A New Era: Trump’s 2025 Inauguration

Author: Semaj

A New Era: Trump’s 2025 Inauguration

By: Semaj Anthony

On January 20, 2025, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, marking the commencement of his second, non-consecutive term in office. It is tradition for new presidents to be sworn into office in front of a crowd, so President Trump did just that. The ceremony occurred indoors at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., due to severe below-freezing temperatures from a polar vortex.

President Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in at his inauguration in the Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

President Trump took the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts. In his inaugural address, he proclaimed the day to be “liberation day” for the United States. He promised that the beginning of “the golden age of America.” During his speech, Trump promised to start a “revolution of common sense” and condemned the legacy of the previous Biden government. He stressed an America-first stance while outlining strategies to address problems like the border crisis, inflation, and national cohesion.

When a President is sworn into office, they are instructed to raise his right hand and place his left on the Bible, which is next to him, being held by his wife. President Trump refused to place his hand on the bible, instead, he decided only to raise his hand. He did this and continued to swear his oath, saying in his inaugural address, “I was saved by God to make America great again,” He said this about the assassination attempt on his life over the summer.

Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds two Bibles at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025. MORRY GASH/AFP via Getty Images

Immediately following the ceremony, President Trump signed a series of executive orders addressing various policy areas. These actions included withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement, rolling back recognition of genders outside male and female, freezing new regulations, and establishing the Department of Government Efficiency. Additionally, he declared a national emergency at the Mexican border and began efforts to end birthright citizenship.

President Donald Trump signed executive orders rolling back protections for transgender people and terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. He described this in his inauguration speech as a move to end efforts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” Another one of his orders declares that the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female. The definition will be based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than on their chromosomes. Conservative groups such as the ‘American Family Association’ are excited about the change as one that “acknowledges the truth”. However, experts including the ‘American Medical Association’ and ‘American Psychiatric Association’ hold that gender is a spectrum, not a binary structure consisting only of males and females.

President Donald Trump speaks during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)

Following his inauguration, President Trump invoked his presidential powers on another big collective in our country, Immigrants. He signed an executive order that would begin a sweeping crackdown on immigration. President Trump ordered the military to enforce the border, take steps to label gangs and cartels as terrorist organizations, stop accepting asylum and refugees, and try to revoke birthright citizenship. Citing the burden on the receiving communities, President Trump also halted the “U.S. Refugee Admissions Program,” which was formerly a widely supported endeavor across both parties. In Springfield, Ohio, where the influx of thousands of Haitian immigrants brought national attention after Mr. Trump and his supporters erroneously accused the immigrants of consuming pets, his order name-checked a number of localities.

The inauguration was attended by top political and business figures, including former presidents, highlighting a significant political shift under the new administration. The day's events also featured performances by entertainers such as Carrie Underwood and Billy Ray Cyrus, though technical issues were reported during their performances. Another celebrity who attended the inauguration was Elon Musk. President Trump allowed Musk to give a speech, during which he said, “My heart goes out to you,” he said. “It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.” Then, he proceeded to make a gesture resembling a Nazi salute. After doing this, he received a tremendous amount of backlash, though also received some praise. Musk did not respond to NBC News' request for comment. And on social media, he has not contended with the backlash against his gesture, instead suggesting the angry reactions are part of a Democratic-led hoax.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk comes under fire for making a gesture at President Trump’s rally similar to a Nazi salute.

DMU Timestamp: January 21, 2025 22:02

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