“America's Golden Age Begins Now,” Donald Trump claimed at the start of his inauguration speech under the Capitol Rotunda.
It's the kind of optimistic, lofty ambition that new presidents traditionally pepper their inauguration speeches.
This time, it appeared Trump would follow suit, in a welcome contrast to the somber and exaggerated “American carnage” theme of his first inauguration speech eight years ago.
But Trump soon descended from this high line into the partisan weeds, where he feels more at home — and his speech became more of a State of the Union than an inaugural, as he listed the country's shortcomings and insisted that only he could put them right.
And it didn't stop there with the withdrawal of lofty themes and unifying feelings.
By the time Trump got going, he had even ditched State of the Union mode for the form of a signature stump speech in which he belted out all of his biggest hits from the 2024 campaign.
There was a huge overlap between his inaugural address and his remarks at a Republican rally the night before. This made Monday's speech too petty and partisan, given the grandeur of the ceremony and the bipartisan nature of the event.
It was also far from friendly, as Trump criticized President Biden's record without mentioning him by name.
“America's Golden Age Begins Now,” Donald Trump claimed at the start of his inauguration speech under the Capitol Rotunda.
In fact, by the time Trump (pictured with Melania) got going, he had ditched State of the Union mode for the form of a signature stump speech in which he belted out all of his biggest hits from the 2024 campaign.
It was also far from friendly, as Trump criticized President Biden's record without mentioning him by name.
Great for the campaign trail. But Biden leaves office, ending his long, unremarkable career with a failed flush, irrelevant for the next four years. He should have been able to enjoy his last minutes as president with some dignity instead of having to endure the litany of misery that Trump placed at Biden's feet.
Trump is clearly impatient to get started in government, which is not surprising given the scale of his ambition to bring about radical change across the field.
As he worked through the familiar “to do” list—everything from “taking back” the Panama Canal to closing the border with Mexico and “drill, baby, drill”—it was almost as if he was signing the executive orders as he went along .
It suddenly dawned on me: behind the bombast and exaggeration, Trump is an old man in a hurry. At 78, he is the oldest person ever sworn in as president – five months older than even Biden when he took office in 2021.
He realizes he has only two years to make his mark — because who knows what the 2026 midterm elections will do to the House and Senate. Hence the blizzard of executive orders already coming out of the White House, even though Trump has barely had time to take a seat behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.
Much of what Trump is proposing has the potential to cause unrest at home and chaos among America's allies. The mass deportation of illegal immigrants, the destruction of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) culture, and the elimination of all climate change goals will be met with fierce domestic resistance — though the entire Republican base will rally behind the support.
Aggressive imperialism toward Panama and Greenland, ordering military attacks on the cartels in Mexico (which Trump could do if they were labeled terrorists), or forcing Ukraine into a “loser settlement” with Russia would all cause uproar – or worse – among America's most important allies.
But as fraught as Trump's future may be, what was most striking about his inaugural address was his emphasis on the fact that America's best days still lie ahead. Settling for a friendly decline is not an option for the United States. That it really can be a new Golden Age for America.
Trump (pictured with Vance) is clearly impatient to get started in government, which is not surprising given the scale of his ambition to bring about radical change across the field.
The contrast with Europe is stark, where the three largest economies and military powers – Germany, Britain and France – are mired in stagnation, no one has much confidence in the future and the debate among political elites is essentially about controlling the decline.
There are times when Trump's self-adoration can be too much. His claim in his inauguration speech that God saved him from that would-be murderer in a Pennsylvania field last summer so he could make America great again was one of those teeth-grinding moments.
But his essential optimism about America is a great asset – and a guiding light. It makes him unique among the great democratic leaders.
That optimism will be justified if he can focus relentlessly on being the transformative president the country needs.
These will be turbulent times under Trump. But they are also beneficial for radical change.
The Trump Rollercoaster 2.0 has begun. We're about to go on a scary ride. Hold on tight. There's a destination on the horizon that could be well worth the trip.
