More Michelle Obama rumors... Ivanka Trump's wardrobe malfunction... and the Lauren Sanchez problem: TOM LEONARD spills all the behind-the-scenes inauguration drama

For fractional an hr of MAGA ecstasy and Democrat misery, the Trump rhetoric soared to the precise apical of the Capitol's 180-ft rotunda.

'The aureate property of America begins close now,' helium told an assemblage that ne'er missed a infinitesimal to leap to its feet and applaud wildly. 'From this time forward, our state volition flourish and beryllium respected again each implicit the world.'

The antheral who insisted that, aft escaping an assassin's slug past year, helium was 'saved by God to marque America large again' painted a representation of the US that would surely bring a teardrop to immoderate patriot's eye.

The American Dream was 'back and thriving similar ne'er before', Trump declared, arsenic 'history's top civilization' rediscovered said greatness arsenic 'a mighty republic of the astir bonzer citizens connected Earth' whose 'power volition halt each wars… our aureate property has conscionable begun.'

Perhaps not rather yet. For Trump had hardly sat down erstwhile it became wide the Capitol's sound strategy had broken, leaving vocalist Carrie Underwood to prevention the time and sing 'America The Beautiful' a cappella.

It was different insignificant setback for a president who'd earlier tried gamely to onshore a buss connected the look of a First Lady whose wide-brimmed hat repelled his advances.

He can't person it each his ain way.

Whether he's been protected by divine involution oregon not, Donald Trump has pulled disconnected the astir astonishing governmental comeback and contiguous was the infinitesimal for him to beryllium backmost and revel successful it.

Few who were astatine the Capitol – myself included – to witnesser his archetypal inauguration successful 2017 could person imagined we'd ever spot different Trump swearing-in.

After all, we knew that adjacent helium had been amazed by his daze triumph implicit Hillary Clinton and astir each the pundits regarded the Trump improvement arsenic a specified aberration. Normal work would beryllium resumed arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Instead it's Trumpism that has resumed, and today's 2nd inauguration was brimming with the assurance and condemnation that the archetypal 1 lacked 8 years ago.

At slightest America has been spared different enactment implicit whose inauguration assemblage is bigger. The aggravated acold enactment paid to immoderate repetition of Trump's dogged 2017 claims challenging the conception that Barack Obama had attracted much radical to Washington's National Mall for his 2009 swearing-in ceremony.

With the inauguration moved wrong the Capitol – and different celebrations wrong the city's Capital One arena – Trump had a acceptable excuse for not breaking immoderate records this time.

Nonetheless, Trump intelligibly puts large store by assemblage size and helium admitted astatine 1 constituent connected Monday that helium truly hadn’t wanted the inauguration moved indoors.

Though astatine slightest helium could console himself that the upwind besides kept distant trouble-seeking Democrats, too.

Washington officials had earlier reported that applications for protestation permits had been dilatory and though a fewer 1000 turned retired for a 'People's March' connected Saturday and different anti-Trump protestation connected Monday, determination was nary repetition of the sprawling Women's March connected Washington the time aft his 2017 swearing-in that attracted immoderate 500,000 women wearing their memorable pinkish 'pussyhats'.

Trump could surely accidental that helium went for prime alternatively than quantity this time.

A president who intelligibly likes to situation himself with attractive, affluent radical was blessed with the attendance not lone of the perma-tanned MAGA elite of Palm Beach and Miami, but the tech kings of Silicon Valley. Some of the world's richest men – including Elon Musk, Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook brag Mark Zuckerberg and Apple's Tim Cook – were fixed galore of the champion seats successful the Capitol Rotunda and returned the favour by joining successful the endless lasting ovations.

It was an astonishing turn-around for a radical of billionaires who lone a fewer years agone were ardent Democrats whose manufacture regarded The Donald with horror.

And 1 shouldn't hide the techies' consorts. Lauren Sanchez, helicopter-flying fiancée of Jeff Bezos, managed to enactment each the accustomed discussions of the Trump women's outfits into the shadiness with hers.

The busty 55-year-old whose wardrobe ne'er seems thing but figure-hugging wore a achromatic Alexander McQueen pantsuit implicit a risqué achromatic lace bustier. Social media erupted with complaints that her 'bra' was wholly inappropriate for a authorities occasion.

'Good grief, Lauren Sanchez. Put them distant for 1 day,' said 1 commenter. Others joked that she was dressed by Victoria's Secret.

Mark Zuckerberg, sitting adjacent to her successful the rotunda, astatine times seemed similar helium didn't cognize wherever to look.

For others, Sanchez's outfit lone served to item the stylishness of Melania Trump, the ex-model wearing a acold much restrained Adam Lippes tailored navy silk wool overgarment – and of people that wide-brimmed hat, which served the further relation of hiding her expressions.

Ivanka Trump, meanwhile, was besides a unfortunate of social-media mockery arsenic immoderate commenters drew an unkind similarity betwixt her forest-green Dior skirt suit with the outfits worn by the wives of the oppressive leaders successful the dystopian TV bid The Handmaid's Tale.

The president's eldest daughter, 53, had already drawn choler – this clip chiefly directed astatine manner decorator Oscar de la Renta – aft she wore respective of de la Renta's outfits during the weekend's pre-inauguration festivities.

Furious Trump opponents ludicrously called for a 'boycott' of the designer's clothes. (Usha Vance, the woman of the caller vice president, wore a airy pinkish de la Renta outfit for the inauguration ceremony).

One woman, however, was noticeable not for her quality but her non-appearance astatine the inauguration. Michelle Obama broke with the accustomed contented of ex-presidents and their spouses attending each swearing-in ceremony, leaving Barack to locomotion into the Capitol connected his own.

Although Michelle has fixed nary mentation for her absence, sources adjacent to the erstwhile First Lady accent she has stepped distant from nationalist beingness and surely doesn't privation to instrumentality to it successful bid to grant Trump.

'There's nary overstating her feelings astir him,' a root adjacent to Michelle told People magazine.

Trump surely won't miss her and nor volition his supporters who, watching unrecorded footage down astatine the Capital One Arena, booed loudly erstwhile they saw Barack get astatine the Capitol.

For Trump, who aboriginal appeared astatine the arena to motion immoderate of 100 enforcement orders wrong hours of taking office, the time provided ample opportunities to bash what helium enjoys most: talk.

He efficaciously delivered 2 inauguration addresses – 1 from a teleprompter successful the rotunda and different unscripted, much rambling 1 aboriginal astatine the Capitol's visitant centre successful which helium railed against his enemies, complained astir Biden's last-minute pardons and referred to the MAGA supporters jailed for their portion successful the January 6 2021 onslaught connected the Capitol arsenic 'hostages'.

Some of those ‘hostages’, ironically, were backmost successful DC past nighttime – lone this clip to observe alternatively than to agitate.