For Donald Trump and the United States, what a difference four years makes. Four years ago, Trump was the outgoing president threatening not to leave office due to his false claims of a rigged election. He and his minions tried to change votes, intimidate election workers, and select a slate of electors who would allow him to remain in the White House. When those things failed, he launched an insurrection to try and stop the Senate from ratifying the election, including threats to his own Vice President and others in Congress.
The result: After much heroism from the Capital and DC police departments, order was restored, and Joe Biden was ratified as our 46th president.
From Then to Now
In the aftermath of the failed revolt, 140 people went to the hospital (mostly law enforcement officials), and eight people lost their lives. It was the first invasion of the Capitol Building since the British burned it in 1814. Fast forward to today, and Trump has received his full vengeance as the once-scorned king returns. He took the oath of office today in the Capitol Rotunda due to the harsh Washington weather.
Only 600 people were allowed seating in the Rotunda. Most of these spots were reserved for the families and senators. However, seated behind the Trump family and ahead of our U.S. Senators were several corporate giants and media celebrities who had been doing their utmost to curry favor with Trump since the election. This group included:
- Meta CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
- Google CEO; Sundar Pichai
- X, Space X, Tesla Owner and first friend: Elon Musk (complete with a Nazi-like salute to Trump)
- Amazon CEO: Jeff Bezos
- Co-founder of Turning Point USA: Charlie Kirk
- Conservative Commentator: Tucker Carlson
- Right Wing Podcaster: Joe Rogan
- News Corp Owner: Rupert Murdoch
Several of these men were recent converts to the Trump Train, salivating at the thought of larger tax cuts for the wealthy and further deregulation of their industries.
Trump’s Inaugural Speech Devisive
Trump’s inaugural speech was not, nor was it intended as, a conciliatory speech aimed at healing a torn country. He started with his pledge to declare a national emergency at the southern border. This initiative seeks to fast-track the construction of a border wall, end birthright citizenship, and pause refugee resettlement programs. The fact that many of these actions are outside the authority of executive privilege did not seem to bother Trump a bit.
He also talked about his foolish bid to take back the Panama Canal and rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. He spared his audience some of his other delusions of grandeur, such as annexing Greenland or declaring Canada the 51st state. He also went to great lengths to criticize the Biden administration for its policies on the southern border, federal disaster aid, and LGBTQ+ and transgender rights. Here again, Mr. Trump did not let facts stand in the way of his outrageous claims.
Flurry of Executive Actions
Trump promised and delivered a slew of executive actions on his first day as promised. These included the start of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords, the U.S.’s exit from the World Health Organization, pardoning nearly all of the January 6 protesters, orders to open up drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, preventing government censorship of free speech, revoking a Biden administration order that allowed members of the transgender community to serve in the military, and several others that not only demonstrated the potential length of his powers but to wipe out much of the progress made in these areas during the Biden administration.
One Under the Radar
Trump is expected to reinstate a controversial policy shortly after taking office that would bar foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform, counsel on, or provide information on abortions abroad from receiving U.S. funding. Proponents say the policy prevents U.S. taxpayer funds from being spent on abortions. But opponents stress that the Helms Amendment already protects taxpayer funds from being used on abortions abroad. They argue the global gag rule imposes restrictions, diminishing the effectiveness of global health programs.
“It’s like putting a brand-new red sock into a white load of laundry, it taints everything that’s around it,” said Rachel Clement, senior director of U.S. government strategy at the Population Action International, a nongovernmental organization that works to increase global access to family planning and reproductive care.
The U.S. does not fund abortions overseas. However, nongovernmental organizations that perform and provide counseling on or information on abortions are eligible to receive funding from the U.S. if they use separate funds to pay for abortion-related work.
