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Tuesday Briefing: Trump Takes Office
Plus, exploring Indonesia’s spiritual hub.
President Trump at the Capitol Rotunda, yesterday.Credit…Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Trump took office, vowing ‘America’s decline is over’
Donald Trump completed his remarkable return to power yesterday as he was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.
“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump declared in his Inaugural Address delivered at the Capitol, shortly after he took the oath of office. Much as he did eight years ago, Trump painted a grim portrait of a country on its knees that only he could revive.
“From this moment on, America’s decline is over,” he said.Follow our live updates from Inauguration Day.
In his address, Trump vowed to immediately declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico and send the military to guard it. (More on that below.) He said he would end government programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
He also said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico “the Gulf of America” and promised to seize the Panama Canal. “We’re taking it back,” he said.
A day of firsts: Trump, 78, became the oldest person ever inaugurated as U.S. president, eclipsingJoe Biden, who was five months younger when he took the oath four years ago. Trump also became only the second U.S. president to reclaim the White House after being defeated for re-election, joining Grover Cleveland. He is the first felon to hold office.
