Donald Trump pledged to rescue America from what he described as years of betrayal and decline in his inaugural address on Monday (January 20), prioritizing a crackdown on illegal immigration and portraying himself as a national savior chosen by God, Reuters reports.
The speech echoed many of the themes he sounded at his first inauguration in 2017 when he spoke darkly of the "American carnage" of crime and job loss that he said had ravaged the country.
“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first,” Trump said.
“Or more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense. They’re raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don't have a home any longer. That's interesting. But we can't let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That's going to change,” US President stated.
Trump, 78, took the oath of office to "preserve, protect and defend" the U.S. Constitution at 12:01 p.m. ET (1701 GMT) inside the U.S. Capitol, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. His vice president, JD Vance, was sworn in just before him.
