In inauguration speech, Trump vows to give power back to the people
After taking the oath of office, President Donald J. Trump promised to take the power from the Washington elite and return it to the people, and he stressed that his priority will be to put the U.S. ahead of other nations.
Speaking from the the West Front of the Capitol, Mr. Trump said in his inaugural address that Americans were not merely transferring power from one administration to another and one party to another.
“We are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people,” the newly sworn-in president said with thousands watching in person on the National Mall and potentially millions watching on television.
In his 17-minute inaugural speech, which he had said he wrote himself, Mr. Trump said that Jan. 20, 2017 “will be remembered as the day that the people became the rulers of his nation again.”
“The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,” he said.
Among those seated behind him were President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden as well as former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, also attended the inauguration and was seated on the platform. President George H.W. Bush was unable to attend because he’s being treated for pneumonia at a hospital in Houston.
Mr. Trump highlighted issues that he said need to be solved such as violence in the nation’s “inner cities,” an education system that’s flush with cash, and crime, gangs and drugs that have taken too many lives.
“The American carnage stops right here, and stops right now,” he said.
He denounced previous U.S. policies that he said have subsidized militaries of other countries, allowing for the depletion of the U.S. military, policies that have defended other nations’ borders before America’s and measures that have resulted in spending trillions of dollars overseas before spending money on rebuilding America’s infrastructure that Mr. Trump said has “fallen into disrepair and decay.”
“From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America First. America first,” Mr. Trump said. “Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.”
Mr. Trump promised that, “America will start winning again, winning like never before” and that the U.S. would follow “two simple rules: buy American and hire American.”
The new president vowed to not impose America’s way of life on other nations and to fight “radical Islamic terrorism.”
“You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our American destiny,” he said. “Together, we will make America strong again, we will make America wealthy again, we will make America proud again, we will make America safe again again and yes, together, we will make America great again.”
Mr. Obama and the rest of his family will depart Washington, D.C. Friday for a vacation in Palm Springs, California.
