(The Lion) — Donald J. Trump placed his hand on his family Bible, as well as a Lincoln Bible, and took the oath of office Monday, cementing his return to power and signifying a new day in American politics.
This time the packed crowd in the Capitol rotunda greeted him with cheers and shouts filled the room after the ceremonial music ended moments before Trump took the oath, including a spontaneous chant of “U-S-A.”
America is definitely back and so is Trump, who faced defeat four years ago after his first term but triumphed mightily over Democrat Kamala Harris in November.
“Mr. President, the last four years, there are times I’m sure you thought it was pretty dark but look what God has done,” said Rev. Franklin Graham, who then launched into his prayer: “When Donald Trump’s enemies thought he was down and out, you and you alone saved his life and raised him up with strength and power by your mighty hand.”
After the oath, and a resounding rendition of the Battle Hymn of the Republic and its rousing chorus, “Glory, glory, hallelujah,” Trump laid out his vision for America.
“The golden age of America begins right now,” said the 45th and 47th president. “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 our selves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration I will very simply put America first.”
Trump described America’s problems, including illegal immigration and the inability of government to restore hurricane damaged North Carolina or combat the raging wildfires in California.
He also spoke of personal challenges, including two attempts on his life during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“I believe my life was saved for a reason: I was saved by God to make America great again,” the Republican said to resounding applause.
In typical inaugural fashion, Trump attempted to build unity by calling out his record number of black and Hispanic votes as well as victories in all seven swing states in the recent election.
“I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote,” he said to those audiences. “We set records and I will not forget it.”
Trump promised to sign “a series of historic executive orders,” including declaring a state of “national emergency at our southern border,” and sending troops to the border to “repel the disastrous invasion of our country.” He also said he would designate cartels of foreigners as foreign terrorist organizations and invoke the Aliens Act of 1798 to eliminate foreign gangs and criminal networks in US cities.
Within minutes of his inauguration, and before he was done with his speech, the Customs and Border Patrol website announced that the CBP One app, which had allowed nearly 1 million immigrants to enter the country legally and work, was no longer available and that all existing appointments were cancelled, the Associated Press reported. The White House’s official website also updated, showing a picture of Trump with his finger outstretched over the words “America is Back.”
Trump called out inflation as the result of “massive overspending” by government and said he would declare a national energy emergency so that explorers could “drill baby, drill” for oil.
As promised during the campaign, the second-term president said he would establish the Department of External Revenue to collect tariffs, and the Department of Government Efficiency to cut government’s cost.
“Never agains will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents, something I know something about,” said Trump, who was convicted for a felony in what many believe was a politically-motivated case. Trump also faced a raid on his Florida home, Mar-a-lago, by federal agents.
During his first day as president, Trump said he would reverse course from the Biden administration’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies (DEI) and issue a decree about gender: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States Government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
Trump said he would order the restoration of all military personnel who were expelled for refusing the COVID-19 vaccinations, with full back pay.
Internationally, Trump said he would take back the Panama Canal, which was given to Panama but is now being run by China, and would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
He also promised to return the name of President William McKinley to North America’s tallest peak, which is in Alaska and currently called Denali, and credited McKinley for making America rich through tariffs, which helped fund the Panama Canal.
“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet mars,” he said, stating a bold goal.
The theme of returning America to greatness resounded throughout the 30-minute speech, which moved quickly even though it was twice as long as his first speech 2017, according to the AP.
“In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly, but we are going to bring it back and make it great again, greater than ever before,” Trump said. “America will be respected again and admired again, including by people of religion, faith and goodwill. We will be prosperous, we will be proud, we will be strong, and we will win like never before. We will not be conquered, we will not be intimidated, we will not be broken, and we will not fail.
“From this day on, the United States of America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation. We will stand bravely, we will live proudly, we will dream boldly, and nothing will stand in our way, because we are Americans. The future is ours, and our Golden Age has just begun. Thank you, God. Bless America.”
Upon his completion, former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood rose to perform America the Beautiful. When the audio track didn’t start, she eventually sang without accompaniment, inviting the crowd to join in.
The ceremony, which was attended by former Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden, as well as Vice Presidents Harris, Pence and Quayle, closed with benedictions from a rabbi, a retired Catholic priest and an African American minister from Detroit.
Rev. Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church thanked God for giving Trump “a millimeter miracle,” and prayed the words of Dr. Martin Luther King that we would live in nation where “men are judged not by their color but by the content of their character.” The inauguration was held on the federal holiday in King’s honor.
After the ceremony, outgoing President Biden and his wife Jill made their way to Presidential helicopter Marine One for their final flight to Andrews Air Force Base and then California to relax. Trump, on the other hand, and his Vice President J.D. Vance, went to the White House to begin his agenda of taking America back and making her great again.
