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Your guide to what the 2024 US elections mean for Washington and the world
Donald Trump has promised a “golden age of America”, using his inaugural address to unveil sweeping measures aimed at undoing Joe Biden’s policies and reversing a “crisis of confidence” that he said had engulfed the government.
The new president announced aggressive new measures to boost energy production and curb immigration, while pledging to quickly implement the populist and nationalist agenda that carried him to victory in the race for the White House last year.
Hours after his speech, Trump reversed dozens of Biden executive orders covering everything from promoting racial equity and punishing extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank to strengthening Medicaid and promoting access to the vote.
In his inaugural address, Trump spoke of his return to the White House as both a personal vindication, after two assassination attempts, and as a mission to radically overhaul domestic and foreign policy.
“I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said in a speech that echoed his dystopian description of “American carnage” during his first inaugural address in 2017.
“For many years, a radical and corrupt power snatched power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society were broken and seemingly completely in ruins,” he said.
“We now have a government that cannot manage even a single crisis at home, while at the same time facing a continuing series of catastrophic events abroad,” he said. declared.
Trump said his return to power meant “America’s decline is over,” and he pledged to “rebuild the most powerful military the world has ever seen.” But he also ushered in a new era of American expansion by announcing that the country would regain control of the Panama Canal.
He echoed his election promises to end wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, saying he would be a “peacemaker.”
“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but by the wars we end and, perhaps more importantly, by the wars we never participate in,” Trump said. “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. »
In an apparent reference to previous efforts to prosecute him, Trump vowed that “never again will the immense power of the state be used to persecute political opponents.” He has already threatened to sue his own political enemies.
Former presidents including George W. Bush and Barack Obama attended the ceremony, while tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who recently flocked to Trump’s side, took pride of place in the audience.
Trump returns to the White House with broader public and business support than when he left office in 2021, just weeks after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election of Biden.
Trump now faces the daunting task of delivering on his promise to lower the cost of living for middle-class households, a promise that was his most powerful political weapon in his victorious campaign against Kamala Harris.
The new president said he would declare a national emergency on issues such as immigration and energy, giving him the power to rush new measures. As he spoke, the White House announced it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.
“I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country,” he said in his speech.
But Trump did not immediately announce new tariffs, instead planning to issue a memorandum ordering government agencies to reassess U.S. trade relationships with countries including China, Mexico and Canada.
This hesitation suggests that his top aides are wondering how aggressively they could impose taxes on the United States’ major trading partners. But Trump said the tariffs would still be in effect.
“Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will impose tariffs and taxes on foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” he said.
The dollar fell 1.3% against a basket of other currencies on Monday afternoon in the United States, putting it on course for its biggest decline since November 2023.
Trump’s return to the White House has angered some of the United States’ closest allies, who fear a new drift toward protectionism and a new turn toward isolationism in Washington.
But the most conservative world leaders welcomed his election victory. Javier Milei, the Argentine president, and Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, were among the leaders present at his inauguration.
