A perceived triumph over dark forces
Even before Trump began to speak, a religious and political ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, touched on one of the new president’s most common themes – how he’s been persecuted by unnamed evil forces.
Graham talked of Trump’s “enemies” and the “darkness” of the last four years for Trump personally.
When Trump spoke, he tied attempts to prosecute him for trying to overturn his election loss to Biden into his allegations of “weaponization” of the Justice Department. He then linked them to the attempt to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July.
“The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and, indeed, to take my life,” Trump said.
The shooter was an apparently disturbed local 20-year-old man who had no documented ties to the Biden administration, the federal government or any other opponents Trump has criticized.
Trump then used striking language to explain how he survived. “I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump said to applause.
Lying about wildfires
Trump’s lament about the state of the nation included disbelief that the fires around Los Angeles were still burning “without a token defense.”
That’s false. Firefighters have been battling the blazes since they erupted and have made significant progress. The Eaton fire is 87% contained, and the Palisades fire 59% contained, according to CalFire.
A peacemaker and a conqueror
Trump has vowed to stop foreign wars and celebrated his role in helping implement a ceasefire in Gaza. “A peacemaker and a unifier, that’s what I want to be,” Trump said.
Moments later he was vowing to regain the Panama Canal from Panama. “We’re taking it back!” Trump declared, having previously declined to rule out using military force.
He pledged to pursue policy that “expands our territory” and to put U.S. astronauts on Mars — a promise undoubtedly popular with Musk, a major Trump supporter who has long pursued the same goal.
That cuts to the heart of one of the many contradictions in Trump’s movement. The new president revels in a confrontational, macho approach that revved up his support among young men. His political career has been built on seeking conflict and tearing down rivals. Yet Trump has also positioned himself as someone who’ll end conflicts and usher in peace.
A range of reactions behind Trump
The Rotunda crowd was heavily tilted in Trump’s favor, most of those in attendance clapping and even roaring during his speech. But one prominent seating section — former presidents, first ladies and vice presidents — was largely muted.
After Trump repeated his vow to take over the Panama Canal, complete with the false claim that China runs the intercontinental channel, Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, among others, sat stone-faced, as did former President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who lost to Trump in 2016, turned to her left, musing something in former President George W. Bush’s direction. Bush, who famously joked about the weirdness of Trump’s first inaugural address, was smirking.
Less than two weeks ago, Trump was largely ignored at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. Trump chatted with former President Barack Obama, but the rest of the former presidents and their wives bypassed him without a greeting.
A different scene indoors
Inaugural speeches are traditionally delivered on the National Mall in front of tens of thousands of cheering supporters, many of them average voters from across America, who traveled great distance to witness history in person.
Not this one.
Trump delivered his speech in front of a crowd estimated at only around 600 in the Capitol Rotunda, which was limited to members of Congress, Cabinet nominees, Trump’s family, business leaders and political VIPs. In fact, a collection of tech titans, led by Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, were positioned in front of Cabinet members in some cases. And while the business leaders were allowed to bring their spouses, members of Congress were not. Thousands of his supporters watched a broadcast of the swearing-in at Capitol One Arena instead.
It’s noteworthy that four years ago, violent Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol Rotunda as members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence feared for their lives. Pence attended Monday, though his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, did not.
