Trump Pardons January 6 Defendants, Signs Executive Orders on Inauguration Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump announced plans to pardon individuals convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack during a speech at the Capital One Arena on Monday, marking a dramatic start to his administration’s first day in office.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters, Trump declared, “Tonight, I’m going to be signing pardons for the J6 hostages, to get them out. And as soon as I leave, I’m going to the Oval Office, and we’ll be signing pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people.” The announcement came as part of a broader speech outlining his administration’s priorities, including the signing of executive orders aimed at reversing policies from the Biden administration.

Trump signed a series of executive orders onstage, with aides announcing each action before he displayed the signed documents to the cheering crowd. “Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so,” Trump quipped, holding up one of the orders. The measures included revoking nearly 80 executive actions from the previous administration and directing federal agencies to preserve records related to what Trump called “political prosecutions.”

During his speech, Trump reiterated his unfounded claims about the 2020 election, stating, “The second election was rigged.” He also criticized the prosecution of January 6 rioters, comparing their treatment to the response to protests following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. “In Minneapolis where they burned down the city, nothing happened,” Trump claimed, despite data showing over 10,000 arrests and federal charges related to those protests.

Trump also addressed immigration, a central theme of his 2024 campaign, asserting that unauthorized immigration has driven crime in the U.S. However, studies, including a 2024 report by the National Institute of Justice, have found no link between undocumented immigration and overall crime rates.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state, marking the first cabinet confirmation of Trump’s administration. The vote was 99-0.

The event concluded with remarks from Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, who highlighted a recent Gaza ceasefire deal and signaled a shift in U.S. foreign aid policy. “We are done carrying the financial burden for nations that are unwilling to fund their own progress,” Witkoff said.