Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on Jan. 20, marking his second non-consecutive term. The ceremony initially planned for the West Front of the U.S. Capitol was moved inside the Capitol Rotunda due to unusually cold weather in Washington D.C.
During his inaugural address, Trump declared that “the golden age of America begins right now,” emphasizing a commitment to “put America first.”
“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” Trump said. “We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.”
Sophomore Sophia Rivera watched the inauguration at home and didn’t like the tone of the inauguration speech, describing it as “closed off.”
“Other inauguration speeches were more moderate given that they [incoming presidents] are speaking to the United States, not their party; this one felt more like it was geared towards the right side,” Rivera said.
While Trump talked about broken government systems, an end to environmental mandates, and a renewed pride in the strength of the U.S. his statements about immigration stood out.
The president spoke of plans for a number of executive orders, including: declaring a state of emergency at the southern U.S. border, attempting to end birthright citizenship, and proposing to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Senior Thomas Kovarik shared his reaction to the inauguration: “I thought the executive orders he wanted to make were crazy, especially the one about deportation,” Kovarik said. “It seems pretty drastic and harmful to the Mexican-American community.”
The deportation executive order was signed that same day and gave the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency greater ability to conduct enforcement actions in sensitive areas, expand the pool of undocumented immigrants subject to fast-track deportation, and attempt to end birthright citizenship.
The birthright citizenship change has received pushback from constitutional experts and Democratic-led states and cities.
Freshman Izzy Middlelbrook expressed concern about the issue: “It’s in our constitution, and there are already 18 states challenging, and I think that’s really good.”
After the initial filing, four more states filed a similar suit later in the day, bringing the total to 22.
Aside from immigration policy, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America also stuck out, especially to Rivera.
“[The change] just felt like a really big moment towards something that doesn’t do much for… everyday lives… doesn’t seem to help anything,” Rivera said.
The announcement of policies and executive orders was viewed nationwide, and at the start of the inauguration, it was broadcast to an audience of 24.6 million viewers. It was also attended by former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, along with tech billionaires including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
The billionaire attendees made sense to Izzy Middlebrook as she believes it represented a contradiction in his campaign.
“I think that it made sense that… they were there because his policies are there to help the upper class… even though he is supposed to be a representation of the working class,” Middlebrook said.
The direct nature of the speech showed American citizens what Trump’s plan is: “I feel like I better understand the presidency and Trump’s goals in office,” Kovarik said.
This inauguration marks the start of a new presidency and a drastic change in administration. To the viewers of the event, it sets the tone for the next four years.
This story was updated 1/27 at 9 p.m. to clarify the various topics addressed in the speech and reflect the addition of four more states not mentioned in the quote that filed lawsuits.
