Trump returns: Sworn in as 47th US President with bold agenda to reshape America

Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday for a historic second term as President of the United States, vowing to implement a flurry of executive orders targeting immigration and US cultural issues, marking the culmination of his remarkable political comeback.

With one hand raised and the other placed on a Bible gifted by his mother, the 47th president solemnly took the oath of office beneath the iconic Rotunda of the US Capitol. In a rare display of bipartisan tradition, outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden accompanied Trump to the Capitol by motorcade.

The ceremony was held indoors, marking the first time in decades due to freezing weather, and was attended by a much smaller crowd than usual. Before the event, Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted Trump and his wife, Melania, at the White House for the customary tea. “Welcome home,” Biden said as he greeted his successor at the entrance to the presidential residence.

Trump, now 78, arrived at this inauguration as a seasoned political figure, a stark contrast to his outsider status during his first swearing-in as the 45th president in 2017. This time, he was surrounded by America’s elite, including tech moguls Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Sundar Pichai, all of whom held prominent seats alongside Trump’s family and cabinet members. Elon Musk, who contributed a substantial $250 million to Trump’s campaign and openly supports far-right policies on his X platform (formerly Twitter), is expected to spearhead cost-cutting measures within the new administration.

While Trump famously declined to attend Biden’s 2021 inauguration, citing baseless claims of electoral fraud, Biden was determined to uphold tradition. He was joined at the Capitol by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, alongside former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.

However, Michelle Obama deliberately abstained from attending. Breaking with protocol, foreign leaders—typically absent from US inaugurations—were present, including Argentina’s hard-right president Javier Milei and Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The frigid weather necessitated the rare move of holding the inauguration indoors, a decision last seen during Ronald Reagan’s second term in 1985. As a result, the customary throngs of spectators on the National Mall were absent. Following the pomp and pageantry, Trump wasted no time in setting his nationalist, right-wing agenda into motion.

He is poised to sign around 100 executive orders aimed at dismantling Biden’s policies. Among the first of these actions will be declaring a national emergency at the Mexico border, assigning the US military a greater role in border enforcement, and ending birthright citizenship.

Trump’s administration has also pledged to initiate swift deportations of undocumented migrants. Further orders include defining government recognition of only two biological sexes and eliminating federal diversity programmes. These measures reflect Trump’s commitment to what he describes as restoring traditional American values.

On the eve of his inauguration, Trump addressed supporters at a rally, promising a “brand new day” for the country and pledging to reverse “four years of American decline.” “I will act with historic speed and strength to fix every single crisis facing our country,” he declared, before capping the night by dancing to the Village People’s hit song YMCA.

Trump’s return to the presidency signals a controversial and polarising new chapter in American politics, with sweeping changes already on the horizon.