Donald Trump Inaugurated as US 47th President

“WE’RE AWAKE and ready to go!” were the words of South Carolina’s Senator, Lindsey Graham, during the swearing-in of America’s 47th President, Donald J. Trump, yesterday, Monday, January 20, 2025.

On Inauguration Day, Donald Trump announced several executive actions he planned to take right after his swearing in. After the Inauguration, Trump signed several of these executive orders in front of the huge crowds that turned up in Washington for the ceremony which was held indoors due to freezing weather.

The withdrawal of the United from the Paris Climate Accord, was among the early casualties; and a letter to the United Nations, informing of the US government’s decision was also ordered in the early flurry of executive orders.

Trump was poised to sign several more executive orders on his return to the White House later on Monday.

Among these include declaring a national emergency at the U.S/ Mexico border; starting construction on the border wall again; ending Federal Diversity programmes; and changing policies on birthright citizenship.

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution defining birthright citizenship, states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States”.

Some Democrats and legal groups have promised to fight any attempt by Trump to alter this amendment.

Trump stated: “We have a record-setting number of documents that I’ll be signing right after this speech. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It’s all about common sense”.

Part of his plan involves changing immigration policies, which includes reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy; the mass deportation of ‘illegal immigrants’; and the granting of pardons to persons who were convicted of the January 6, 2020 insurrection during the swearing in of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the USA.

At a rally on Sunday before his inauguration, Trump declared, “By the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, the invasion of our borders will have come to a halt, and all illegal border trespassers will, in some form or another, be on their way back home”.

On Inauguration Day, Trump also spoke of his intentions to eliminate diversity initiatives, promising to stop Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes, and to only recognise two genders on government documents. He also declared intentions to end taxpayer funding for gender-transition healthcare. Trump said with his return to the White House, the USA “will be the envy of every nation”, and America will be first in his dealings with other nations. Trump was elected as the 45th President of the USA in 2016, but was defeated by Joseph Biden in in the 2020 presidential election.

In the last hours of his presidency, Biden issued a series of pardons to protect individuals he believed would face unfair criminal prosecution from Trump. Those pardoned included former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Mark Milley; the COVID-19 czar,Dr.

Anthony Fauci; members of the January 6 investigation committee; and several Washington D.C. police officers; as well as family members, including his two brothers and sister. Biden emphasised that these pardons were not admissions of wrongdoing and pointed out the negative effects of political investigations on people’s lives. Many of the recipients expressed their gratitude for the pardons.

After the inauguration, Donald and Melania Trump attended the First Honours Ceremony at Emancipation Hall, a change from the traditional Troops Review that usually happens on the steps of the Capitol. This change was made due to bad weather.

(Sources:NBC News,ABC News,CNN)