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US President Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in as the 47th President in the US Capitol on January 20, 2025 [Credit: BBC]
The newly sworn-in 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has promised to make security and economic reforms on his return to the White House.
The swearing-in ceremony took place indoors at the US Capitol, a departure from tradition due to extremely cold weather conditions.
From his remarks on God’s intervention to ‘Making America Great Again’ to talks on liberation and improved national security, Trump promised in his inaugural address to put the US back to its rightful place as the “greatest” nation on earth.
He was sworn in alongside Vice President, J.D Vance.
Appreciating the black, Hispanic communities
Trump expressed gratitude to the black and Hispanic communities in the US for “the tremendous outpouring of love and trust.”
“I heard your voices in the campaign and I look forward to working with you,” he says.
He added that today, being January 20–is Martin Luther King Day in the country, saying, “We will strive to make his dream a reality.
“January 20th 2025 is liberation day. It’s my hope that the recent election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential in the history of our country.”
Prosperity for every race
The newly elected president stated that his administration would work to meet every crisis with “dignity, power and strength” and “bring back prosperity for citizens of every race, religion, colour and creed.”
Trump stated that executive orders would be “designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organisations,” adding that by invoking the “Aliens Enemies Act of 1798,” he would direct the government to use the “full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement” to end “foreign gangs on US soil,” BBC reports.
“I stand before you as proof that you should never believe something is impossible to do. In America, doing the impossible is what we do best. We will not fail. From this day on, the United States of America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation.
“The future is ours, and our golden age has just begun,” Trump added.
Peacemaker and a unifier
Trump vowed to build the “strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end and, perhaps most importantly, the wars that we never get into.”
He says he wants to be a “peacemaker and a unifier,” adding that “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth. America will be a manufacturing nation once again.”
He stressed that the US sits on “the most oil and natural gas of any nation on earth, and we’re going to use it.”
“Drill baby drill,” he says to applause.
Only two genders will be recognised
Amidst the surge in the LGBTQ community in the US, Trump disclosed, “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States Government that there are only two genders, male and female.”
He noted that this move would end “the government’s policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.
“We will forge a society that is colour-blind and merit-based.”
Ahead of his inauguration, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin hit a record high above $109,000 as Trump had signalled plans to deregulate the cryptocurrency sector, before falling back to $107,765 at around 0740 GMT.
On January 16, 2025, Trump unveiled his official photo as the 47th US president — an image that bears a striking resemblance to his viral 2023 mug shot.
In the new photo, the new commander-in-chief is leaning slightly forward and looking defiantly at the camera, an eyebrow furrowed and lips sealed — a pose which drew comparisons with the picture taken of him in an Atlanta prison as he was facing charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump’s inauguration today marks his return to the Oval Office after serving as the 45th President from 2017 to 2021.
The 78-year-old Republican surpassed the 270 electoral votes required to reclaim the presidency after beating his Democratic rival, former Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 2024 presidential election.
He replaces Joe Biden after losing to the outgone president in 2020.
