At 12 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States, was sworn into office as the 47th for his second, non-consecutive presidential term, becoming the first president to achieve this milestone since Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century. The ceremony, held in the Capitol Rotunda due to cold weather, marked the start of a day defined by consequential speeches and decisive executive actions, all of which hold critical implications for the country’s future.
Former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, along with Trump’s electoral opponents in former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris, were in attendance, symbolizing the peaceful transfer of power – a contrast to Trump’s reaction in the wake of the 2020 election. Other notable attendees included business moguls Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, along with China’s Vice President Han Zheng and former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, according to USA Today.
Shortly after President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were officially inaugurated, Trump delivered a formal inaugural address. The President described America as being in a state of “decline,” and promised to restore the country to a “golden age,” echoing his infamous “Make America Great Again” ideology. His speech emphasized themes of national progress, prosperity, and dominance, aiming to portray an optimistic outlook for the next four years.
Trump outlined a number of his policy priorities he pledged to address in the coming days through executive orders and other measures. These included a focus on national security, particularly regarding the southern border and immigration policy, the declaration of a national energy emergency and an emphasis on international economic policy and tariffs, according to NPR. He also celebrated Israel’s release of hostages. However, his speech included some unconventional statements for an inaugural address, including his proclamation of gender as a binary of male and female and his wish to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” which drew a noticeable laugh from Clinton, his 2016 opponent.
Following his inaugural address, Trump delivered a second speech in Emancipation Hall, which took on a more overtly political and opinionated tone. He bluntly criticized former President Biden, specifically regarding his slew of end-of-term pardons and commutations. He also hurled insults at his political foes, characterizing former Representative Liz Cheney as a “crying lunatic” and former Representative. Adam Kinzinger as someone who is “always crying”; notably, both served on the House committee that examined the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, reports Politifact. He also falsely asserted that the 2020 election was “totally rigged”– a claim which has been repeatedly disproved.
Following his speeches, Trump attended an invitation-only luncheon, an event which many high-profile politicians, businesspeople and other public figures notably attended.
After completing such inaugural formalities, the President wasted no time in signing a heap of executive orders – 46, to be exact. These orders spanned topics such as immigration, birthright citizenship, pardons, climate and energy, national health and more.
In terms of immigration policy, Trump declared a national emergency at the United States-Mexico border, enabling the administration to leverage additional national funding and military force to strengthen border security, according to AP News. He also repealed several of former President Biden’s immigration policies, including suspending the U.S. Refugee Admission Program, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and shutting down the CBP One app, a tool that had facilitated the legal entry of almost one million migrants. These actions reflect the hardline immigration stance that defined much of Trump’s first term in office.
The President also issued an order to revoke the guarantee of birthright citizenship from certain individuals, specifically, from the children of immigrants who are undocumented or without legal status. This direction contradicts the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the country. Because of this misalignment, 22 states have already filed lawsuits in attempts to safeguard the Constitutional right.
Also among Trump’s earliest acts in office was his decision to offer sweeping pardons or commutations for more than 1,500 rioters convicted or charged in connection to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Such pardons and commutations extended even to those who engaged in violent assault of police officers and to members of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, two far-right groups, according to BBC. By doing so, Trump fulfilled the promise he campaigned on and which earned him much support.
Several consequential executive orders relating to energy and the climate were also issued on Trump’s first day in the Oval Office. The President declared the nation’s first-ever national energy emergency, a move which will likely bolster and expedite domestic fossil fuel production, reports NPR. Working in tandem with this announcement was the President’s executive order to withdraw the country from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international pact focused on curbing climate change and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Following this decision, the United States became one of four countries worldwide not involved in the accord, according to the New York Times. President Trump also rolled back numerous anti-fossil fuel regulations enacted by the Biden administration, curtailing many wind power efforts and expanding fossil fuel extraction, including drilling in Alaska’s wildlife areas.
The Paris Agreement was not the only unifying international organization President Trump ordered the nation to withdraw from. He also issued a directive for the United States to leave the World Health Organization (WHO). This decision will have significant ramifications for the global agency and its capabilities, as the U.S. financed about one-fifth of the organization’s budget in 2023 under the Biden administration, reported the BBC.
Trump’s second inauguration day was filled with not only ceremonial rituals, but also substantive use of his presidential authority. Trump’s resolute speeches followed by corresponding executive orders set the groundwork for the Trump Administration’s agenda and offered a glimpse into what the next four years may look like. Ranging from immigration policy to energy issues to border security to constitutional debates, the actions taken by President Trump on in his first day in office suggest the beginning of a new chapter of American politics – one with far-reaching implications for the nation and its position on the world stage.