Inauguration Day’s most notable moments on social media

Photo via Matt Rourke/AP Photo

This Monday marked Donald Trump’s official return to the Oval Office. The day was booked with various events and ceremonies that were filled with numerous moments that sparked mass outrage, debate and attention. 

The day of inaugural events began with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, alongside their families, attending an “Interfaith Service of Prayer for the Nation” at the Washington National Cathedral. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde gave the service’s controversial sermon, in which she momentarily spoke directly to Trump. 

“Let me make one final plea Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you … In the name of our God I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said at the end of her sermon. 

“There are gay lesbian and transgender children … some who fear for their lives and the people who … may not be citizens or have the proper documentation … they pay taxes and are our good neighbors, they are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, Vdara and temples. I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”

Many in attendance were visually displeased with the comments made by Budde and Trump, when asked about his thoughts on the sermon, said, “Not too exciting was it? I didn’t think it was a good service. They could do much better.” 

U.S. House of Representative Mike Collins took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disapproval with Budde’s sermon, saying, “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”

As the inauguration itself was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda due to cold weather, attendance was limited, causing more attention to those present in-person. Drawing the most public attention, positioned on stage behind the President, were tech billionaires Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg and Sundar Pichai. Drawing less but still ample attention were other tech billionaires Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook. 

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal opponent of these billionaires' involvement in U.S. politics, said on X, “When I started talking about Oligarchy, many people didn't understand what I meant. Well, that's changed. When the 3 wealthiest men in America sit behind Trump at his inauguration, everyone understands that the billionaire class now controls our government.” 

Many prominent comments were made throughout Trump’s 30-minute long inaugural address. One of the more discussed moments came when the President began outlining specific executive orders he would later in the day be signing, saying, “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.” 

Some took to social media to celebrate the declaration, while others used the platforms to voice their frustration.

“Meanwhile, still no viable plan to lower the cost of groceries. Meanwhile, climate provisions are being repealed to increase profits for oil executives while both red and blue states are ravanaged by climate change. Meanwhile, your healthcare still sucks. Meanwhile, each and every standing next to Trump at his inauguration is a billionaire,” Matt Berstein, a popular political commentator, said on Instagram. “But let’s stay focused on the nonbinary eighth grader who wants to play field hockey. Are you distracted yet?”

Arguably the most discussed moment from Inauguration Day came during the rally Trump held for supporters after being sworn in. Among the numerous speakers at the five-hour event, it was Elon Musk who attracted the most attention when he raised his arm towards the crowd, in what some are now calling a Nazi salute.

“That is 1000% a Nazi salute being given behind the presidential podium on Inauguration Day (also MLK day) by the richest person on the planet. That moment will live in infamy,” One X user posted, gaining around 194,000 likes. 

“Elon Musk was very ill-advised to do this kind of salute to denote his clearly stated ‘my heart goes out to you’ sentiment… but he obviously didn’t mean it as a Nazi salute and anyone who says he did is being a disingenuous idiot,” media personality Piers Morgan said on X. 

Many choose to intentionally ignore or skip attending the inauguration all-together, some as a way to express disapproval with President Trump and others deciding to focus solely on celebrating MLK day. 

U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Instagram to explain her reasons for not attending, saying, “I don’t celebrate rapists, so no I’m not going to the inauguration.”