10 Moments From Donald Trump's Inauguration That Went Viral: From His Awkward Air-Kiss With Melania to Elon Musk's Fascist-Style Salute and More

Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, shared an awkward air-kiss before the president-elect took the oath of office at his inauguration ceremony on January 20.

The Apprentice star leaned toward Melania and attempted to kiss her cheek, but her navy oversized hat hit his forehead and prevented his lips from reaching her skin.

Despite the embarrassing moment, Donald smiled before resuming his walk to the podium.

As part of the presidential inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, country superstar Carrie Underwood held up a microphone to perform "America the Beautiful" on stage.

But as the music was abruptly cut off, she stood near the podium for two minutes before she decided to deliver a rendition in acapella. It also prompted the 41-year-old songstress to encourage the audience to sing along with her.

"If you know the words help me out here," she said when the music malfunction occurred.

In his second inaugural address, Donald declared the January 20 event was "Liberation Day" for the country, saying, "The golden age of America begins now."

"My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom," he said.

He also referenced his July 13, 2024, attempted assassination, adding, "I was saved by God to make America great again."

As seen in photos from the event, the 78-year-old politician did not place his hand on the bible as he took the oath of office. Social media users immediately called out Donald, labeling him "the first President of the United States in over 100 years" to fail in following the tradition.

Another tweeted, "Donald Trump didn't put his hand on the Bible when he was swearing the oath of office to defend the Constitution. Because he's a corrupt piece of trash."

Donald's five children — Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka, Tiffany and Barron — were present at the patriarch's inauguration. At the ceremony, the eldest Trump child was seen shedding tears as Donald was sworn into office, which prompted some criticism from social media.

"Why is Don Jr. crying the whole time, and where is Kim [Guilfoyle]?" one asked, while a second tweeted, "Don Jr. is crying lmaoo. I'm actually having a blast watching this."

While on stage at the Capitol One Arena, Elon Musk showed hand gestures that have since been claimed a fascist salute, with viewers comparing it to a "Sieg Heil."

"This was no ordinary victory. This was a fork in the road of human civilization. This one really mattered. Thank you for making it happen! Thank you," he said.

The SpaceX mogul went on to extend his right arm out with his palm down and fingers together. He made the same hand gesture to the crowd behind him, adding, "My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured."

Social media users immediately condemned Elon's hand gesture, slamming him for allegedly doing a N--- salute.

In his inauguration speech, Donald mentioned his desire to update the Gulf of Mexico's name to the Gulf of America — which made Hillary Clinton laugh.

"…Which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America," said the president. "What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. It's appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country."

A clip of Hillary failing to hold back her laughter went viral online, with most users asking others to "let her have her little moment" at the inauguration ceremony.

Aside from inauguration moments, some of the attendees' outfits also made headlines during and after the event.

Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, exposed the attention-grabbing and controversial lacy white bra she wore underneath her white blazer, drawing criticism.

"Shame on her," one said, while a second wrote, "Typical trashy look from her. She has no respect at all for norms when it comes protocol."

Some also called Lauren's fashion choice "extremely classless" and "tacky."

Senator John Fetterman turned heads when he attended the swearing-in ceremony in a black hoodie, gray shorts and black sneakers despite chilling temperatures.

"Wind chill in the teens… as Sen John Fetterman (D-PA) arrives at Capitol in shorts," CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane tweeted alongside a photo of John at the venue.

Jill Biden's inauguration outfit — a Ralph Lauren coat, gloves and pumps in a shade of purple — took center stage at January 20's swearing-in ceremony.

During Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021, Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, explained that the color symbolizes a bipartisan union in U.S. politics, blending the blue linked with the Democratic party and the red associated with Republicans.