Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, during a historic ceremony held inside the Capitol Rotunda due to adverse weather conditions.
In his inaugural address, Trump outlined a bold agenda for his administration, touching on issues of gender, race, border control, economic reforms, and energy policies.
Trump asserted that his administration would recognise only two genders—male and female—effectively dismissing identities such as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer.
“This week, I will end the government policy of engineering race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. Henceforth, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” Trump declared.
Trump unveiled plans to overhaul the trade system, introducing an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs from foreign countries, promising to shift the economic burden away from U.S. taxpayers.
“I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump stated.
The president vowed to make America a “manufacturing nation” again by leveraging the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.
“America will be a manufacturing nation once again. We will use our liquid gold—oil and gas—to bring prices down, fill our reserves, and export energy worldwide. We will end the Green New Deal and revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry,” he said.
On border control, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and announced measures to combat illegal immigration.
“All illegal entry will be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions of criminal aliens. The Remain in Mexico policy will be reinstated, and catch-and-release practices will end. Troops will secure our borders to repel this invasion,” he announced.
Trump also pledged to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to combat criminal networks.
The president announced the formation of a Department of Government Efficiency and outlined measures to tackle inflation and high costs. He also promised an aggressive crackdown on crime, leveraging federal and state resources to eliminate gang activity.
“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions,” Trump said.
Trump referred to an assassination attempt during his campaign, framing his survival as a divine sign of his purpose to “make America great again.”
He also criticized the nation’s healthcare and education systems, promising significant reforms to address inadequacies exposed by recent natural disasters.
The event, attended by lawmakers, distinguished guests, and family members, marked the beginning of Trump’s second term. Vice President JD Vance was also sworn in, taking the oath of office in a ceremony presided over by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Earlier in the day, Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump met with outgoing President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, continuing the tradition of a handover meeting between administrations.
At a pre-inauguration rally, Trump addressed supporters, promising to pardon January 6 defendants and issuing executive orders on his first day in office.
Despite freezing temperatures, the ceremony proceeded with Trump expressing confidence in his administration’s vision and America’s future
(PUNCH)