Trump sworn in amid a blitz of executive orders and a promise to radically shake up the global order
US president Donald Trump, flanked by vice president JD Vance, Barron Trump, and Melania Trump, during the inauguration ceremony in the Rotunda of the US Capitol today, Monday. Picture: Kenny Holston/The New York Times/AP
The United States was bracing for a new era of disruption and division on Monday with Donald Trump scheduled to be sworn in as its 47th president, promising a blitz of executive orders, a radical shake-up of the global order and a “golden age of America”.
Trump’s inauguration ceremony — staged indoors in the US Capitol because of sub-zero temperatures — the former president prepared to return to the White House in triumph after taking the oath of office from John Roberts, chief justice of the supreme court.
Trump immediately struck a nationalistic tone in his inaugural address, vowing to “put America first”.
"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,” he said. “America’s decline is over.”
Trump called his election “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, and indeed, their freedom. From this moment on America’s decline is over”.
He added: “The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life. Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear, but 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.”
Confirming widespread expectations of a flurry of first-day activity, Trump announced a series of executive orders he would immediately sign, many of them focusing on immigration – including declaring a state of emergency at the southern US border to allow for the deployment of the armed forces, and attempting to end birthright citizenship.
Trump said he would designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, revoke the electric vehicle mandate, and set up an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs on imported goods, though he did not say what those rates would be.
He also promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and “take back” the Panama Canal.
The inauguration ceremony was moved inside to the rotunda at the US Capitol building because of bitterly cold weather. The high sandstone hall at the Capitol’s centre is the same spot where some of his supporters rioted on 6 January 2021 in an attempt to overturn his election defeat.
Few imagined then that Trump, twice impeached and now a convicted criminal, would set foot inside the White House again. But over the weekend the 78-year-old revelled in his improbable political comeback with supporters of his Maga (Make America great again) movement, including a Sunday rally at the Capitol One arena, where he promised: “We’re going to unlock the liquid gold that’s right under our feet ... We’re going to bring back law and order to our cities ... We’re going to get radical woke ideology the hell out of our military.”
Earlier at the rally, Trump’s senior adviser, Stephen Miller, promised that Trump would on Monday issue “an executive order ending the border invasion, sending illegals home and taking America back”.
On Monday, before his inauguration, Trump’s aides confirmed that those executive orders were expected to include fast-tracking the construction of the long-promised wall, and enabling the use of drones and other surveillance measures. Additionally, there would be an order to end political asylum and a provision for imposing the death penalty for certain crimes committed by migrants, including the murder of a police officer.
In his Monday speech, Trump said that the orders would “begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It’s all about common sense”.
“All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came. We will reinstate my ‘remain in Mexico’ policy, I will end the practice of catch and release troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.”
Trump did not refer to Ukraine, but said: “We will measure our success, not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and most importantly, the wars we never get into … my proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.”
Before Trump took the reins of power, Joe Biden departed the White House for the final time as president. Shortly before Trump’s inauguration, Biden issued a surprise, last-minute, pre-emptive pardon of members of his family.
In his farewell address last Wednesday, Biden largely sidestepped questions about his legacy and instead delivered a frank warning about the nation’s “concentration of power and wealth” in the hands of a privileged few while truth and facts have become ever harder for the public to access.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden said.
As he marked the end of a political career that first began with his election to the Senate in 1972, Biden concluded: “After 50 years of public service, I give you my word, I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands – a nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it’s your turn to stand guard.”
That responsibility began on Monday, as the US embarks on four more years of Trump’s leadership, more unsure than ever of what they may bring.
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