The 2025 Inauguration

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." These are words that have been spoken by every president since 1884 as this is the oath of office for the President of the United States. On January 20th, Donald Trump once again took this oath as he was sworn into the office of President of the United States. This was a historic inauguration from the beginning as while inaugurations are normally held outside in our nation’s capital, a few days before the inauguration, it was announced that “due to cold temperatures” the ceremony was to be moved inside the Capitol Rotunda. 

The inaugural proceedings began early in the morning of the 20th as President-Elect Trump and incoming First Lady Melania Trump met with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Following their arrival, Vice President-Elect JD Vance and incoming Second Lady Usha Vance met with Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. While the two couples were meeting, the star-studded guest list began to arrive at the Capital for the inauguration. Due to being moved indoors only roughly 800 guests would be able to attend the physical inauguration. Notable Guests at the event were Former Presidents: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George Bush, and Bill Clinton alongside former Vice Presidents: Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, and Dan Quayle. Some notable non-political guests included Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Dana White, Jeff Bezos, and Sundar Pichai. The presence of influential non-political figures reflected the growing acknowledgment of technology’s and social media’s role in shaping the future of politics. Absent from the inauguration included a number of Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen, Former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Former Second Lady Karen Pence. Mrs. Pence reportedly is still upset with Trump’s involvement in the January 6th Capitol Protest of 2021 in which individuals shouted for her husband Mike Pence to be hanged for certifying the electoral votes.

Once Trump was sworn in, he gave a speech as is customary by all presidents. A common theme from Trump throughout his speech was that "The golden age of America begins right now." Trump expressed that we would be in this “golden age” due to sweeping economic, political, and immigration reforms he planned to make in office. On immigration, Trump announced that he would declare a national emergency due to the immigration crisis in the country. He also announced that he would reinstate the "Remain in Mexico" policy that he put in place during his first term and end catch-and-release policies. Politically, Trump announced that he would work on making sweeping cuts to the government and destroying federal DEI initiatives put in place by the Biden-Harris Administration. 

The next four years are certainly going to be interesting, do you think this is the next golden age or the next gilded age? Only time will tell.