President Donald Trump began his second term as America’s commander in chief on Monday with a forceful message of how his incoming administration will forge “a thrilling new era of national success” and a “revolution of common sense,” outlining numerous ways in which he will reverse the policies of his predecessor Joe Biden on the border, in the Justice Department, and more.
Before a capacity gathering of dignitaries, lawmakers, former presidents, and tech entrepreneurs in the Capitol Rotunda at the nation’s 60th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony, Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to the 47th president just after 12 noon EST, as First Lady Melania Trump stood by his side with the Lincoln Bible as well as a Bible given to him by his mother in 1955.
Trump opened his address by declaring, “The golden age of America begins right now. 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. Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end.”
After listing a series of crises that have occurred under Biden’s watch, including giving “sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals,” “refus[ing] to defend American borders,” and not “deliver[ing] basic services in times of emergency” to North Carolina and California, Trump proclaimed that “my recent 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.”
After recalling the how close an assassin’s bullet in Pennsylvania came to ending his life, the president noted, “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.”
Trump also acknowledged Martin Luther King Day, promising, “In his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true. National unity is now returning to America, and confidence and pride is soaring like never before.”
The president then launched into outlining “a series of historic executive orders” that he would be signing, declaring that that they “will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.” He noted that a national emergency would be declared at the southern border and that troops would be sent there, the reinstitution of the Remain in Mexico policy, the beginning of “the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” and the ending of the “catch and release” policy of his predecessor. Trump went on to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in order to use the “immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks.”
The president further declared that his administration would “defeat what was record inflation, and rapidly bring down costs and prices, [which] was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices.” He also noted that a “a national energy emergency” will be declared. “We will drill, baby drill,” Trump emphasized, so that “America will be a manufacturing nation once again” that has “the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on earth, and we are going to use it. … We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again right to the top, and export American energy all over the world.”
Trump additionally remarked that his administration will “end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers. In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago.”
The president also addressed the issue of free speech, observing, “After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America. Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents.” Trump further elaborated that he would “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
Regarding the military, Trump declared that his administration “will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate with full back pay. And I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It’s going to end immediately. Our armed forces will be free to focus on their sole mission defeating America’s enemies. Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen.”
Near the end of his address, the president argued for the need to take back control of the Panama Canal. After noting that the canal was financed by the U.S. and that 38,000 lives were lost during its construction, he contended that after control of the canal was given to Panama, the central American country broke its promise. “The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape, or form. … China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”
Trump concluded his address by recalling the past feats of heroic Americans and the goal of landing astronauts on Mars. “Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers,” he declared. “The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls.”
“If we work together, there is nothing we cannot do and no dream we cannot achieve,” the 47th president underscored. “The impossible is what we do best.”
Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.