Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America on Monday. Trump’s political resurgence has elevated him to an icon and a source of national and political mythology that almost all leaders—even the more pacifistic ones—inevitably struggle to attain. No one provided more evidence of this than Trump himself: The various speeches and talks he gave throughout his day of the inauguration all sopped with vanity and self-aggrandizement. Trump’s inauguration was exactly what to expect from a man with an unhealthy dose of amour propre. He is a narcissist with a wide horizon, and once more, the bright sparks of power and control glimmer in his eyes.
Here are some of the notable quotes from his inauguration speech, which, by Trump’s standard, was more formal:
“The Golden Age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer every single day of the Trump administration. I will, very simply, put America first.
Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied, and we will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government. Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life just a few months ago. In a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear, but I felt then and believe, even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.”
There is a lot to be made of the entire speech. Particularly intriguing is his insistence that God saved him for the sole reason of saving America. Now that’s a revelation! If this is the case though, it is both disturbing and ironic. Speaking about Trump’s survival in the first assassination attempt, Alex O’Connor elaborates on this point:
“Those celebrating heavenly providence over the events of July 13th should remember that Trump’s blood was not the only that was spilled. Whilst the assailant missed his target, he still became a killer that day.”
If God’s hand was responsible for saving Trump, then He must be equally responsible for the death of his supporter who was slain trying to save his family. In that case, divine intervention during the Trump administration will take on a utilitarian nature, which, after inauguration day, will come hardly as a surprise.
I don’t mention this for no reason. This story represents a blunder of reason that has surrounded this political moment and how Trump has rallied around him both a tight cadre and a wide periphery that seems comfortable ignoring all of the ironies, the false utopianism, and contradictions that are tied up in his campaign. He says anything, and people accept it. His supporters smile and wave. Trump knows this, and it is clear he is beginning to feel invincible; at least, that’s what his speeches signal.
Despite the power Trump has, the honeymoon phase surrounding his presidency will soon fade in strength. There are looming crises that rhetorical onslaught and Joe Rogan cannot fix. Aside from the domestic tensions and social strife in America, the international stage is ridden with active and potential conflict. Uncertainty in Gaza and the Middle East, a raging war in Eastern Europe, and an almost certain conflict between China and the United States in Asia are all on deck and promise that the years to come will be turbulent despite Trump’s overindulged assurances.
Instead, Trump has masterfully brushed these things out of view. The new (and old) president speaks now with the same recklessness and vigor that was partially responsible for his surge into partisan politics in the first place, not to mention that it also led him to become the defining political figure of our generation – which he achieved while sidelining the crème de la crème of the liberal establishment. It does beg the question, though, of whether Trump is the leader the moment requires. Does the constant stir of controversy benefit Americans? Does the blend of politics and theatrics suit our current needs? Trump should be particularly careful that his victory lap won’t come back to sting him in four years (as it most certainly did in the case of Biden).
Many Americans are also concerned about an oligarchy taking over. This was made clear most notably by former President Biden in his farewell address:
“That’s why my farewell address tonight, I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous — and that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across America. And we’ve seen it before.”
Admittedly, Biden going with the “I’m worried about oligarchy” line of thought has obvious implications. First, it is intended to obfuscate the shift from one oligarchy to the next. Money controlling politics in America is old hat. Attempting to inform Americans as if it is a novel enterprise is extremely dishonest, even by the standards of a career politician who spent his life embedded in it. All of this is not to say he doesn’t have a point: of course, Americans should be petrified at what has become of the nation, especially the prospect of Silicon Valley’s political revolution, which, so far, has culminated in the appointment of “Technoking” Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, who – along with many others in this similar sphere – appear to be taking Curtis Yarvin’s C.E.O “start-up” style monarchy seriously. All of these things should absolutely concern us, but we should not turn a blind eye to the fact Democrats possess a large share of the blame for our current woes. Biden’s report card is less than glamorous, so we should be conscious of who we are hearing from.
Nonetheless, the new oligarchy baffles me. With Silicon Valley beginning to fall in line, it looks like a world where the antiquated and conservative Republican Party ushers in a new style of governance is becoming more likely – and all of us still have yet to consider what all of this truly means. Trump’s camp appears fine-tuned and focused. A much different look from his first time in Washington. His voting base is teeming with quasi-religious devotion, and elites are falling in line out of fear of being bullied into submission. From the ground up, everything appears to have gone in Trump’s favor. He has no excuse now not to deliver, especially considering the fact his party recaptured Congress. We now must wait and see if he can meet the task and whether his utopian invocations of America’s “Golden Age” will manifest and come to fruition. I suspect that things will be difficult for Trump and that many hearts will be broken in the process. For what it is worth, I hope the Trump era brings positive results for a country desperately in need of them. It is the only path forward.
