Donald J. Trump made his historic return to the White House official as he swore in to become the 47th President in a Capitol Rotunda ceremony surrounded by family, friends, and officials of his new administration, including his Vice President, J.D. Vance. His predecessor, Joe Biden, was in attendance, along with other past presidents, the Supreme Court, foreign dignitaries, and the woman he defeated for his second term, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump joins only Grover Cleveland in serving two non-consecutive terms as commander-in-chief, returning to the role in his 78th year. Declared politically dead after his loss to Biden four years ago, Trump triumphed over an unprecedented onslaught of attacks by almost every aspect of the established class trying to block his return. He stuck firm to his “Make America Great Again” theme and campaigned indefatigably against the poor performance of his foes. A vast majority of Americans agreed with his admonition that they weren’t better off after four years of Democrat policies.
“The Golden Age of America begins right now,” the billionaire businessman declared to an applauding crowd that included key members of Congress. “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.”
Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the tightly packed Rotunda due to cold weather. Thousands who hoped to witness the spectacle as an outdoor event flooded the Capitol streets in a carnival atmosphere reminiscent of the dozens of rallies Trump staged to win over America. With First Lady Melania Trump by his side, the President utilized two Bibles during the ceremony: one given to him by his mother and the historic book used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861.
Trump appealed for unity in a country sharply divided by those who like him and those who hate him. He was able to take back his seat, in part, by winning over younger voters and those in the minority who typically vote Democrat. His campaign plank emphasized the deportation of illegal immigrants, cutting “Bidenflation,” and his mantra of “ Drill baby, drill” to capitalize on the nation’s fossil fuel reserves. He promised to restore respect for America aboard and to bring back the manufacturing jobs lost to other nations. He declared an end to the Green New Deal and pledged to reduce crime and stop the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the country.
Addressing the Lawfare waged against him, Trump stated: “The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end. And our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous, and free.” Rising above it, he added: “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country, sunlight is pouring over the entire world, and America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.”
He declared January 20 “Liberation Day,” stating that a “radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.” He said the current government “cannot manage even a simple crisis at home while, at the same time, stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad. It fails to protect our magnificent, law-abiding American citizens but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions, that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.”
Further contrasting himself from his predecessor in his 30-minute speech, Trump said, “Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina, who have been treated so badly, and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago or, more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.”
Trump also railed against an education system that “teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves—in many cases, to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them.” He promised to “immediately restore the integrity, competency, and loyalty of America’s government,” saying that his 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. From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”
He acknowledged the two assassination attempts against him, stressing, “I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.”
Shortly after concluding his speech, Trump signed a number of Executive Orders, many redoing his past orders that Biden canceled during his first days in office. He declared a national emergency at the southern border, stating: “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my Remain in Mexico policy and end the practice of catch and release.”
Doubling down on his strict illegal immigration stance, he designated the Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and promised to order troops to the southern border to “repel the disastrous invasion of our country,” adding, “By invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities.”
He also signed an order to “stop government censorship and bring back free speech to America years after and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression.” To restore competence and effectiveness to the government, Trump is moving on creating a Department of Government Efficiency and an External Revenue Service, and will also “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” As of today, he said, “It will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
He also vowed to reinstate service members expelled from the military for objecting to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate with full back pay and to sign an order to stop soldiers from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. “Our armed forces will be freed to focus on their sole mission: defeating America’s enemies,” Trump said.
He changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restored the name of President William McKinley to Mount McKinley in Alaska, previously known as Denali. He promised to assert America’s right over the Panama Canal.
“In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly,” President Trump concluded. “But we are going to bring it back and make it great again, greater than ever before. We will be a nation like no other, full of compassion, courage, and exceptionalism. Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable. America will be respected again and admired again, including by people of religion, faith, and goodwill. We will be prosperous, we will be proud, we will be strong, and we will win like never before.”