Trump takes energy in Washington, declaring “America’s decline is over”

Washington — President Trump took energy for one more 4 years on Monday, vowing to create a nation that’s “better, stronger, and way more distinctive than ever earlier than” as he heralded his return to the White Home. 

“The golden age of America begins proper now,” Mr. Trump started his 30-minute speech. “From this present day ahead, our nation will flourish and be revered once more all around the world.” 

Mr. Trump stated he’s “assured and optimistic” that the U.S. is “in the beginning of an exciting new period of nationwide success.” 

“From this second on, America’s decline is over,” he declared, reiterating an analogous theme from his 2017 speech, when he portrayed himself as the one one who might save the nation. 

He asserted that he not solely has a political mandate to hold out his agenda, but in addition a divine one, after he survived an assassination try months earlier than he received the election. 

“I felt then and believed much more so now that my life was saved for a purpose, I used to be saved by God to make America nice once more,” he stated. 

Mr. Trump painted a bleak image of the nation, saying he is that he is taking up a authorities dealing with “a disaster of belief,” including {that a} “radical and corrupt institution” has left the nation in “disrepair.” He stated the federal authorities can now not present primary providers and claimed that the state of affairs on the southern border is uncontrolled.  

He vowed to declare a nationwide emergency on the southern border in certainly one of his first acts in workplace, saying “all unlawful entry will instantly be halted.” He additionally stated he would start the method of deporting tens of millions of felony undocumented immigrants and ship troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, in addition to designating cartels as overseas terrorist organizations. 

Mr. Trump additionally outlined numerous different insurance policies, together with reinstating service members who have been “unjustly expelled” from the army for refusing vaccine necessities, renaming the Gulf of Mexico because the “Gulf of America” and saying that below his administration there might be solely “two genders.” 

The president moved the day’s actions indoors, citing the intense chilly, tremendously limiting the quantity of people that might attend his swearing-in ceremony. As a substitute of standing for hours within the chilly on the Nationwide Mall, his supporters watched the pomp and circumstance at Capital One Enviornment in downtown Washington, the place Mr. Trump later gave remarks and signed a flurry of govt actions to reverse Biden administration mandates and implement his personal insurance policies. 

Mr. Trump additionally teased that he can be signing pardons later Monday for these convicted for his or her roles within the assault on the Capitol in 2021.

One of many first actions the president took was signing was an order to fly flags at full-staff for presidential inaugurations. Biden had ordered flags to be lowered by way of the top of January out of respect for former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29 on the age of 100. The code says the U.S. flag needs to be flown at half-staff for 30 days from the demise of a president or former president in any respect federal authorities buildings and grounds. Home Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, ordered the flags to be flown at full-staff on the U.S. Capitol throughout Mr. Trump’s inauguration. Flags on the White Home have been raised Monday afternoon. 

Mr. Trump, who returns to workplace as a convicted felon, additionally invoked the authorized troubles he is confronted since leaving workplace throughout his inauguration speech. 

“By no means once more will the immense energy of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents — one thing I do know one thing about,” Mr. Trump stated. “We is not going to permit that to occur. It is not going to occur once more below my management. We’ll restore honest, equal and neutral justice below the constitutional rule of regulation.” 

Fearing that Mr. Trump would retaliate in opposition to his political enemies, former President Joe Biden issued numerous pardons throughout his final hours in workplace, together with these related to the investigation into the Capitol riot in addition to his family members. 

Mr. Trump took the oath of workplace in a uncommon indoor ceremony within the Capitol in the identical room the place a violent mob of his supporters stormed by way of 4 years earlier to dam Congress from certifying Biden’s election victory. 

Sporting a navy swimsuit and purple tie, Mr. Trump took the oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts at 12:01 p.m. Mr. Trump was accompanied by his spouse, Melania, who wore a protracted navy coat and matching hat, in addition to his 5 youngsters, Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka, Tiffany and Barron. 

The ceremony was additionally attended by Mr. Trump’s predecessors, a practice the president defied in 2021 as he falsely claimed the election was stolen from him. Former first girl Michelle Obama was absent — her workplace had stated forward of the inauguration that she wouldn’t attend. Earlier within the day, Mr. Trump and his spouse had tea on the White Home with the outgoing president and first girl, one other custom the Trumps didn’t observe when Biden succeeded him in 2021. 

Shortly after 1 p.m., Mr. Trump and the primary girl stood alongside the Bidens on the east facet of the U.S. Capitol. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, stated their goodbyes and have been ushered away in a black SUV. 

Biden and his spouse boarded the presidential helicopter, which flew them out of Washington to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. 

“We heard the handle at the moment,” Biden informed staffers who gathered on the army base earlier than he jetted off to California. “We’ve got much more to do.”