Washington — President Donald Trump on his first full day in office Tuesday defended his decision to grant clemency to people convicted of assaulting police officers during the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and suggested there could be a place in politics for the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, extremist groups whose leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy against the U.S. Trump used his opening hours in his second term to erase the records of more than 200 people who pleaded guilty to assaulting officers during the Capitol siege on Jan. 6, 2021, and free from prison those convicted of trying to overthrow the government, as he granted reprieve to all 1,500-plus people charged in the insurrection that was sparked after he refused to accept his loss in the 2020 presidential election. At least 140 officers were injured — many beaten, bloodied and crushed by the crowd. When asked about the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and whether there was a place for them in politics, Trump said, “Well, we have to see. They’ve been given a pardon. I thought their sentences were ridiculous and excessive.” When asked his decision to free people from prison who were shown on camera viciously attacking Capitol police officers, Trump declared, “I am a friend of police, more than any president who’s ever been in this office.” Trump spoke to reporters at the White House as he highlighted an investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. “We’re back,” he said. “I think we’re going to do things that people will be shocked at.” The president was also asked about his personal net worth benefitting from his launch of a new cryptocurrency token the day before he was sworn into office and whether he would continue to sell products to benefit himself while in office. “I don’t know much about it other than I launched it,” he said. “I heard it was very successful. I haven’t checked it. Where is it today?” Trump had opened his first full day back in office by saying he would fire more than 1,000 presidential appointees “who are not aligned with our vision,” including some high-profile names. Trump fired chef and humanitarian José Andrés from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, retired Gen. Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, former State Department official Brian Hook from the board of the Wilson Center and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council. Both Andrés and Bottoms said on social media that they had already resigned. In his first days in office, then-President Joe Biden also removed many Trump appointees. Three major business leaders — SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison — joined Trump on Tuesday afternoon to announce the creation of a new company called Stargate, which would invest up to $500 billion over the next four years in AI infrastructure, according to the White House. Initial plans for Stargate, which is beginning construction in Texas, date back to Biden’s time in office. Tech news outlet The Information reported on the project in March 2024. Trump also attended a national prayer service Tuesday morning at Washington National Cathedral, a customary visit for new presidents and one that wrapped up four days of inauguration-related events. One of the speakers at the interfaith service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, used her sermon to send a message to Trump, urging compassion for LGBTQ+ people and undocumented migrant workers.
