President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration for his second presidential term as the 47 president of the United States took place on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.. He is the second president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first evicted felon to hold office. Vice President JD Vance was sworn in shortly before Trump, becoming one of the youngest vice presidents in history at 40 years old. The ceremony consisted of the traditional inaugural customs including a farewell to the former president, an inaugural address or speech and the president’s signing ceremony.
After the swearing-in, Trump delivered a speech reminiscent of his first inaugural address, pledging to impose stricter border laws and immigration measures. He also promised that the U.S. would enter a “golden age” during his administration and that he would save the nation from a downfall caused by the previous administration.
Additionally, Trump used his speech time to speak about all the executive orders he plans to take. Regarding immigration, he said he would declare a “national emergency” at the southern border, which would pause immigration and deport “criminal immigrants.” Trump has also declared that he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Following the inauguration speech, the signing ceremony took place, where Trump signed many executive orders, actions, proclamations and legislations. He pardoned 1,500 people who were part of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Besides this, he also signed orders related to illegal border crossings and immigration. He ordered the continuation of the border wall construction, temporarily suspended refugee resettlement from certain countries for at least four months and restarted the “Remain in Mexico” policy from his first term.
Continuing the orders, he also signed an executive order to bring an end to birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented parents. Additionally, regarding energy, Trump is in favor of fossil fuel usage. He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, an international climate pact aiming to mitigate global warming.
