Donald J. Trump was sworn into office as the nation’s 47th President on Monday, Jan. 20, in Washington, D.C.
President Trump’s second inaugural address was held inside the Capitol Rotunda rather than outside, due to weather conditions. Last time this happened, was in 1985 when Ronald Reagan was being sworn in as the 40th president, according to apnews.com.
President Trump’s second inaugural speech was 2,885 words and lasted roughly 30 minutes. He spoke about how “the golden age of America begins right now.” It was around twice as long as his first inaugural address which was 1,433 words according to NPR.
During his addresses, several key points were made about his plans for the next four years. President Trump is declaring a “national emergency at [our] southern border,” with a goal to stop illegal immigration into America.
President Trump also claims to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America along with changing the name of Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, to Mount McKinley.
Another of his early decisions included pardoning roughly 1,500 people involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. This includes those who assaulted police officers and are convicted felons.
“At the time Trump issued the pardons, there were about 700 defendants who either never received prison sentences, or had already completed their sentences, meaning pardons or commutations would have little practical impact on them, beyond restoring voting rights and gun rights for those who were convicted of felonies,” according to NBC News.
Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg were in attendance sitting in front of President Trump’s cabinet, just behind his family. Alongside the three richest men in the world was fellow billionaire Sundar Pichai, head of Google.
According to the New York Times, “creating what might be a hierarchy of influence.” Also in attendance was TikTok CEO Shou Chew, seated in the back row.
On the campaign trail, Musk spent more than a quarter of billion dollars supporting President Trump in his reelection bid. Musk then made a speech after the inauguration, saying, “This is what victory feels like. And this was no ordinary victory,” according to Fox 7 News. During his speech, Musk performed a Roman salute twice. This gesture is closely associated with symbolism used in Nazi Germany.
