Every four years on January 20, the U.S. greets a new president with a festive day in the capital. This year, President Donald Trump took his oath as president in an elegant ceremony while political officials and the then-president-elect’s family looked on. Notably, President Barack Obama’s wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, opted not to attend.
The inauguration ceremony remains a time-honored tradition, symbolizing the peaceful transition of power which the U.S. prizes as a pillar of democracy. This Monday, which shared its date with Martin Luther King Jr. day, left Americans holding their breaths considering the insurrectionist events that preceded the country’s last inauguration, though Trump has now issued pardons for those insurrectionists. With Trump’s second entrance into the White House and the country’s 60th swear-in, his supporters celebrated their hopes for the next four years and performers, including Carrie Underwood and Village People, encouraged this celebration despite certain technical difficulties.
“I think that the thing that might set things apart is the historical anomaly of having a president serve two terms non-sequentially. That has only happened one other time in our history. Beyond that, I think the things that make this presidency potentially unusual will be policy-related, politically related and related to other branches of government’s relationship to the presidency; not about the ceremony itself but how the office’s power is used. Mr. Trump has been pretty clear about many of his policies ahead of time. He spoke quite frequently on the campaign trail about many of his goals in regard to trade and immigration. I am generally speaking of the opinion that one should expect politicians to do what they say they will do for both good or ill,” Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government teacher Carolyn Galloway said.
Following the entrance of the presidents and vice presidents as well as each individual’s spouses, church leaders led the room in prayer. Vice President JD Vance took his oath of office shortly after while his family stood alongside him. Trump followed his second in command, taking his oath in front of, but not on, the same Bible he used eight years prior, as well as a family Bible.
Americans expect the next few years to reflect Trump’s last presidency, characterized by increased attention to the U.S.-Mexico border and an emphasis on tax policy. Left-leaning Americans and those who do not favor the new president worry about his power’s concentration considering the conservative majorities in Congress and the Supreme Court. This concern grew in light of President Biden’s warning January 17 about a growing risk of oligarchy in the U.S. federal government.
“I worry about my reproductive rights. I worry about what this country is going to turn into. I worry about the message we are sending to the world as a supposed world power — that we would rather put a criminal in charge than elect a woman to be president,” junior Caitlin Heeralal said.
In his inaugural address, Trump assured his supporters of America’s incoming prosperity, describing the future as an American “Golden Age” while he laid out plans for his term. He described the previous administration in a negative light, assuring his listeners that he would improve other countries’ perspectives on the U.S., tighten border controls, decrease clean energy usage and continue his long stream of executive orders. The last of these promises proved consistent with his actions later in the day, including the dozens of executive orders he signed such as his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. He mentioned government steps back from censorship and increased space exploration, though the first struck certain groups poorly considering the president’s party’s work toward book bannings.
As the inauguration’s official festivities continued, Americans hoped for unity despite the political division associated with the day. Overall, democracy will continue to take its course and the checks and balances introduced by the U.S. Constitution must continue to function as they have worked for over 200 years.