The United States president-elect, Donald Trump, has pledged to end “four long years of American decline” at a raucous pre-inauguration rally in the capital, Washington, DC.
“We’re going to give them the best first day, the biggest first week and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history,” Trump told a packed 20,000-seat stadium of supporters at a “Make America Great Again (MAGA) Victory Rally” at the Capital One Arena on Sunday.
“Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” Trump said, adding, “Once and for all, we are going to end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment in Washington.”
Trump, 78, is due to be sworn in as the 47th US president at 17:00 GMT on Monday. He will take the presidential oath of office inside the rotunda of the Capitol building after cold weather prompted organisers to move the ceremony indoors.
At the MAGA rally, Trump pledged a “brand-new day of American strength and prosperity” by cracking down on everything from “illegal” immigration across the US-Mexico border to promoting oil drilling, reining in the federal workforce and eradicating diversity programmes.
“By the time the sun sets tomorrow, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt,” he said.
The event marked his first major address in Washington, DC since his speech on January 6, 2021, that preceded the storming of the US Capitol by an angry mob of his supporters. Trump has said he will pardon many of the more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the attack.