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Holding onto a teleprompter, and speaking in a more measured tone than he uses at his rallies, Donald Trump began his inaugural address by predicting that America's “golden age begins now” and vowing that the United States “will prosper and be respected again everywhere.” the world”.
But the 78-year-old's speech, which was the longest by a new US president in nearly a century, quickly turned into attacks on his predecessor, Joe Biden, and threats to undo much of his legacy through a series of executive orders. .
Here are some key passages:
“During every day of the Trump administration, I will simply put America first.”
It was one of several lines of applause lifted almost verbatim from Trump's first, and famously dark, inaugural address eight years ago.
Trump He also renewed his criticism of the “establishment,” which he said “snatched power and wealth from our citizens while the pillars of our society were broken and appeared to be in complete tatters.” Four of the world's five richest men and several company chiefs were among the dignitaries watching the event in seats a few meters away.
Although Trump's speech was not quite as vicious as his 2017 inaugural address titled “American Carnage,” the president took several opportunities to attack Biden's record.
“We now have a government that cannot manage even a minor crisis at home while simultaneously stumbling through a continuing list of disastrous events abroad,” he said.
He also criticized “the government that provided unlimited funding to defend the external borders,” a veiled reference to US aid to Ukraine.
“We now have a government…that fails to protect our wonderful, law-abiding American citizens but provides sanctuary and protection to dangerous criminals.
Trump campaigned aggressively for the White House last year, claiming that migrants coming across the southern border were turning the United States into an “occupied country.” He hit the topic hard again in his inaugural address.
Trump claimed that the Biden administration's immigration policies provided “sanctuary and protection” to criminals, including “many prisons and mental institutions who entered our country illegally from around the world.”
The new president pledged to “begin the process of returning millions and millions of foreign criminals to the places from which they came.” He said he would send troops to the southern border to repel the “invasion.”
Some of Trump's statements have referred to specific policies aimed at appeasing different factions within his broad coalition.
He received warm applause for saying he would sign executive orders to expand oil and gas drilling in the United States — to tap America's “liquid gold” — a move he says will lower energy prices and beat inflation. While speaking, the White House said it would also withdraw the United States from the European Union Paris climate agreement.
Trump also said he would keep his “sacred pledge to the great American auto workers” by rescinding the electric vehicle mandate — even though the United States has no law forcing people to buy electric cars — and pledged to impose tariffs on other countries to “enrich our citizens.” .
The president also backed a plan promoted by his biggest financial backer, Elon Musk, to colonize Mars, a mission the US government saw as a distraction from visiting the moon again.
“We were treated very poorly by this foolish gift that was never supposed to be given, and Panama has broken its promise to us.”
Midway through the speech, Trump launched into a list of bizarre promises. He said the United States would rename the Gulf of Mexico “to America's Gulf” and rename the highest peak in North America, Denali in Alaska, to Mount McKinley, in honor of the former president who “made our country very rich through tariffs and taxes.” Through talent.”
He said the United States would “reclaim” the Panama Canal, which Washington granted to the Central American country in 1978.
“The entire purpose of our agreement and the spirit of our treaty have been violated,” Trump said. “American ships are being overloaded and are not being treated fairly in any way, shape or form,” he added, before falsely claiming – to the Chinese vice president, who was in attendance – that Beijing “runs the Panama Canal.”
“God saved me to make America great again.”
A sense of messianic destiny and a touch of vindication were prominent features of Trump's long speech.
“Those who want to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and even take my life,” Trump said. He recalled a July demonstration in Pennsylvania when “an assassin's bullet pierced my ear.” “I felt then, and I believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason.”
The first convicted felon to assume the presidency also criticized the various criminal cases brought against him over the past few years, vowing that “the evil, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Department of Justice and our government will end.”
While he did not repeat his false claim that he won the 2020 election, Trump said his victory in November was “a mandate to completely and completely reverse this terrible betrayal.”
Trump's full inauguration speech
