He has stood up. After dodging an assassin’s bullet and possible imprisonment, Donald Trump staged a political comeback like no other. Returning to power on Monday, he accepted the role of a demagogue with a sacred mission.
Trump, who was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, dressed himself as a jihadist and delivered his inaugural address, making his 2017 “American carnage” speech seem almost innocent. Ta.
The first convicted felon to take the oath of office was his predecessor Joe Biden, who sat just meters away as his biological family and adopted tech billionaire boys looked on. eight years of grievances and retribution.
And in laying out a far-right populist agenda that spans borders, classrooms, and a rapidly heating planet, he has reached for his oldest and creepiest piece of political armor.
“There was a reason my life was saved,” he said, recalling how he came within centimeters of surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in a Pennsylvania playground last year. “I was saved by God to make America great again…For the American people, January 20, 2025 is Liberation Day.”
The speech echoed dire warnings from the campaign, when Trump’s former officials branded him a fascist, that Trump is older, wiser and more united this time around. , quickly dispelled the idea that it was just hype amid a heated political battle.
The only bipartisan thing about Trump on Monday was his purple checked tie and opening promise of “America’s Golden Age.” Vice President J.D. Vance, whose swearing-in by conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also a “freedom” moment, wore the familiar Magared tie.
The Rotunda is a large, domed circular room in the center of the U.S. Capitol, designed to recall the Pantheon, an ancient Roman temple. The interior is filled with gold-framed historical paintings and marble statues of past presidents.
When President Trump stands at the podium, to his right are first lady Melania Trump, their adult children, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Meta’s Mark. There were faces of the tech-industrial complex, including Mr. Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
To the left of the president was an old guard. Already weakened by the loss of power, Biden, like an old king reduced to a commoner, spent much of his speech with his hand over his mouth to keep from throwing up as his legacy crumbled before his eyes. Ta. Next to him was outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris. Dressed in black funeral clothes, he worked hard to maintain a poker face. Behind them are Doug Emhoff, former President Barack Obama without Michelle, and the Clintons and Bushes.
As with President Trump’s favorite ultimate game night, the presence of former presidents and first ladies created a spectacle of political bloodshed, brutality, and pain. The group was glued to their seats almost every time President Trump applauded, and everyone else rose to their feet with enthusiastic applause.
The new president, who previously faced four criminal cases and was convicted in one, insisted that “the great power of the state will never again be used as a weapon to persecute political opponents.” .
He continued: “As we gather today, our government faces a crisis of trust. For years, radical and corrupt regimes have extracted power and wealth from their people, while our society The pillars are broken and appear to be in complete disrepair.
These were shocking words from the man who appointed Musk, the world’s richest man, to cut government funding and bring other technology masters of the universe into his orbit. But Trumpism, over the years, has always been about making the forces that shape society brash, blunt, and explicit. Oligarchies have long held sway in America. He now elevates it without apology or shame.
Citing the hurricanes and fires, President Trump again criticized his predecessor on television, saying: Everything changes from today, and it will change very quickly. ”
He added: “My recent election is a mission to completely and completely reverse the terrible betrayal that is taking place and restore faith, wealth, democracy and indeed freedom to our people.”
President Trump vowed, “From this moment on, America’s decline will end.”
Although his inaugural address was not the first in history to mention Hannibal Lecter, he strayed into rally speech territory and lamented the dangerous criminal who had escaped from a mental hospital and infiltrated the country.
President Trump criticized the previous administration for refusing to secure America’s borders. His pledge to declare a national emergency on borders and energy policy (“We’re going to drill, baby, drill”) received another standing ovation.
Emerging into a culture war, President Trump has declared that starting today, it will be official government policy that there are only two genders: male and female. That drew some of the biggest cheers of the day from Trump supporters who were watching on big screens at a sports arena in downtown Washington.
What does the rest of the world think of all this? We know that this face of America has always been there, sometimes in the shadows, sometimes in the sunlight. The 47th president claimed that his “proudest legacy is as a peacemaker and unifier” and began announcing that he would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America (Hillary Clinton laughed at this). . As for the Panama Canal, “we’re taking it back.”
With more prosperity, Trump has promised to plant an American flag on Mars. SpaceX owner Musk was all smiles, clearly delighted at the prospect of winning another multibillion-dollar government contract. A loud cheer erupted from the 20,000 spectators at the sports arena.
The watch party was held after the inauguration ceremony, traditionally held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, was moved indoors because of frigid temperatures in the forecast. In fact, this was probably unnecessary. Although the temperature was 27 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 degrees Celsius), Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman still showed up in his trademark shorts.
Still, President Trump avoided having a small audience to give the appearance of a larger audience than President Obama did in 2009. This was one of the first lies told by about 30,000 people during the president’s first term, according to Washington Post fact checkers.
As the day’s solemn ceremonies unfolded, inside Capital One Arena, decorated with basketball and ice hockey championship pennants, I felt like I was inside Trump’s office. . It was a flashy pageant with the words “60th Presidential Inauguration” emblazoned in red and gold on the electronic billboard and golden oldies blaring from the speakers, resulting in some strange juxtapositions.
Footage of Biden and Trump walking the red carpet from the White House entrance to a waiting limousine was accompanied by a retro December 1963 song (Oh What a Night) by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The crowd roared as the camera cut to a close-up of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The sounds of Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” played as the motorcade headed to the U.S. Capitol. Trump’s supporters cheered again as he entered the building, his hair blowing in the wind. Cut to Mask: Cheers again. Moving on to Vivek Ramaswamy, let’s toast again.
But when Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” played on the sound system, Bill and Hillary Clinton were met with loud boos and the crowd chanted, “So good, so good.” Comedian Trevor Noah joked that the song was about what white people love more than anything else on earth.
Then, as Barack Obama appeared to more boos, Mr. Blue Sky by the Electric Light Orchestra rang out. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who ignored President Trump’s pleas to overturn the 2020 election, suffered a similar fate. When former Republican President George W. Bush appeared on screen, someone began to cheer, only to be drowned out by boos. This is a clever metaphor for the party’s ongoing identity crisis.
The boos reached a crescendo when a giant screen showed Biden and Harris walking across the shiny floor of the Capitol.
President Trump was then seen walking through the Capitol and into the Rotunda, holding the hand of Homeland Security Secretary candidate Kristi Noem and trying to kiss First Lady Melania Trump, but unable to get past the wide brim of her hat. A cheer went up. . The sports arena erupted with chants of “USA!” united states of america! “
Trump was formally sworn in on January 6, 2021, at a site looted by a violent mob of his supporters. He playfully pointed the finger at Chief Justice John Roberts and shook his hand. He turned and shook Biden’s hand, appearing to say, “Thank you, Joe.”
And in that moment, Trump’s resurrection from the political dead was complete. Before offering a prayer, flanked by a bust of Martin Luther King Jr., Christian evangelist Franklin Graham reflected: But look at what God has done. ”
Look at my works, ye strong men, and despair!
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