when Trump infamously told the
group to stand back and stand by during his first debate in 2020 with
then-presidential candidate Biden.
The groups former top leader, Enrique Tarrio, and three of his
lieutenants were convicted of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to
stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden after
the 2020 election. Tarrio was serving a 22-year prison sentence, the
longest of any Capitol riot case, before Trump pardoned him on Monday.
Some members of the group marched in Washington on Monday as Trump was
sworn into another term.
When pressed by a reporter about the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and
whether there was a place for them in politics, Trump said, Well, we have
to see. Theyve been given a pardon. I thought their sentences were
ridiculous and excessive.
Trump spoke to reporters at the White House as he highlighted an
investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and declared, Were
back.
I think were going to do things that people will be shocked at, he
said.
When pressed about his decision to free people from prison who were shown
on camera viciously attacking Capitol police officers, Trump declared, I
am a friend of police, more than any president whos ever been in this
office.
The president on Tuesday said he thought the sentences handed down for
actions that day were ridiculous and excessive and said, These are
people who actually love our country, so we thought a pardon would be
appropriate.
Two major law enforcement groups, The International Association of Chiefs
of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police, issued a joint statement
saying they were deeply discouraged by the pardons and commutations and
believed those convicted should serve their full sentences.
The president was also asked about his personal net worth benefitting from
his launch of a new cryptocurrency token the day before he was sworn into
office, and whether he would continue to sell products to benefit himself
while in office.
I dont know much about it other than I launched it, he said. I heard
it was very successful. I havent checked it. Where is it today?
Trump had opened his first full day back in office by demonstrating one of
his favored expressions of power: firing people.
The new president posted on his Truth social media network early Tuesday
that he would fire more than 1,000 presidential appointees who are not
aligned with our vision, including some high-profile names.
Trump fired chef and humanitarian José Andrés from the Presidents Council
on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, retired Gen. Mark Milley from the
National Infrastructure Advisory Council, former State Department official
Brian Hook from the board of the Wilson Center and former Atlanta Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms from the Presidents Export Council.
YOURE FIRED! Trump said in his post his catchphrase from his reality
TV show, The Apprentice.
Andrés and Bottoms disputed Trumps assertion that they were fired, saying
in posts on social media that they had already submitted their
resignations.
Biden also removed many Trump appointees in his first days in office,
including former press secretary Sean Spicer from the board overseeing the
U.S. Naval Academy.
Three major business leaders SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI
CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison joined Trump on
Tuesday afternoon to announce the creation of a new company called
Stargate, which would invest up to $500 billion over the next four years
in AI infrastructure, according to the White House.
Initial plans for Stargate, which is beginning construction in Texas, date
back to Bidens time in office. Tech news outlet The Information reported
on the project in March 2024.
Trump also attended a national prayer service Tuesday morning at
Washington National Cathedral, a customary visit for new presidents and
one that wrapped up four days of inauguration-related events.
One of the speakers at the interfaith service, the Right Rev. Mariann
Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, used her sermon to send a
message to Trump, urging compassion for LGBTQ+ people and undocumented
migrant workers.
You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our
God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared
now, said Budde, who has criticized Trump before.
Asked afterward by a reporter what he thought of the service, Trump said:
Not too exciting was it. I didnt think it was a good service. They could
do much better.
Later in the day, the president met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other GOP legislators. It was the
first formal sit-down for the GOP leadership teams, including House
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso and the new
president, as they chart priorities for using Republican power in
Washington.
It was more of a date than a marriage, said one person familiar with the
private meeting, and granted anonymity to discuss it.
Trump floated many ideas on the priorities ahead for tax cuts, disaster
aid, regulatory reforms and the upcoming March deadline to fund the
government with no clear preference for their various strategies, only
that they get the job done. Policy aides Stephen Miller and James Braid
joined the talk.
The GOP leaders were given chocolate chip cookies and commemorative coins.
After the meeting, Senate Republicans raised the threat of recess
appointments to install Trumps Cabinet. Thune pushed for a quick
confirmation, but Trump has demanded that Republicans prepare to put the
Senate in recess, allowing Trump to appoint his picks to Cabinet posts
without Senate confirmation.
Trump mused Tuesday that the Los Angeles wildfires would give Republicans
leverage with Democrats over budget negotiations, because Los Angeles is
going to need a lot of money. And generally speaking, I think youll find
that a lot of Democrats are going to be asking for help.
This story has been updated to correct Trumps quote on the prayer
service.
https://apnews.com/article/trumps-first-day-white-house-
b9ab76e21a159e681ea5ac74231adcea