US President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were sworn in on Monday at the US Capitol, where the inauguration ceremony for the 47th US president took place.

Before Chief Justice John Roberts, Trump said: “I, Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.”

Trump then headed to his family and vice president, where he was warmly shaken hands, amid applause from those present, including the outgoing president, Joe Biden, who stood next to him.

Before Trump, Vance took the oath of office before Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, saying, "I, Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and I pray God that he may help me."

Trump said his proudest legacy would be “peacemaker and unifier; and I am pleased to say that as of yesterday, the day before I take office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming home to their families,” drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.

“As in 2017, we will once again build the most powerful military the world has ever seen,” he said. “And we will measure our success not just by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never enter.”

“Our strength will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and completely unpredictable,” he said at the end of his speech.

The official inauguration ceremony opened with the introduction of outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to the podium, amid applause from those present in appreciation of her four years of service.

In her remarks before the inauguration, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inauguration Ceremonies, stressed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power.

“Welcome to the 60th presidential inauguration,” Klobuchar said. “Today, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance will take the oath of office. We will witness a peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democracy.”

Invited guests flocked to the Capitol Rotunda for the ceremony, where former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, were seen, as was former President Barack Obama, who attended without his wife, Michelle, who has been at odds with Trump.

Sources close to Michelle told People magazine that the former first lady did not attend Trump's inauguration because she "is not the type to put on a friendly face for the sake of protocol."

In addition to the Trump family, the CEOs of major tech companies were in attendance, including Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

The inauguration in Washington, DC, will make Trump the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms since Democrat Grover Cleveland, the only president before Trump to reach the White House in the same way, having won the presidency in 1885, then been defeated in 1889, then nominated by his party again to win in 1893.

Trump's inauguration also marks a triumphant return for a president who has twice survived impeachment proceedings, two assassination attempts and an accusation of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Unlike his former presidential rival, Kamala Harris, who had the backing of former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Trump has not had such support from his Republican predecessors. The only living former Republican president, George W. Bush, has not declared his support for him, but is expected to attend his inauguration.