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4 hours ago
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On the surface, Donald Trump’s inauguration looked like the usual transfer of power, with political rivals exchanging polite applause. This was a facade. Mr Trump’s address feigned conciliation but was, in reality, a rightwing call to arms against his enemies, rejecting the unity the ceremony represents. Mr Trump presented a grim picture of a country on its knees that only he can revitalise. He declared not one but two national emergencies, pledging to return “millions of criminal aliens” and “drill, baby, drill” for the “liquid gold under our feet”. His alarming call to “take back” the Panama Canal from China hints at ambitions to reshape the global order, potentially through force.
A flurry of Trumpian executive orders will accelerate the climate emergency, defy the US constitution over birthright citizenship and reduce the scope of legal protections. Forget the stirring rhetoric of Kennedy; Trump’s message was blunt: enemies at home and abroad, beware. Where Roosevelt once inspired hope, Mr Trump offered fear.
Mr Trump attempted to cast himself as a visionary heralding a transformative US era. His speech shouldn’t fool anyone. He began with grandiose rhetoric – that “the golden age of America begins right now” – and ended with the characteristic hyperbole that his fellow citizens were “on the verge of the four greatest years in American history”. Mr Trump is a vain showman. His last spell in power revealed him to be a politician who cloaked a fragile ego in bullying and dragged American democracy to the edge.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for Mr Trump, who returns to the White House as 47th president. He has defied being impeached twice, a criminal conviction and even an assassination attempt. His rhetoric about reclaiming national greatness taps into frustration felt by some with their lot. Due to the cold weather, Mr Trump’s address took place inside the US Capitol’s rotunda, rather than outside the building. He recognises the power of pictures. He wanted a rally in front of devoted fans to be the defining image of the day – not the billionaires, technology executives and oligarchs who sat before him during his address.
The populist pose masks an unabashed oligarchic takeover. Mr Trump has duped ordinary voters into believing he’s their champion while framing Democrats as out-of-touch elitists. Yet his conflicts of interest are staggering. At the weekend, Mr Trump made billions through a branded crypto token, a windfall tied to regulatory decisions he controls. It should matter that his disinformation strategy sows division and erodes trust, replacing facts with identity-based politics that demand absolute loyalty.
Mr Trump’s Maga movement isn’t unique. But he arguably is. His narcissism, craving for flattery, disdain for critics and readiness to wield government power for personal gain and revenge set him apart, making him a rare figure unlikely to be replicated in US politics anytime soon. The 2024 election highlighted the razor-thin US political divide, with Republicans securing power by a narrow margin – underscoring a deeply fractured electorate.
The depth of division is such that Joe Biden, in a dramatic final act, wielded his pardon powers to shield members of his family, and a number of current and former public servants, from Mr Trump’s retribution. A pillar of the rule of law is trust in the institutions, rather than individuals, to mete out justice. America, be warned: abandoning these norms risks dismantling the foundations of democracy itself.
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