After an 18-month campaign season and an election that surprised everyone, a victorious Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. The new president then delivered his inauguration address in two clips that you can watch above and below. How did he do with this very populist manifesto, which ended with a clenched fist?
Everyone knew to expect a different type of speech from Trump. He’s not going to be a “normal” president, and he echoed much of the gloom-and-doom that we saw during his campaign. Trump critiqued the government while surrounded by members of the government, and he promised to put “America first.” Off the bat, Trump thanked President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for the peaceful transition and credited the working-class voters who got him elected:
“Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today, we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another. But we are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you, the people.”
The inauguration speech echoed many of the key sentiments Trump spoke of on the campaign trail, including eradicating radical Islam and reinvigorating the American economy. But he stressed that America was number one in his book, and there’s nowhere to go but up from here, although he painted a rather negative portrait:
“Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation, an education system flushed with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge. And the crime, and the gangs, and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now …From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first — America first.”
Although he took some shots at the political establishment, Trump did take a moment to preach for solidarity saying: “It’s time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget — that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.” He saved his greatest hits for the end, reiterating his stance to catapult the country back to a worldwide powerhouse:
“Your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our American destiny. Together, And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way. We will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, together, thank you. we will make America great again.”
From there, Trump ended with a clenched fist, which should give us an indication of what the next four years will bring for America.