Donald Trump, who returned to power as voters’ dissatisfaction with the status quo grew, promised a new ‘golden age’ for the United States in his inauguration speech.
The speech was a mix of promises and contradictions that highlighted the opportunities and challenges the new president will face in his second term.
He paid particular attention to immigration and the economy. It was the issue that American voters were most concerned about last year, according to polls. He also promised to end government-sponsored diversity programs and noted that official U.S. policy would recognize only two genders: male and female.
That last line sparked a passionate response at the Capitol, followed by enthusiastic cheers from his supporters at a nearby sports stadium. It’s a sign that the cultural issue that drew the sharpest contrast with Democrats in last year’s election will be one of President Trump’s most powerful ways to connect with his base.
But before Trump explained what this new era would entail, he painted a grim picture of the current American political climate.
While his predecessor, Joe Biden, and other Democrats sat like stones to one side, Trump said the government was facing a “crisis of confidence.” He condemned the “vicious, violent and unfair weaponization” of the U.S. Justice Department in its efforts to investigate and prosecute him for contesting the 2020 election results.
He insisted on reversing a “horrible betrayal” and lambasted “radical and corrupt institutions” that extract power and wealth from American citizens.
It was the populist, anti-elite rhetoric that has been at the core of Trump’s speeches for the past decade. But unlike when Trump first began his ascent to the pinnacle of American political power in 2015, he now represents an emerging power as much as anyone else. And behind him sat some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful business leaders.
On Inauguration Day, Trump commands attention and leadership. His aides have promised hundreds of executive actions on a variety of topics, including immigration, energy, trade, education and important cultural issues.
He detailed several of them in his inaugural address. He declared national emergencies on energy and immigration, promising to deploy U.S. troops at the border, drastically limit the rights of asylum seekers and reopen large swaths of federal land to energy extraction. He renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of the Americas” and repeated his promise to bring back the Panama Canal.
He made unsubstantiated claims that China was running the key waterway and said American ships, including Navy ships, were paying too much for passage. This is perhaps a hint as to the real goals in future negotiations with the Panamanian government.
“America will once again see itself as a growing nation,” he said, pledging to increase America’s wealth and expand “our territory.”
That last part could catch the ear of U.S. allies who are already interested in Trump’s acquisition of Greenland and joking about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
On the campaign trail and in this speech, Trump made a series of big promises. Now that he is president, he will face the challenge of communicating and demonstrating what the “golden age” he proclaims really means.
