Washington (AP) On Monday, Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 47th president, resuming his pledge to stop America’s slide and to undo the acts of the man who forced him out of office four years prior.
After the ceremony, Trump intended to move quickly after overcoming impeachments, criminal charges, and two assassination attempts to win another term in the White House. For his signature, dozens of executive orders have already been prepared to enhance the production of fossil fuels, crack down on border crossings, and terminate diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the federal government.
The new Republican president’s directives will start the process of dismantling Joe Biden’s Democratic agenda. Biden’s term ended at noon, just as Trump took the oath of office.
In his inaugural address, Trump said that the government is facing a crisis of trust and promised to restore our sovereignty. We’ll be safe again. We shall rebalance the justice scales.
Trump promised to restore the people’s confidence, prosperity, democracy, and even their freedom, claiming a mandate to fully and utterly undo a terrible betrayal.
As Biden observed from the front row, he declared, “From now on, America’s decline is over.”
Trump claims that the executive orders are the first step toward a revolution of common sense and the full restoration of America.
Supporters who were promised rapid success may find their patience tested as other aims prove more challenging. Trump has discussed cutting costs in the wake of years of inflation, but his proposals to impose tariffs on international imports may have the opposite impact.
The splendor of the day was rewritten by the cold weather. For the first time in forty years, Trump’s swearing-in ceremony was held indoors at the Capitol Rotunda, and the inaugural parade was swapped out for a gathering at a downtown arena. Thousands of Trump fans who flocked to the city from the National Mall to see the ceremony outside the Capitol were forced to look elsewhere for the celebrations.
Vice President JD Vance was sworn in first at the Capitol, using a Bible that his great-grandmother had given him to take the oath, which was read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Shortly after noon, Trump took his oath from Chief Justice John Roberts, using a family Bible as well as the one used by President Abraham Lincoln during his inauguration in 1861.
Before the ceremony started, a group of internet giants and billionaires, including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and Sundar Pichai, were given prominent places in the Capitol Rotunda and mixed with Trump’s new staff. The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, was also present and is anticipated to spearhead a drive to reduce federal workers and spending.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted the traditional tea and coffee ceremony for Trump and his wife, Melania, in the executive mansion’s North Portico. This marked a significant change from four years prior, when Trump declined to attend Biden’s inauguration or acknowledge his triumph.
After the president-elect got out of the car, Biden greeted Trump, “Welcome home.” The two presidents rode together in a limousine to the Capitol after years of sour criticism. Following the ceremony, Trump and Biden strolled to the east side of the building, where Biden took off by chopper to start his life after the presidency.
Following Biden’s exit, Trump spoke freely to his fans, bringing up a long list of conspiracy theories including voter fraud and complaints against people he believed to be his adversaries, including former Republican Representative Liz Cheney, whom he referred to as a sobbing crazy.
“I think this is a better speech than the one I gave upstairs,” he said, continuing to speak for even longer than he had in his inaugural address.
With Trump’s inauguration, a political resurgence unprecedented in American history was achieved. During the economic crisis brought on by the fatal COVID-19 pandemic four years ago, he was voted out of the White House. Trump attempted to hold onto power while denying his defeat. While parliamentarians were confirming the election results, he ordered his followers to march on the Capitol, igniting a riot that disrupted the nation’s custom of a peaceful handover of power.
However, Trump maintained his hold on the Republican Party despite two assassination attempts and criminal prosecutions, using people’ frustration with illegal immigration and inflation to his advantage.
Trump reiterated in his inauguration address that he was the subject of political charges and that he would start implementing fair, equal, and impartial justice. He also noted that Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which commemorates the deceased civil rights leader, was the day he would take office. He declared that we would work together to realize his dream.
Trump is now the first person to be found guilty of a felony for fabricating financial records pertaining to hush money payments in order to gain the presidency. He vowed to defend, uphold, and safeguard the Constitution from the same location that his followers took over on January 6, 2021. He referred to individuals involved in the incident as captives on Monday and stated that pardoning many of them will be one of his first actions as president.
Trump declared, “You’re going to see a lot of action.” Action, not words, are what matter.
Trump is much more accustomed to the workings of the federal government and feels more confident in his ability to manipulate it to suit his interests, eight years after he initially took office as a political rookie. By restricting immigration, imposing import duties, and reversing Democratic social and climate measures, Trump hopes to bring very rapid change.
In addition, he has made personal loyalty a requirement for appointments to his cabinet and pledged retaliation against his political rivals and detractors.
In order to protect his siblings and their spouses from potential punishment, Biden granted them preemptive pardons just minutes before he left office. In a statement, he added that his family has been the target of constant threats and attacks, and he has no reason to think that these attacks would stop.
Bident did a similar action earlier in the day with both former and present government officials who Trump has been upset with. “These are extraordinary circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing,” Biden stated.
The nation’s political, business, and technological leaders have already repositioned themselves to accommodate Trump, who has promised to advance and expedite his agenda beyond what was accomplished during his first term.
Former resistance Democrats are now split on whether to support Trump or oppose him. As they recognize Trump’s unparalleled influence in Washington and his capacity to use the levers of government to further or undermine their interests, billionaires have gathered to meet with him.
Trump’s America First foreign policy, which has long been skeptics of American ties, is being closely monitored both domestically and internationally as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its third year and a tenuous ceasefire seems to be holding in Gaza following more than 15 months of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In regard to his plans to retake the Panama Canal and buy Greenland from Denmark, Trump declared that he would head a government that “expands our territory.”
Additionally, he declared that he would send American astronauts to Mars to plant the Stars and Stripes as part of our manifest destiny. As Trump spoke, Musk, who owns a space rocket firm with federal contracts worth billions of dollars, pumped his arms above his head and cheered.
Trump intends to use a strategy akin to his first term, which included imposing a national emergency, restricting the number of refugees who may enter the country, and mobilizing the military, to crack down on the southern border of the United States. CBP One, an app that has permitted about a million individuals to enter the United States lawfully and with the ability to work, has already stopped functioning.
He is anticipated to take further steps, including ones that are constitutionally dubious, including trying to revoke the automatic citizenship granted to Americans by birth.
Additionally, Trump will issue an executive order to terminate federal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
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By Michelle L. Price, Chris Megerian, and Zeke Miller. Aamer Madhani, Lindsey Bahr, Will Weissert, Lisa Mascaro, and Josh Boak all made contributions.
