President Trump delivered a searing Inaugural Address on Monday, taking aim at the Biden administration, which he accused of a “horrible betrayal,” and promising to make the United States the “envy of every nation,” “proud, prosperous and free.” Here’s what Times Opinion columnists and contributors thought of his speech.
Best Moment
Kristen Soltis Anderson I enjoyed the closing: “Ambition is the lifeblood of a great nation.” The call to adventure and greatness was powerful. Yes, we got “American decline,” but the theme was not decline. It was this: “I return to the presidency confident and optimistic.”
Josh Barro Trump promised to “export American energy all over the world” — a shrewd move that would grow the economy, lower consumer prices, offer Europe a reliable alternative to Russian gas and leave us less at the mercy of OPEC.
Ross Douthat It was a tie between him promising to plant the Stars and Stripes on Mars and to rename Denali Mount McKinley.
David French “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It was beautifully performed, and I found it both inspiring and out of place with the MAGA ethos. It was a Union anthem sung at the inauguration of a man who tried to instigate an insurrection.
Mara Gay Trump’s acknowledgment that the American government “confronts a crisis of trust,” which is true. I enjoyed watching him reaffirm his commitment to tariffs in front of a room of billionaires required to applaud him.
Michelle Goldberg Come on, there is no best moment of watching a vicious kakistocracy be installed in the chamber its followers once desecrated in a coup attempt.
Matt Labash The Capitol Rotunda’s limited seating capacity made it nearly impossible for Trump to lie about his crowd size, as he did after his last inauguration. Though I suspect that won’t stop him from trying — he’s a pro.
Liz Mair JD Vance taking the oath of office. There’s little better to commend America than the fact that here, a poor kid from Appalachia whose family history has been marred by addiction and dysfunction, can rise to the second-highest office in the land.
Katherine Mangu-Ward In his section about free speech, Trump said: “After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.” It was amusingly ungrammatical and shockingly un-self-aware about the speech incursions of his first term. But making free expression a presidential priority is directionally correct, at least.
Daniel McCarthy President Trump eloquently committed himself to peace through strength and diplomacy, with his greatest moment being when he said, “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.”
Ben Rhodes Trump was unusually specific about what he intends to do: from remaking the government in his image, to immediate actions on the border, oil and gas, and trade. Whatever you think of the agenda, we have a clear sense of what’s coming.
Chuck Rocha Trump showed why he got elected. He is so good at capturing the grievances of the American worker, from promising to rebuild American manufacturing to talking about failing health care and education systems. People are pissed and feel like no one’s listening to them. Today Trump said, I hear you.
Matthew Schmitz Trump’s denunciation of a “radical and corrupt establishment” was the speech’s finest moment. With these words, he summed up the fundamental reason that — despite numerous prosecutions — the American people returned him to the White House. The legal cases didn’t discredit Trump; they discredited the people who brought them.
Megan K. Stack Americans are sick of funding and fighting endless wars that don’t advance — and might even hurt — our global position. It was long overdue to hear a president say that America should measure success “by the wars that we end” and “the wars we never get into.”
Worst Moment
Anderson I can’t believe “the Gulf of America” bit made it to the final draft of this speech. Too small for a big moment.
Barro Trump’s magical thinking on tariffs, including his declaration that “we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” This is just not how tariffs work — either they will raise prices for American consumers or else strengthen the dollar, undermining Trump’s stated goal of promoting U.S. manufacturing and exports.
Douthat I’m afraid I just can’t get behind the Gulf of America.
French The title of Trump’s speech should have been “American Carnage 2: Ultimate Carnage.” If possible, Trump’s second inaugural speech was darker than his first. Rather than seek to unite Americans, he painted the darkest possible picture of the state of the nation and the character of his opponents. And he set himself up as a kind of messiah figure, the man saved by God for the sake of national greatness. If you want to lay the groundwork for authoritarianism, that’s exactly how to do it.
Gay Trump’s personal thank you to Black and Hispanic people who voted for him, followed by his invocation of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “We will make his dream come true,” he said, a line that made me wish I were on a beach somewhere along the Gulf of America.
Goldberg The imperialist threat to retake the Panama Canal.
Labash You have to feel sorry for Elon Musk, who took time out of his busy tweeting schedule to show up in his best party dress. John Roberts didn’t even swear him in as co-president. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency might have to eliminate the Supreme Court.
Mair It was odd to see how long it took everyone to rise and cheer the cease-fire deal in the Middle East that will finally see many of the hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, returned to their families. The deal isn’t perfect — no deal confronting challenges of this magnitude could be — but it is quite an accomplishment.
Mangu-Ward Trump’s comments about the “weaponization” of the Justice Department included a double entendre and a deeply implausible claim: “Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents, something I know something about.” Trump has been on both sides of this equation and could be again, if he uses the Justice Department to go after political opponents and is prosecuted after his second term.
McCarthy For supporters of economic nationalism, one of the best lines was, “Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” But naming a new External Revenue Service is less thrilling than curtailing the existing Internal Revenue Service would be.
Rhodes Trump’s almost apocalyptic portrayal of a corrupt and declining America provided a chilling prequel to his assertion that God saved him to Make America Great Again. This was strongman politics cast as divine providence, auguring a new experience for an untested America.
Rocha The stuff about the Panama Canal and the Gulf of America was embarrassing. He thinks he is scoring political points, but it really doesn’t work like that. He got elected to lower gas and grocery costs, not to rename a mountain in Alaska.
Schmitz Musk’s appearance in the crowd was a reminder of what’s most likely to stymie Trump’s second term: business interests that oppose Trump’s mandate to restrict immigration, revive American industry and free America from dependence on foreign powers. Wearing a red cap doesn’t make you MAGA.
Stack The crowd’s roar at “drill, baby, drill,” followed by the reference to “liquid gold under our feet.” Can’t we make America great again with some nuclear plants that don’t further befoul the environment?
What Else Caught Your Eye?
Anderson I found the swearing-in of Vance moving. From Usha Vance’s very relatable and adept managing of their adorable young children to the look on Vance’s proud mother’s face as he took the oath, it was a touching moment.
Barro Carrie Underwood handled technical difficulties like the professional that she is, offering an a cappella version of “America the Beautiful” when no accompaniment could be played.
Douthat This was subdued, teleprompter Trump, running through a fairly predictable list of executive-order agenda items, avoiding the most polarizing of his potential executive actions, staying mostly on script, not telling us that much about what the biggest flashpoints of his first 100 days will be. Notably, he got the real Trump-y gleam in his eye only when he started talking about … the Panama Canal.
French Musk’s schoolboy grin when Trump promised to go to Mars. I completely endorse going to Mars as a national project, but when that also means that billions of dollars may flow into the pockets of Trump’s wealthiest supporter, it reeks of potential corruption and graft.
Gay I noticed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wore a striking neckpiece made of cowrie shells, often seen in Black America as a symbol of protection and resistance. It was a nice touch that brought Americans with a very different vision for the country right into the room.
Goldberg It was very telling that the tech oligarchs had front-row seats, in front of the cabinet. The age of algorithmic feudalism has begun.
Labash Melania let her hat ride so low that you couldn’t even see her eyes. And I can’t blame her — with all the disingenuous suck-ups, bootlickers and craven opportunists in attendance, I wouldn’t want to be seen in this crowd, either.
Mair Barron Trump may have stolen the show. And Kamala Harris’s almost heavy-metal jacket rocked.
Mangu-Ward Trump’s persistent misrepresentation of who will bear the costs of tariffs was on display: “Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” That’s not how any of this works.
McCarthy The intimate setting of the Rotunda sent a message of unity, with the president coming to Congress’s home. Thomas Jefferson might have preferred this to the massive scale of the modern outdoor inaugurations with their imperial pomp.
Rhodes There was no mention of allies, global institutions, Ukraine or even the existence of climate change; America’s enemies were cast as Mexican cartels and Panama. Anyone watching the last four Inaugural Addresses around the world has learned that America cannot sustain a consistent foreign policy or even worldview.
Rocha When was the last time you saw a president thank Black and Latino Americans in an inauguration speech? The answer is never. Maybe that’s why he did so well with these voters. He acknowledged them and thanked them, and that goes a long way in these communities that have been fighting for recognition for years. Democrats could learn something from this strategy.
Schmitz Trump’s invocation of the legacy of Dr. King should be taken seriously, even by those who reject his policies.
Stack Yikes, he really does believe God saved him from assassination so that he, in turn, can save the country. It’s normal to grow more faithful after a near-death experience, but his conviction that he is chosen by God comes across as cult leaderish and ominous.
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