Donald Trump declared the beginning of a "golden age" in the United States after taking the oath of office for an unprecedented second term as president on Monday. In his inaugural address, delivered inside the U.S. Capitol due to freezing weather, Trump painted a bleak picture of a "broken" society that he pledged to restore.
"The golden age of America begins right now," Trump proclaimed. "From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world." His speech struck a characteristically combative tone, accusing a "radical and corrupt establishment" of betraying the American people.
"For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair," Trump stated. "From this moment on, America's decline is over."
At 78 years old, Trump is now the oldest person to assume the presidency. He began his second term with plans for aggressive executive actions on immigration and social issues. Among the most controversial promises was his declaration of a "national emergency at our southern border" with Mexico, vowing to deport "millions and millions" of undocumented immigrants.
Trump took the oath of office with one hand raised and the other on a Bible given to him by his mother, becoming the 47th president of the United States. He was accompanied to the Capitol by outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden, who maintained tradition by welcoming Trump with tea at the White House. "Welcome home," Biden said as he and First Lady Jill Biden greeted Trump and his wife, Melania.
Unlike his first inauguration in 2017, where Trump was an outsider in Washington, this ceremony underscored his deep ties to America's wealthy elite. High-profile figures such as Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai attended the event. Musk, who reportedly contributed $250 million to Trump's campaign and openly promotes far-right policies on his X social media platform, is expected to spearhead cost-cutting initiatives in the new administration.
This second inauguration also saw an effort to restore tradition. While Trump notoriously refused to attend Biden's 2021 inauguration, citing false claims of electoral fraud, Biden reciprocated by attending Trump's ceremony. The event was attended by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, along with their families. Former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush were present, though Michelle Obama was notably absent.
The inaugural ceremony marked the start of a presidency promising sweeping changes and a bold, if polarizing, vision for America. Whether Trump's "golden age" will deliver on its ambitious promises remains to be seen.
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