Presidential Inauguration
With the conclusion of the 60th Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies, the U.S. officially has a new executive. President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance were officially sworn into office at approximately 12 p.m. ET at the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The inauguration ushers in a new era for America as President Trump has talked about throughout the election cycle until the present. This year’s Inaugural Ceremonies were a bit different from the past as they were held inside the Capitol Rotunda due to the extreme cold in Washington D.C.
Because of this, crowds were much smaller than usual, yet there was still a clear energy to it all. Whether it was those who managed to secure a spot in the Capitol or those who gathered in Capital One Arena to watch the inauguration via live stream, the energy was evident. Yet not all felt that way. Many may have felt dread or a sense of uncertainty as to what was ahead. Former SLU student Zach Jaworski ’24 noted, “I don’t think Trump’s initial speech at the rotunda did enough to cool partisan flames — however, his follow-up speech outside the rotunda displayed candid moments of personality that Trump supporters appear to like.”
This inauguration was different in many aspects, not just the fact that they were inside. Many felt that the inauguration felt much more partisan than in the past. Usually inaugurations are a day of coming together for unification as one nation, a day for America to come together as it enters a new Presidential Administration. That said, this one did not exactly follow that principle. During President Trump’s initial speech, he laid out his own ideas for his coming term. However, he did not shy away from taking several jabs at former President Biden’s administration without naming it directly. Many of the major news sources felt as if President Trump’s initial speech very closely resembled a State of The Union address. It was somewhat partisan which was evident when each side would stand up and applaud while the other would sit in silence. President Trump had several speeches throughout the day. His first one was much more calm inside the Capitol Rotunda while his second of the day was to his fervent supporters at Capital One Arena and was far more energetic and reminiscent of one of his rallies.
The partisan nature of it was felt on both sides of the aisle with many feeling that this day which is normally one for unification, instead took a more divisive position. “I think both Biden and Trump displayed a bit of hypocrisy on Monday — Biden, and other democrats, were upset with Trump’s copious executive orders meanwhile Trump was critical of Biden’s last-minute familial pardons,” said Jaworski. “I think both Biden’s term and Trump’s second term will come to define to what extent the American people are willing to let president’s exercise their power”.
While it was a day of celebration for some, for others it was quite the opposite. If anything is for certain though, it is that America has entered a new stage and the eyes of the world are looking upon it.