Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, ushering in his second term as a dominating force in American politics and the conservative movement and pledging in a speech that he would reverse the “horrible betrayal” of previous administrations.
Former President Joe Biden greeted Trump back to the White House in the morning with a “welcome home” and had committed to a peaceful transfer of power. Trump’s inaugural speech then offered a dark vision of the last four years, with Biden sitting behind him, and called his inauguration a “liberation day.”
“Our government confronts a crisis of trust. For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in disrepair,” Trump said.
“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” he said. “During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first.”
The ceremony took place inside the Capitol rotunda with limited VIP guests after bitterly cold Washington weather forced the ceremony indoors. The jumbotrons originally set up for spectators on the National Mall were taken down ahead of the proceedings, and only a small fraction of supporters were able to get into Capital One Arena to view a livestream.
His speech touched on themes from his campaign: He said that “our safety will be restored,” the “vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department” will end and “our sovereignty will be reclaimed.”
He also spoke on the border, a long-standing Republican campaign point. He said the current government “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.”
Those inside the Capitol were a veritable who’s who of Trump’s new Washington. In addition to lawmakers and all former living presidents, attendees included Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, podcasters Joe Rogan and Theo Von, YouTubers Logan and Jake Paul, and New York’s indicted Democratic mayor, Eric Adams.
Trump’s cabinet nominees were also in attendance, though CEOs for the country’s biggest tech and social media companies, including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, were seated in front of them.
Trump is expected to sign a number of executive orders on Monday spanning immigration, government operations and energy. An incoming White House official told reporters Monday that one order is meant to end birthright citizenship for the children of unauthorized immigrants and another will reinstate the death penalty “for capital crimes committed by illegal aliens” and murder of law enforcement officials.
Trump said “as commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do.” He said he would be declaring a national emergency at the border, deporting millions of people, reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy, end catch and release and send troops to the border.
He also reiterated his “drill, baby, drill” directive, directed his cabinet to “marshall the vast power at their disposal” to lower inflation, said he would end the Green New Deal, institute tariffs on foreign countries, rename the Gulf of Mexico and reclaim the Panama Canal.
He said America “would pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching America astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.”
“Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback. But as you see today, here I am. The American people have spoken,” Trump said.
“From this day on, the United States of America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation. We will stand bravely, and we will live proudly. We will dream boldly, and nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans. The future is ours, and the Golden Age has just begun.”
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Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.