New Delhi: In his inaugural address as the 47th president of the United States Monday, Donald Trump declared the beginning of the “golden age of America” after his “journey to reclaim the republic” against all odds.
Trump was sworn in for a second term Monday at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC, becoming the second American president in history to win a nonconsecutive term and the oldest president to take office. He is also the first convicted felon to become president.
Speaking at the presidential inauguration, which began a little after noon and went on for 30 minutes, Trump constantly struck a triumphant note – peppering it with promises and unsparing criticism of the Biden administration.
“My life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump said to a standing ovation, referring to the assassination attempt that took place at a political rally in Pennsylvania last year.
Former President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris did not join in the ovation, while external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, seated directly in front of Trump’s podium, could be seen clapping.
Calling his election a mandate to reverse a “horrible betrayal”, Trump said America’s “decline” was now over as Biden and Harris watched stoic and stone-faced, the outgoing president with his hand over his mouth.
“Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied,” continued Trump, to applause, claiming that 20 January, 2025 would now be known as “Liberation Day”. “It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country,” he said.
Laundry list of electoral promises
A triumphant Trump highlighted the tide of change that’s sweeping the country, while “sunlight is pouring over the world”. But Trump’s tone darkened right after heralding a “golden age” for America.
The rest of his speech took aim at his political rivals, railing against the government he inherited as one that “cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad”.
His criticism was broad and sweeping: he listed education, healthcare, immigration, the Green New Deal and electric vehicles, trade and energy policy as areas his administration would overhaul.
The speech was in a similar vein to his electoral campaign addresses—different from the typically optimistic homilies other presidents have given at their inaugurations in the past, which tended not to go into policy details.
Instead, Trump signalled that he would fulfill his campaign promises and immediately sign several executive actions he planned to take: the first was to declare an emergency on the southern US-Mexico border—which he previously did in 2019—repeating his debunked claim that people from “mental institutions and prisons” have been illegally entering the US.
He would reinstate his “Remain in Mexico” policy that forced migrants and refugees to wait in Mexico during their US immigration hearings, and promised to designate drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organisations”.
He directed all cabinet members to “defeat” inflation to rapidly bring down prices, and revoked a programme on electric vehicles, promising auto workers that the US would once again become a manufacturing hub.
He also declared a “national energy emergency” and promised that he would propel the country to becoming the world’s richest nation—even though it already is—by tapping into America’s “liquid gold” and exporting oil and gas.
“We will drill, baby, drill,” he said, to applause. He also heralded the return of “common sense” in America, while Biden and Harris looked on.
‘Liberation Day’
In his inauguration address, Trump paid homage to Dr Martin Luther King, whose birthday is on 20 January. Thanking his Black and Hispanic voters, Trump said he wouldn’t forget their support — and that henceforth, 20 January would be known as “Liberation Day” in King’s honour. “We will make his dream come true,” said Trump, to another standing ovation.
His speech was full of rebukes against those who have opposed him in the past — from the press and social media, to the legal action taken against him. “The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” he said, adding that the “vicious, violent and unfair weaponisation” of both the Justice Department and the government would end.
“We will end government censorship and bring back free speech to America. Never again will the immense power of the state be used to persecute political opponents—something I know something about,” he said. Jaishankar gave him a standing ovation.
Trump also made several other promises, including one which made Elon Musk jump in joy and give a thumbs up—he promised to send the “stars and stripes” to planet Mars.
His geopolitical promises ranged from “taking back” the Panama Canal from China, and changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America—Democrat Hilary Clinton burst out laughing when he said this. He also noted the ceasefire in Gaza, taking credit for the release of Israeli hostages—done jointly with the Biden administration. This was the only time Biden and Harris stood up to applaud.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier—that’s what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier,” he said.
He said he would stop efforts to “socially engineer race and gender” into every aspect of public and private life in pursuit of a society that is “colourblind and merit based”. He also said that according to government policy, there were “only two genders: male and female”.
The rest of his speech included listing American accomplishments. “In America, the impossible is what we do best,” he said. “Our golden age has just begun.”
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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