Trump Rants About Stolen Election, Threatens Pelosi, and Hints at Pardons for January 6th Rioters

Newly sworn-in President Donald Trump delivered a rambling speech in the overflow room of Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol after seeing off former President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

Trump repeated his baseless claims about the 2020 election being stolen and threatened former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who did not attend the proceedings. He also defended his decision to hold the inauguration indoors despite the frigid temperatures.

Trump praised his new Vice President J.D. Vance, calling him "very upwardly mobile" and adding that he "picked it up so quickly" as his running mate after a "tough" first week when he was attacked by the "fake news."

Trump once again called the January 6 rioters behind bars "hostages" and falsely suggested that Pelosi was behind the violence of that day. He also called the members of the January 6 House Select Committee, who were pardoned by Biden in last-minute measures, "political thugs" whom he said were guilty of "very bad crimes."

Trump claimed that Pelosi "turned down the offer of 10,000 soldiers" and that "there would have been no J6" if she had accepted. He also suggested that pardons for January 6 rioters are on the way.

Trump questioned Biden's pardons for the likes of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley and former Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - all of whom spoke out or helped investigate the Jan. 6 riots.

Trump returned to his false claims surrounding elections, suggesting he would've won the heavily blue state of California had it not been for election fraud as he ranted about voter ID legislation.

Trump argued that inflation wasn't the No. 1 issue of last year's election. He also suggested that he "fixed" the border during his last term in office before he went on to claim that the 2020 election was "totally rigged."

Trump reminisced about the 2016 election, saying "We took on Hillary. She didn't look too happy today. We defeated Hillary and we did much better the second time in 2020.