Donald Trump has returned for his second term and has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. He was administered the 35-word presidential oath by Chief Justice John Roberts at the US Capitol, in the presence of former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.
The swearing-in ceremony took place indoors at the Capitol Rotunda on Monday at 12 PM ET (10:30 PM IST) due to extremely cold weather, making it the ‘Coldest Inauguration Day’ since 1985.
Global congratulations poured in
Indian Prime Minister conveyed his congratulations to President Trump and wrote on X, Congratulations my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States! I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world. Best wishes for a successful term ahead!”
Israeli President, Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X, “Congratulations President Trump! Sara and I send our warmest wishes to you, Melania and the American people on your second inauguration as President of the United States.”
Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General wrote on X, “With President Trump back in office we will turbo-charge defence spending & production. My warm congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his inauguration as 47th President of the USA, and to @JDVance as Vice President. Together we can achieve peace through strength – through @NATO!”
Welcome Note on the White House Website
The White House website has updated its design, featuring a video of President Trump on the homepage. Following the video, the message “America is back” is displayed, accompanied by a statement from the President: “Every single day, I will fight for you with every breath in my body. I will not rest until we have built a strong, safe, and prosperous America—one that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America.”
Highlights of Trump’s Speech
“The golden age of America begins right now,”
President Trump began his speech with the remark, “The golden age of America begins right now,”.Referring to his campaign promise, he reiterated the statement, “Put America first.” He vowed to end the ‘weaponization’ of the justice system, one of his grievances against the Biden administration.
False Claims Persists:
Mistreatment of victims: Trump echoed his earlier false claims of the ‘mistreatment’ of the victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Criticizing the people of North Carolina he said, “Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina”
Migrants Crisis: Trump continued to portray migrants as ‘dangerous criminals’ and reiterated his claims that migrants came from ‘prisons and mental institutions’. He denounced the Biden administration for their incapability to manage ‘a simple crisis at home’.
Strained healthcare and educational system
Condemning the public health system, Trump says, “We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world”
Rebuking the educational system he said, “And we have 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 assured that the degraded state of the public healthcare and education systems would soon improve rapidly.
Mandate to reverse betrayals
Following the claim of Trump and his allies of a ‘landslide win’ in the 2024 Presidential elections to achieve their ambitious agenda, Trump in his speech mentioned the recent election as “ a mandate to completely and totally reverse … many betrayals that have taken place and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and, indeed, their freedom.”
Divine Support
Reminiscing a July 2024 assassination attempt resulting in rushed bleeding from a Pennsylvania stage, Trump mentioned, “Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed, to take my life”
He echoed his campaign phrase from the final months, claiming divine support from God, and reiterated, “I was saved by God to make America great again.”
Pause to government censorship
Amid the Conservatives’ allegations of the Biden administration for their attempt to censor vies online, President Trump announced to sign an executive order to “immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.”
He mentioned, “Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents,”, he added, “Something I know something about.”
National emergency at the U.S. southern border
Trump announced his plans to declare a national emergency at the U.S. southern border. He revealed his course of action against immigration, including sending troops to the border “to repel the disastrous invasion of our country” and designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
He outlined his strategy to reinstate a policy from his first term, which mandates that asylum seekers remain in Mexico while their cases are reviewed in U.S. courts.
