Thanks to correspondents Mark Stone and David Blevins in Washington for answering so many questions – and sorry if we didn’t get to yours.

We’ll have the full opening policy live on Monday on Sky News platforms.

This refers to an earlier press conference held by Donald Trump this month.

The president-elect said he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” – a name he said has a “beautiful ring to it”. 

Simply, “there is no formal foreign agreement related to the naming of the foreign maritime zone,” says correspondent David Blevins.

“You can play in front of your own audience, but whether others pay attention is another matter,” he adds.  

US correspondent Mark Stone says politicians are pragmatic and “will make them get along”.

The special relationship between the two nations is “deep” — his father is the U. K. ambassador to the U. S. , who will be Lord Mandelson — and he has “an amazing job,” Stone says.

“It’s a delicate relationship: Politically, Trump and Starmer are aligned, but they have to get along. “

This is especially because Elon Musk “seems to hold a grudge against Starmer,” adds Stone.

Starmer has been very careful with his words about the president-elect so far, he says.

Correspondent David Blevins says Lord Mandelson has a knack for walking a political tightrope.

The politician came “back from the political wilderness” to become Northern Ireland secretary after the Good Friday Agreement.

“He’s accomplished a lot in this kind of polarized environment, and he’s going to have to take advantage of that when he gets to the United States,” Blevins says.

Lord Mandelson has the “experience and capacity” for this of environment, he says.

We will learn the extent to which we need to take his campaign promises at face value, says our correspondent David Blevins.

On the first day of his first term he signed a decree, but this time we run the risk of wasting the count of the number of decrees he could issue, he adds.

These measures may be accompanied by new immigration legislation and even pardons for some of those convicted of their participation in the January 6 riots.

He may even look to halt a ban on TikTok for 90 days, an interesting option, given the firm’s chief executive has been invited to the inauguration, Blevins adds.

US correspondent Mark Stone recalls a conversation with a Trump advisor, who told him “watch this space” – he will have a “pile” of orders to sign on day one.

Executive orders can be overturned by Congress, but Stone points out his Republican Party has a majority there, so it may be unlikely for any to be reversed.

“Trump has always said he would confront Ukraine very soon. The question is how to do it?”  » asks American correspondent Mark Stone in response to this question.  

The key is to balance the wishes of the Ukrainian people with what Russia will realistically accept, he says.

He cites JD Vance’s comments about using the current battlefield lines as ceasefire lines as the most likely Trumpian plan for peace. 

Russia occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory at present so the current battle lines would be frozen and become a demilitarised zone.  

In the short term, this would allow Trump to say that he has stopped the war.

“What Trump is concerned about is the short term. ” 

But send a message to Vladimir Putin.  

“I would possibly be thinking about moving west long after Trump is gone,” he says.  

Correspondent David Blevins says Joe Biden certainly seems to think that it is.

In his farewell address, the president didn’t spend much time reminiscing, instead warning of an oligarchy of wealth, power and influence, says Blevins.

Biden spoke of social media giants giving up on fact checking and said there was “very real concern” about the threat to democracy.

US correspondent Mark Stone adds the main thrust of Biden’s speech was about oligarchy, rather than dictatorship.

Biden thought it was “distinctly unhealthy”, says Stone, that the likes of Elon Musk – and 12 other billionaires  – were serving in the Trump administration.

Musk perceived through Biden as an “agent of unchecked power,” Stone says.

It depends on what the user has to gain and lose, explains our correspondent David Blevins.

Elon Musk has been appointed to head a branch of government that, to some extent, has a say over his own business empire, and having the world’s richest man on his side may just be Donald Trump.

But familiarity can breed contempt, and Trump likes to be front and center, so unrest may escalate if the president-elect feels overshadowed.

U. S. correspondent Mark Stone says they’ve been on a normal trip, from when they didn’t get along very well to now Musk being considered co-chair in some cases.

But lately it’s a symbiotic relationship, he adds, and Musk helps fund part of Trump’s campaign.

If it falls apart, it will be spectacular, he says.

US correspondent Mark Stone says that despite Donald Trump’s claims that he needs NATO countries to massively increase defense spending, he doesn’t think the new president expects anyone to achieve the far-fetched 5% GDP target. . .  

“Not even the United States spends that much,” he points out.  

NATO asks its members to spend 2% of their GDP (at least) on defense.  

“What you do is you make a superior offer” in the hope that countries will come to a middle ground, Stone says.

But we can look back to his previous term, when he insisted that other countries in the alliance pay their “fair share,” and some countries fell short of the 2% target.  

“Donald Trump can be credited with countries spending more on defense,” Stone says.  

That said, the alliance has made a lot of efforts to “Trump-proof” itself, that is, in terms of being able to sustainably finance Ukraine, even in the event that the United States withdraws everything for kyiv.  

“Is NATO a threat? Maybe,” he said, “but is NATO pressure? Certainly. ” 

Correspondent David Blevins says his first reaction is “never say never. “

Trump has been “emboldened” by his victories in Congress and the presidency, he adds.

“We have this disruptor surrounded by disruptors.”

US correspondent Mark Stone explains Trump said he wouldn’t rule out force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, while saying Canada should become the 51st state of America.

Trump’s approach is to go into a negotiation with something “mad and crazy” to begin with, says Stone.

Even if you think he “won’t” after all.

“But I do think we could see more American influence in Greenland in the years ahead.”

Our US election blog returns for Donald Trump’s inauguration, starting with a Q&A with our American correspondents in the US, ahead of his swearing-in on Monday.  

Watch live and submit a question above – and you’ll also be able to follow along with text updates in the blog.