Missed Trump's speech? Here are five takeaways
2025-01-21
Category: news

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, beginning his second term in the White House after a decisive comeback in November's election. In his 29-minute inauguration speech, Trump promised to restore the American dream while also warning of what he described as chaos and destruction left by the previous administration.  In case you missed it, here is a look at the highlights. LIVE: Follow BBC's live coverage
'Golden age of America'
Trump opened with optimism."The golden age of America begins right now," he declared. "From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected." It was a far cry from his speech eight years ago, when the Republican painted a dark picture of a wounded American industry and economy taken advantage of by foreign exploitation. But as Monday's address progressed, Trump's tone turned.The president offered a grim assessment of today's America, describing a "radical and corrupt establishment" that "cannot manage even a simple crisis at home", an apparent nod to the wildfires that have been ravaging Los Angeles. "We will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer," Trump said.  
A laundry list of policies
Presidents tend to use their inaugural addresses as a chance to call for unity, making broad and lofty pledges and steering away from detailed policy.Not Donald Trump. The Republican got right down to specifics, running through a laundry list of policy promises and actions he would take in the first 100 days.Trump said he would declare a national emergency at the southern border (something he did in 2019) and deploy national troops for immigration enforcement, action he promised on the campaign trail. And he said he would sign an executive order meant to "immediately stop censorship and bring back free speech in America". Read more about the executive orders expected from President Trump
'Saved by God'
Trump took us back to perhaps the most stunning moment of a chaotic and tumultuous presidential campaign: his attempted assassination. "Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed take my life," he said. "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," he said. "I was saved by God to make America great again." 
Mars and the Panama Canal
Trump also looked abroad - promising dramatic action overseas - and to the sky.The Republican said he wanted the Panama Canal under US control, falsely claiming it is currently operated by China. Panama has sovereignty over the waterway."We're taking it back," Trump said.And he prompted a laugh from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who appeared to crack up when the president said he would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America". Trump also looked upwards, vowing to "pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars". This remark was met with a bright smile from tech billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk, who has long said he wants humans to colonise the faraway planet. 
'There are only two genders'
For Trump supporters watching the address in the Capitol One arena in Washington DC, one of the biggest applause lines came when the president said: "It will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female."Trump vowed to thwart efforts to "socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life". He promised to create a country that is "colour-blind and merit-based".  
ANALYSIS: The promise and peril of Trump's speechIN PICTURES: Key moments of the inaugurationWATCH: The new president's day so farEXPLAINED: What Trump is doing on day oneFASHION: Melania's striking hat and other eye-catching looksVIRAL MOMENTS: Carrie Underwood goes a cappella and other moments