WASHINGTON — Moments after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump declared that his presidency would mark a new “golden age” for the country.

“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” Trump said during his inaugural address. “During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.”

Trump, speaking during the inaugural ceremony inside of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, painted a dark picture of a nation in decline, facing a “crisis of trust” and pillaged by a “radical and corrupt establishment.” He portrayed his return to the Oval Office as the country’s solution, suggesting that his own improbable political comeback — after losing the 2020 election and facing criminal conviction to his 2024 electoral victory — as “proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do in America.”

“The impossible is what we do best,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. | Kevin Lamarque

Due to extreme cold weather, the swearing-in ceremony was held indoors for the first time since 1985. The Capitol Rotunda was filled with dignitaries, including Trump’s family, the living former U.S. presidents, Supreme Court justices and members of Congress.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to Trump, who pledged to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Notably, Trump did not place his left hand on the two Bibles his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, held — a family Bible, and the Lincoln Bible that President Abraham Lincoln used to take the oath of office in 1861.

Trump, whose inaugural address lasted 30 minutes, bemoaned the U.S. government he inherits, saying the “pillars of our society” are “broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.” He criticized the country’s ability to respond to emergencies; the education system “that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves”; the public health system “that does not deliver in times of disaster”; and the country’s immigration system.

President Donald Trump gestures to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after being sworn in as president during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. | Chip Somodevilla

“We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad,” Trump said.

Speaking personally, Trump noted he has been “tested and challenged more than any president” in American history. He pointed to his criminal convictions and attempted assassinations, and claimed his enemies have attempted “to take my freedom, and indeed, to take my life.”

“But I felt, then and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason,” Trump said, to raucous applause. “I was saved by God to make America great again.”

Trump previews executive order plans

Trump promised to begin his policy rollout on Monday by signing “a series of historic executive orders.”

“With these actions, begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” Trump said.

The Day 1 executive orders are expected to include action on immigration, the economy, energy, trade, gender and birthright citizenship.

Immigration

Trump pledged he would declare a national emergency at the southern border, allowing additional federal resources to be funneled to Customs and Border Patrol agents there.

“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,” Trump said.

He also announced he would reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy and end “catch and release,” returning to immigration practices from Trump’s first term that required migrants to stay on the Mexican side of the U.S. border until their court dates. He also said he would designate cartel groups as “terrorist organizations,” which would instill steeper punishments on those who interact with them — but could open the door for paths to asylum protections for immigrants who are persecuted by cartel groups in their home countries.

Trump said he would invoke the Enemy Aliens Act of 1798, a law that allows foreign-born individuals in the U.S. to be detained and removed based on their country of origin. It has been invoked only three times in U.S. history: during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.

Though he did not mention it in his speech, Trump is expected to sign an executive order today that would end birthright citizenship for the children of unauthorized immigrants. Legal scholars widely agree that Trump does not have the authority to reinterpret the U.S. Constitution, and his order would face immediate legal challenges.

Economy and energy

Trump said he will declare a national emergency to spur domestic drilling — to “drill, baby, drill.”

“We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help us do it,” he said.

Trump said will direct his incoming Cabinet to “marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.”

An executive order will end the so-called “electric vehicle mandate,” Trump’s name for a Biden administration rule that requires auto manufacturers to lower greenhouse gas emissions from their vehicles.

On trade, Trump signaled an immediate start to his impending trade war. He said he would overhaul the U.S.’ trade practices “to protect American workers and families.” Trump said he would establish an “External Revenue Service” to collect profits he expects to receive from tariffs on imported goods.

“Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” he said.

Culture war issues

Trump pledged to “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” He declared that the official policy of the U.S. government would be that there are “only two genders: male and female.”

He also said he would “forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based” in regard to race and ethnicity.

Trump vowed to reinstate, with back pay, members of the military who were dismissed for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It’s going to end immediately,” Trump said.

A nod to ‘manifest destiny’

Trump declared that the U.S. would once again be a “growing nation,” suggesting that the country would expand its territory under his term.

He repeated his claim that the name of the Gulf of Mexico would be changed to “the Gulf of America,” and he vowed to “take back” control of the Panama Canal.

“The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons,” Trump said.

Trump called for pursuing “manifest destiny,” suggesting the U.S. would revitalize its space exploration program. The U.S. under Trump will send “American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump said, a line that garnered celebration and cheers from Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who was seated behind Trump during the speech.

Trump concluded by nodding toward American exceptionalism. “Above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization,” he said.

Inside or outside, tourists take in inaugural events

In freezing Washington, only a select few attended Trump’s inaugural ceremony in person.

In the Rotunda, space was reserved for dignitaries, including each of the living former U.S. presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside their spouses, sat behind Trump on the stand.

Two apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attended: Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who represented the church at events and meetings surrounding the inaugural ceremonies.

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In the Emancipation Hall at the nearby Capitol Visitors Center, overflow seating was provided for Trump’s guests, spouses of members of Congress and other guests, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

A livestream of the proceedings was also looped into Capitol One Arena, the 22,000-seat facility in downtown Washington.

But many tourists, including some who had tickets before the event’s logistics were changed, preferred to soak in the inaugural proceedings outside.

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“It’s a good day for America,” said Robert Cuevas of Riverside, California, who arrived along the parade route around 10 a.m.

Joseph and Kumbulan Yose, visiting from Coventry, United Kingdom, said it is “awesome” to be in Washington for the inauguration.

“I am quite surprised Trump is back,” Joseph Yose said. “But in a way, we just feel it seems like a trend going on in Europe, in terms of politics shifting towards the far-right.”

Wanda, a woman from Delaware, lamented the tickets she had secured to watch the inauguration on the National Mall were now worthless. “They’re souvenirs,” she said.

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