5 takeaways from Trump's inauguration speech

Candy Woodall and Carson Swick, The Baltimore Sun on Jan 20, 2025

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President Donald Trump took office Monday as the nation’s 47th leader, portraying himself and his incoming administration as one that will immediately spring into action to take the country back.

With a series of promised executive orders — some of which were designed to undo the executive orders of former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama — Trump moved from the presidential oath to the first actions of his second term.

“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump said. “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.”

In a roughly 30-minute address from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, where the inauguration was moved due to frigid temperatures, he outlined his vision for the country and plans that will shape his presidency and legacy.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Trump’s inaugural address.

Trump pledges to restore trust in government

Trump began his speech with an optimistic tone while seeming to acknowledge that many Americans’ faith in government institutions has waned in recent years. He mentioned the federal response to hurricane victims in North Carolina last fall and the ongoing response to California wildfires as areas he saw trust broken.

“As we gather today, our government confronts a crisis of trust,” Trump said. “For many years, a radical establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens while the pillars of our society lay completely broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.”

This statement appears similar to former President Joe Biden’s warning of an “oligarchy” during last week’s farewell address.

Executive orders

Trump came out swinging with his promise to crack down on illegal immigration and crime, promising sweeping executive action right away.

The list of his priorities included sending military troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to address a surge of migrants, formally designating Mexican cartels supplying illegal drugs as terrorist organizations and invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to “eliminate” criminal gangs operating in the U.S.

Other executive orders Trump announced would declare a national energy emergency, and rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and Alaska’s Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, to Mount McKinley.

Outreach to the Black, Hispanic communities

Trump thanked the increasing number of Black and Hispanic voters who carried him to victory, vowing he “will not forget” their support.

According to Associated Press exit polls, Trump received support from about 16% of Black voters and 43% of Hispanics — both record numbers for Republican candidates in the modern era.

He recognized Monday as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and vowed to fight to “make his dream a reality,” referring to King’s famous “I Have a Dream…” speech in 1963.

Going to Mars

Trump said he will revitalize the American space program by sending astronauts to Mars.

“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the plant Mars.”

Trump ally Elon Musk could be seen smiling and giving a thumbs-up when Trump declared his intention to go to Mars.

Tech and media leaders as VIPs

It wasn’t just the American people Trump was addressing on Monday. He had some of the most powerful and influential leaders in VIP seats, including tech leaders like Musk and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, as well as Fox News magnate Rupert Murdoch and podcast host Joe Rogan, among others.

Additional supporters sat in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, which was set up as an overflow viewing room, and included artificial intelligence billionaires Sam Altman and Alexandr Wang, YouTube influencers and brothers Logan and Jake Paul, indicted New York Mayor Eric Adams, former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and more.

Wealthy tech leaders, such as Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, getting better seats than Cabinet nominees and elected lawmakers is unusual for inaugurations. However, many top business leaders have a long and deep history of lobbying presidents and members of Congress.

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