Trump goes from ‘American carnage’ to ‘horrible betrayal’ in second inaugural session

President Donald Trump returned to power Monday with a triumphant message that echoed the one he delivered when he took office eight years ago: The U.S. government is bankrupt, its elites have betrayed the people, and with his return to the helm, things will be fine. in a distinctly different direction.

“My recent election is a mandate to completely and utterly end a horrible betrayal, and all the many betrayals that have taken place, and to restore the people’s faith, their wealth, their democracy and, of course, their freedom.” , said President Trump. » declared his second inauguration speech on Monday afternoon. “From now on, America’s decline is over.”

This language was similar to that in his 2017 inaugural address, when he declared: “This American carnage stops here and stops now.”

But upon his return to the national scene, his political demands also took on a personal dimension. Mr Trump has made clear that he views himself as a persecuted figure – and has described his return to power as a victory over his tormentors.

“Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history, and I have learned a lot along the way. The journey to reclaim our republic has not been easy, I can tell you that. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom, even killing me,” Mr. Trump said. After speaking about the attempt on his life in July, he said: “I was saved by God to make America great again. »

He has pledged to depoliticize the Justice Department, which he says has turned against him under the Biden administration.

“The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent and unjust militarization of the Department of Justice and our government will end,” he said.

Not everyone has confidence in Mr. Trump’s promise to depoliticize the department. Just before leaving office on Monday, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to many elected and appointed government officials considered enemies by Mr. Trump — and against whom the newly returned president had suggested he was seeking revenge. He also offered preemptive pardons to a number of members of his own family.

Due to freezing temperatures, Mr. Trump’s second inauguration took place in the rotunda of the US Capitol – the first time in 40 years that the swearing-in took place indoors. Washington hit a high of 27 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday; At President Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2008, which took place outdoors, the temperature was 28 degrees. The last time an inauguration was moved indoors due to weather was during Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration, when temperatures reached just 7 degrees.

In his speech, Mr. Trump lambasted “a radical and corrupt establishment” that he said “took power and wealth away from our citizens while the pillars of our society were broken and seemingly completely in ruins.”

Mr. Trump said he would act on behalf of everyone, consumers and auto workers (by pledging to remove incentives for electric vehicles and allow people to buy the cars they want) to people who want what he calls a “color-blind” society, rather than a “color-blind” society. where elites “attempt to socially integrate race and gender into all aspects of public and private life.”

Even though Mr. Trump has delivered a populist message, many of the world’s richest people made a point of attending his inauguration this time around, many of them sending massive checks to Trump’s inaugural committee after being stayed away eight years ago.

Tech billionaires including Tesla chief and Trump campaign mega-donor Elon Musk, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder (and Washington Post owner) Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai were seated near the stage – just behind Mr. Trump’s family and Mr. Trump’s Cabinet picks.

Mr. Trump takes office for the second time after benefiting from a relatively strong economy. The national unemployment rate is currently well below historical averages and the stock market is booming. But inflation remains a challenge, even though the inflation rate has slowed over the past year – a key reason he won a second term.

Mr. Trump’s second inaugural address took place in the very room that Mr. Trump’s supporters invaded after their war against the U.S. Capitol Police four years ago. Mr. Trump did not attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration a few weeks later, and he has consistently insisted, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, that the 2020 election had been stolen. He faced numerous legal threats in the years that followed. But although he was convicted of crimes related to covering up an alleged affair with a porn star before the 2016 election, the two criminal charges brought against him for his actions leading to the events of January 6, 2021 n never went to trial, nor did he pursue a fourth case involving his allegedly deliberate mishandling of classified documents. His return to power marks a stunning political comeback and makes him the first convicted felon to assume the presidency.

Mr. Trump stuck to the remarks prepared for the speech, but he did not stay in teleprompter mode for long. The newly sworn-in president immediately went to the Capitol Visitor Center to address other supporters and lawmakers who hadn’t been able to squeeze into the rotunda, delivering 30 minutes of off-the-cuff remarks that further illuminated his thinking.

He complained about the last-minute pardons granted to Mr. Biden. He returned to one of his favorite campaign topics, complaining that 2020 had been a “rigged election” and alleging that “they tried” to rig it again in 2024. He said he was convinced not to speak in his inaugural address about the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, but suggested swift action to pardon the January 6 defendants. “It’s actions that count, not words. And you know you’ll see a lot of action against the J6 hostages,” Mr. Trump said.

“I think it’s a better speech than the one I gave upstairs,” Mr. Trump said in conclusion.