Melania's hat, an 'arctic blast' and tech issues: The moments you missed from Trump's inauguration.

Well, Donald Trump has officially been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

The Republican is once again back in the White House, despite being convicted of felonies. He took the oath of office, promising to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States", on Monday afternoon local time.

We don't blame you if you missed it.

It kicked off about 3am here, so fair enough for wanting your beauty sleep. But don't fret, here are all the key moments and bizarre scenes you should see.

Listen to Mamamia's twice-daily news podcast, The Quicky discuss Trump's inauguration. Post continues below.

Trump's inauguration speech.

Trump wasted no time before making digs at Joe Biden's administration, saying that "America's decline is over".

"The golden age of America begins right now," he said.

As Biden sat mere steps away, Trump said the government he inherited, "Cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad."

He claimed that January 20, 2025 was "liberation day" and said "a tide of change is sweeping the country".

US President Donald Trump takes the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts. Image: Getty.

Referencing the assassination attempt on his life, Trump said his "life was saved" by God to 'make America great again'.

President Trump also listed a number of executive orders he planned to sign, in order to start implementing his agenda. These include declaring a national emergency at the US southern border.

He wants to crack down on immigration, put Americans on Mars, "drill, baby, drill" to bring down inflation and rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America to reclaim the US's "rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth". (We caught Hillary Clinton laughing at this last one.)

Oh, and we can't forget, he said his government's policy would be that there are only two genders, male and female. Trump vowed to sign an executive order ending transgender rights in the US military and inside US schools… So much for a president for all?

Melania's hat and that awkward kiss.

Melania stepped out wearing a double-breasted navy coat and skirt ensemble reportedly from American designer Adam Lippes. But it was her broad-brimmed hat, believed to be by Eric Javits, that stole the show.

The piece not only kept her face obscured from prying eyes but also kept her husband away, forcing him to give her an air kiss as he came in for a peck. How functional!

And of course, the internet has plenty to say about that. The memes are running wild.

Some have likened the First Lady's hat to McDonald's Hamburgler uniform, while others said the kiss-blocker was very effective.

Oh, now it makes sense. Melania wore the hat as a barrier to Trump’s lips. Got it. #Inauguration2025 pic.twitter.com/v35yY7eD3I

— JC R WHIT (@JC99WHIT) January 20, 2025

Melania’s hat is giving Hamburglar #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/EnfQWNSwC1

— Cassie DB (@cassandra__db) January 20, 2025

Trump even made some off-the-cuff remarks himself, saying his wife got caught up in the wind outside the ceremony.

"With the hat she was wearing. She almost blew away. She was being elevated off the ground," he said to laughs.

The president even shared a glimpse into the couple's relationship behind closed doors.

"She said 'sir"' — she calls me sir when she's angry," he said.

"I'm only kidding," he continued. "I better say I'm only kidding or the press is going to pick that one up loud and clear."

Melania Trump interjects as Trump makes a joke about her outfit choice. Image: Getty.

Carrie Underwood goes a cappella.

On the topic of awkward moments, country singer Carrie Underwood found herself having to improvise when the music didn't kick in for her rendition of America the Beautiful.

Guests were forced to sit through an unplanned minute of silence waiting for the music to begin.

Unfortunately, the tech issues just didn't want to go away and Underwood stepped up to sing a cappella.

"You know the words, help me out here," she told the crowd, before beginning.

The sound guy for Carrie Underwood right now pic.twitter.com/VVxNahcnCC

— Riverrat328 (@riverrat328) January 20, 2025

Watch: Carrie Underwood performs a cappella at Trump's inauguration.

Lauren Sanchez's look steals the show.

American journalist Lauren Sanchez's outfit choice was widely discussed on Twitter. Sanchez, who is engaged to Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, sported a white Alexander McQueen pantsuit. Instead of opting for a blouse underneath, Sanchez revealed a matching white lacy bra peeking through.

To no surprise, the internet is both loving and criticising the outfit choice. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has also been dragged into the conversation, after being caught on camera briefly admiring her outfit.

Others were quick to defend Sanchez, praising the all white number.

"Lauren Sánchez for the win," one post read.

"I think she looks beautiful. There's hardly any cleavage, calm down folks," another X (formerly Twitter) user agreed.

For no reason except that I love political mess, here is a moment where Mark Zuckerberg seemed to be looking at Lauren Sanchez's décolletage pic.twitter.com/ywk6nvWfpw

— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) January 20, 2025

An arctic blast moves the inauguration inside.

Freezing attendees rocked Trump-themed gloves.

It seems Mother Nature has shown her steely determination, giving the traditional inauguration proceedings the 'cold shoulder'.

You see, the ceremony had to be moved inside due to what Trump called an 'arctic blast'.

Temperatures plummeted in Washington D.C., reaching down as far as -6 degrees Celsius. This made it one of the coldest inaugurations in recent U.S. history, though not quite as cold as Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985, which holds the record at -14 degrees Celsius.

The inauguration is typically held on the West Front of the Capitol, but this year it took place inside the Capitol Rotunda.

Trump said, "I don't want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th."

There were more people hoping to attend than would fit into the Rotunda, so the Capital One Arena was opened with a live stream, and Trump moved there after the official inauguration.

Who attended the inauguration?

Social media stars Jake and Logan Paul, who endorsed Trump ahead of the election, were spotted in the crowd. Comedian Theo Von, UFC fighter Conor McGregor and race car driver Danica Patrick were also seen in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol where there is an overflow room set up.

Meanwhile, big names in tech were front and centre, with Elon Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg all in attendance. All of Trump's children also attended.

While Barack Obama showed up, along with Democrat big names, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bill and Hillary Clinton, former first lady, Michelle Obama, was nowhere to be seen.

Conor McGregor is seen in the VIP viewing area in Emancipation Hall for the Inauguration of Donald Trump. Image: Getty.

Joe Biden pardons Trump's 'enemies'.

In his final hours as president, Biden used the ultimate display of power to pardon people who have not even been investigated yet.

The outgoing president issued preemptive pardons for Mark Milley, former White House chief and medical advisor Anthony Fauci.

He also preemptively pardoned all the members of congress who served on the committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, as a guard against Trump's potential revenge.

Trump has repeatedly called for the punishment of his perceived enemies since winning the election.

The pardons also serve to protect outspoken critics of Trump and Biden's brothers, James and Frank, and his sister, Valerie, along with their spouses.

"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics. Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end," Biden said in a statement.

"Baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.

"Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances."

Feature image: Getty.