(Photo courtesy of Getty Images) “Trump delivering Inaugural Address within the Capitol building.”
Conor Moyer
Connector Editor
Donald Trump’s second inauguration has marked a bold turn in American history. Or rather, a bold return. Standing beneath the grand frescoes of the Capitol Rotunda, the 45th and now 47th President of the United States delivered a speech that laid out his stark vision of America’s future. One of territorial expansion and mass tariffs, one more akin to the imperialist Gilded Age than the 21st century. Rejecting the usual inaugural theme of unity, he delivered one that was even more confident, self-referencing, and vengeful than his 2017 “American Carnage” inaugural address. “Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history,” he declared, “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success.”
Speaking to an audience that included some of the wealthiest men in America, Trump’s agenda in his address was unmistakably bold. Among his promises were nationalist economic policies, tariffs, a reworking of the education system, and territorial expansion. He declared the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” and in a particular shock, declared that “China is operating the Panama Canal” and that “we’re taking it back.”
Domestically, Trump pledged to reduce the federal bureaucracy, to declare two genders, to unconstitutionally end birthright citizenship, and to rebalance “the scales of justice” that convicted him as a felon. He blanket pardoned over 1500 January 6 rioters that in 2021 stormed the U.S. Capitol and attempted to overthrow the results of the 2020 Presidential election. He also declared a national emergency at the southern border, promising to start the mass deportations of “millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.” Since then, deportations have already begun in Massachusetts and cities across the U.S.
Trump also criticized America’s foreign aid commitments and underscored his opposition to the existing international order, “We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders.” Trump has routinely singled out Ukraine on this issue, even declaring that he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine on day one of his administration.
Elsewhere in D.C., these promises were met with applause. Thousands of Trump supporters gathered in the Capitol One Arena to celebrate the inauguration on a livestream and hear from the president later in the evening. At the event, Michael Conwell, a Houston roofer, attributed Trump’s popular vote victory simply: “Four years of Biden. I’ve been in business for 42 years, and last year was the worst I’ve had in my life.” Derek VanBuskirk, a journalist at the National Journalism Center, initially had reservations about Trump’s reelection but reaffirmed his support: “I was a big Trump supporter in 2016. But this last primary, I thought we should see who we can get. But after I saw the team he was putting together, I was on board.” In particular, VanBuskirk highlighted Elon Musk as a great addition to the Trump administration; although Musk’s power as proposed head of the “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE” (named after a meme coin), is questionable as it’s not an actual government department.
Musk later made headlines the same day as he made a gesture that appeared to many as a Nazi salute. Captured on live broadcasts, the moment immediately went viral amidst the flurry of the inauguration. Musk, who has increasingly aligned himself with far-right rhetoric, later claimed the gesture was taken out of context, though backlash persisted.
Outside the celebration, the inauguration was met with both fervent support and strong opposition. Later that evening, thousands of Trump supporters danced alongside Trump, his family, and the Village People at the Liberty Ball. Pro and anti-Trump rallies sprang up nationwide. Despite the grandiosity of the events, Trump enters his second term under a cloud of discontent. His approval rating upon taking office is 50%, the second-lowest of any incoming president in modern history, surpassed only by his own rating of 45% in 2017. The figure reflects a deeply divided nation, with Trump’s core supporters more loyal than ever and his detractors equally resolute. As his administration progresses, the country’s institutions—its courts, federal agencies, and democratic traditions—are poised to tackle the challenges and changes his agenda brings. Whether his policies will result in the national success he envisions or further deepen political divides remains to be seen, but if his inaugural speech was any indication, Trump seems poised to relish the chall
