Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and division

 

Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and division

 

Trump promises a blitz of executive orders, radical shake-up of the global order and ‘revolution of common sense’

 

Joan E Greve, David Smith and Robert Tait in Washington

Mon 20 Jan 2025 18.01 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/20/trump-division-vengeance-inauguration

 

The United States was launched on a fresh course of disruption and division on Monday as Donald Trump was 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”.

 

In a 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”.

 

“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,” 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.”

 

Despite the alternately positive and threatening tone, Trump’s language still departed from the loftier rhetoric deployed at inaugurations by some of his predecessors, four of whom – Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush – were present to hear his address.

 

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 electrical 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 has been 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 – a right guaranteed under US and international law – as well as pausing the US refugee program, at least for four months. And there would also be 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 was also expected to attempt to end birthright citizenship, which confers US citizen rights to American-born children of foreign nationals, including undocumented immigrants.

 

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.”

 

His inauguration was be the first attended by certain foreign leaders: Chinese vice-president Han Zheng, Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, and Italy’s premier, Giorgia Meloni.

 

Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent in last year’s fraught battle for the White House, was also in attendance as JD Vance takes her place as vice-president. Harris, who became the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden was forced to withdraw from the race in July, had framed Trump as a fundamental threat to democracy who would exploit his regained power to settle political scores while ignoring the needs of average Americans.

 

One notable absence among the many invited dignitaries was Michelle Obama, as the former first lady has said she will not attend the event after skipJimmy Carter’s funeral earlier this month as well. But another well-known former first lady, Hillary Clinton, did witness Trump’s second swearing-in, eight years after she attended his first inauguration following her defeat to him in the 2016 presidential contest.

 

Before Trump took the reins of power, Biden departed the White House for the final time as president. He leaves office with an unsually low approval rating amid ongoing attacks from fellow Democrats, many of whom blame Harris’s loss on Biden’s refusal to exit the presidential race earlier. 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.