WASHINGTON, D.C.–Republican Donald Trump took office as the 47th President of the United States Monday, saying that he was “saved by God to make America great again.”
“In everything we do, my administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence and unrelenting success,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “We will not forget our country, we will not forget our constitution and we will not forget our God.”
Trump’s speech mirrored many he made on the campaign trail, complete with a reference to the assassination attempt on his life in July. He focused on the southern border and promised to declare a national emergency, begin the process of “returning” people to their countries and send troops to “repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”
The circumstances surrounding Trump’s second inauguration made it different from most; for the first time since 1985, the ceremony took place indoors, away from bitter cold temperatures in D.C. Members of Trump’s party included billionaires Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, as well as internet personality Joe Rogan, seated in premium seats.
His speech was unique, too. While former President Joe Biden’s 2021 speech focused on unity and democracy, Trump spent his opening moments as president decrying what he views as a decaying America. He promised to usher in a new isolationist “golden era” for the nation.
“From this moment on,” Trump said, “America’s decline is over.”
As Trump spoke, and Republicans in the Capitol Rotunda cheered, Democrats at the ceremony were mostly quiet. Biden sat to Trump’s left with eyes cast downward for much of the speech, while former Vice President Kamala Harris looked away from the podium during ovations. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran against Trump in 2016, appeared to laugh aloud as Trump announced his plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
In his speech, Trump took direct shots at the outgoing administration. With Biden and Harris seated behind him, the incoming president criticized Biden’s handling of issues both domestic and abroad.
“We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad,” Trump said. “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.”
Trump rattled off a litany of other priorities such as raising tariffs and creating an External Revenue Service to collect them, recommitting to oil drilling, recognizing only two genders and dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and policies. Trump also said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, rename Denali (a mountain in Alaska) to Mount McKinley after a former Republican president, retake the Panama Canal, make America “color blind” and plant the American flag on Mars.
As Trump spoke in the Capitol, some pro-Trump supporters, gathered in D.C., reflected Trump’s combative attitude.
“F— all these liberals, f— DEI, f— ANTIFA,” yelled a group of supporters. They held a “Congratulations President Trump” Proud Boys banner.
Others gathered in the nation’s capital were less strident, though not any less enthused by the incoming administration; in fact, many traveled far from home to express their support.
Lona Franczak, who traveled from Dallas, Texas, said that the trip was worthwhile even with the ceremony being moved indoors.
“I’m excited for so much,” Franczak said. “I’m ready to see the (people imprisoned for their involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol storming) get put out of prison. And I’m ready to see Joe Biden be put out of office, and I am ready to see the border walls restored. I could go on forever.”
One Trump supporter traveled all the way from Ontario, Canada to witness the inauguration.
Dana Ogilvie, who hails from Kingston, Ontario, said that he would welcome the annexation of Canada by the United States, something that Trump has mentioned several times.
“I’d rather have God-given rights than government privileges,” he said.