Trump Inauguration As It Happened

Following an eventful weekend over the fate of the popular social media app TikTok, the company’s CEO will attend U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Shou Chew, who heads the Chinese-owned TikTok, will reportedly sit near the dais at the inauguration along with other prominent tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.

Ahead of a law that would require ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban, Trump pledged to delay enforcement of the law to give more time to reach a divestment deal.

Prior to that intervention, TikTok briefly went dark in the United States before access was restored on January 19.

TikTok users were greeted with an onscreen message thanking Trump upon the app’s return.

While the app’s future still hangs in the balance, Trump’s statements and Chew publicly aligning himself with the incoming administration points to improved fortunes for TikTok.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration.

Putin said he was open to dialogue with the new U.S. administration on ending the Ukraine conflict, based on a “lasting peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people.”

Russia launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Putin lays claim to swathes of Ukrainian territory, beyond what his forces have occupied.

Trump has said ending the war is a key foreign policy priority. In his most recent comments, he said he hoped he could achieve it within six months, but he has not revealed a detailed plan for this.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng is expected to attend U.S. Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration - the highest-ranking Chinese official to ever attend the event.

Trump had invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping and while he did not accept, he made the rare move of sending the experienced top official to Washington.

Han – a trusted confidant of Xi’s – met U.S. Vice President JD Vance on January 19, when they discussed a “range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade, and regional stability,” the Trump-Vance transition team said in a statement.

The goodwill tour in Washington also saw Han meet with members of the American business community, including Tesla CEO and Trump associate Elon Musk.

With Beijing looking down the barrel of a potential trade war as it aims to stabilize its ailing economy, avoiding major friction is a clear priority.

This photo just landed from my colleague in Washington, Margot Buff.

It’s the building of the conservative Heritage Foundation, a think-tank that has strongly supported Trump in this election cycle. The U.S. capital voted firmly for Kamala Harris but today, Trump supporters have arrived in large numbers to celebrate his inauguration.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2018 declared negotiations with the Trump administration “banned” after the Republican president withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

But today, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baqaei, expressed hope that Trump’s second administration will adopt a “realistic approach” and respect the interests of Middle Eastern countries, including Iran.

Mike Waltz, who will serve as Trump’s national security adviser once he takes office, has said the government will make “key decisions” about Tehran “over the next month.”

Senior Iranian officials like President Masud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have hinted that the government is open to talks with Trump.

But that decision ultimately lies with Khamenei. Will Khamenei reconsider his stance on negotiating with a leader he once deemed unreliable?

Kyiv-based political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told RFE/RL almost half of Ukrainians expect Trump to contribute to peace in Ukraine and an end to the war.

"As for when -- opinions vary. Not everyone expects it to happen quickly; some believe Trump will act fast. Some view Trump with open concern and fear that he may push Ukraine toward an unfair peace. Meanwhile, a segment of the population is entirely indifferent. They have long lost faith in anyone or anything and are simply trying to survive in the current conditions. They are not interested in politics, including matters related to Trump.”

Donald Trump will have "a short window for diplomacy with Iran" if he chooses to use it, former White House adviser Michael Singh told RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

"We have this confluence of military, diplomatic, and -- if maximum pressure is renewed -- economic pressure on Iran," said Singh, who was on George W. Bush's National Security Council in 2005-2008.

This, he said, would create "the perfect storm, the ideal negotiating conditions."

But he warned that time was short. "With further delay by the West, Iran will have the time and the opportunity to cross a nuclear threshold."

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran hoped U.S. policy would "be realistic and based on international law."

Ahead of his inauguration Trump has met leaders of European allies hoping to position themselves for his second presidency. RFE/RL's senior international correspondent Ray Furlong takes a look at who they are and what they want.