AP
The inauguration of the 47th President of the United States was to be held, as befits a society raised on images of Marvel comic book heroes, in the theatrical splendor of late imperial Rome. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies had printed 220,000 tickets. But an uncooperative force of nature intervened.
As a gesture of goodwill and fatherly concern (every U.S. president wants to be seen as the «father of the nation»), the 78-year-old Trump, citing predictions of the coldest weather ever recorded on Inauguration Day (minus 12°C was expected), called on his supporters to stay home… so that no one would catch a cold.
The ceremony itself was not held outdoors on the Capitol steps, but inside the Rotunda, under the Capitol dome, before no more than 600 privileged guests.
Inevitably, suspicions arose that Trump chose the Rotunda for security reasons, not fully trusting the Secret Service charged with protecting his life. After all, law enforcement agencies were on high alert after the newly elected president promised to conduct a sweeping purge of their ranks to root out hidden enemies.
In ancient Rome, soothsayers (augurs) predicted the future by observing the flight of birds. Today, they could predict the direction of U.S. foreign policy by examining the list of distinguished guests at the inauguration.
That list did not include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, but it did include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; it did not include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but Reform Party leader Nigel Farage was there, smiling broadly; it did not include the «little French emperor» Emmanuel Macron, but the eccentric Argentine president Javier Milei stood out in the crowd.
There was also the ritual event: a tea party with Joe Biden and his wife as a gesture of reconciliation and a symbol of the seamless, peaceful transfer of power. Then Trump gave his keynote address.
On the eve of the ceremony, when asked about the focus of his manifesto, Trump replied that it would be centered on three key concepts: Unity, Strength, Fairness. There is nothing new under the Washington sun: every new leader, against whom the rival electorate has voted, promises to consider the views of the opponents in the name of the «unity» of the nation.
Several passages in this «message to the city and the world» clearly outlined Trump’s priorities. Predictably, he proclaimed that with his return to the White House, «America’s decline is over». Among the policies and intentions he announced, the following stand out (brief comments in parentheses):
- «I am declaring a state of emergency on the border with Mexico. We are beginning the process of sending millions and millions of criminals back to where they came from». (read: mass deportations are coming!)
- «I am declaring the drug cartels to be terrorist organizations». (it remains unclear what practical steps will follow)
- «I will sign an executive order to immediately end all government censorship and restore freedom of speech in America». (declarative and vague)
- «I will declare a state of emergency in the U.S. energy sector to stimulate the extraction of energy resources». (Oil and gas companies become the darlings of the real economy, serving as engines of growth)
- «The U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement». (this amounts to a funeral dirge for the «green agenda»)
- «We will reclaim the Panama Canal». (how exactly will the takeover of another nation’s territory be carried out?)
In an extravagant promise clearly inspired by Elon Musk, Trump declared: «We’re going to plant the American flag on the planet Mars». In the same hyper-patriotic style of «Make America Great Again» and in his typical manner of self-congratulation, Trump announced that the American people «stand on the threshold of the four greatest years in history».
True to the principle of «getting down to business», Trump signed his first directives (executive orders) in a special presidential room in the Capitol.
One of the biggest intrigues leading up to the inauguration was Trump’s promise to «declassify documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King», as well as the high-tech operation to destroy the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 — allegedly carried out by the semi-literate fanatic Osama bin Laden.
Senator Aleksey Pushkov believes that «the publication of these files, if it goes ahead, will in itself be a powerful blow to the ‘deep state’ in the U.S. and could overturn the beliefs of tens of millions of Americans about their own country».
Strictly following the plan, before taking the oath of office, singer Carrie Underwood — accompanied by the Armed Forces Choir and the Naval Academy Choir — sang «America the Beautiful». For neoliberals who reject the basic pillars of national unity, the lines praising the pilgrims who first set foot on this land must have been jarring. Equally jarring, no doubt, was the mention of the Christian God who «shed his grace» so that the pursuit of «selfish gain no longer stains the banner of the free!»
At his first inauguration in 2017, Donald and Melania Trump danced to Frank Sinatra’s «My Way». The repeat «coronation» was no exception. «My Way», adapted from the original 1967 French hit «Comme d’habitude» («As Usual»), carries deep meaning. Its final line declares: «The record shows I took the blows and did it my way».
Donald Trump, as a seasoned reality showman and PR expert, seems to embrace the message of this reflective song about a man summing up his life (in this case, an interim reckoning). We have to admit: Trump really does do everything «his way».
In the Soviet era, for those who remember, particularly deserving individuals who twice earned the title of Hero of Socialist Labor were given special honors, including a bronze bust in their hometown. One might think that the local authorities in New York’s Queens, where Donald Trump was born — the grandson of German immigrants (his grandfather’s name was Friedrich Trump) — would commemorate their famous native son in metal.
You could suggest it, but it would be pointless, because in New York the Democrats control the levers of power, and they are unlikely to «add insult to injury», as the popular saying goes.
It is quite possible that ardent Trump supporters want to commemorate the arrival of someone they see as a secular messiah. One telling display reads, «America is back. January 20, 2025». Where exactly is America back under Donald Trump? We’re about to find out.