President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Marks A New Era For America

On the morning of January 20 in the Capitol Rotunda, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States – along with JD Vance as the new Vice President.

This significantly grants hope for Republicans nationwide as they claim unified control of Washington D.C. and set out to reshape the country’s policies and more. Trump has signaled he will sign a slew of executive orders later on that evening, including ones to end birthright citizenship, recognize only two sexes, and declare an emergency at the border.

Trump was the second president to move his inauguration indoors to the Rotunda, from the West Front of the Capitol, due to a forecast of freezing-cold weather. The Capital One Arena in downtown D.C. – which seats roughly 20,000 – was at capacity, with lines of people waiting to get in being turned away, according to NPR.

Carrie Underwood and the Village People performed at the inauguration alongside Lee Greenwood. Thanks to the Village People’s performance of Y.M.C.A., a video of Trump dancing with a large sword over his head went viral, with numerous supporters being there to record it with their phones out.

Meanwhile, Underwood had some words to say after facing criticism for her decision to perform at the ceremony, particularly by anti-Trump individuals.

“I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” she said. “I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Among Trump’s executive orders is designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations under U.S. law, which designation opens a broad array of actions, including freezing or seizing assets of individuals or groups accused of aiding the cartels while also stiffening criminal penalties.

This could also supposedly clear the way for potential military strikes by the Trump administration against criminal organizations in Mexico and elsewhere that are major sources of toxic street drugs. The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) cartels have been blamed by U.S. officials and public experts in the U.S. for triggering more than 90,000 drug overdose deaths each year.

“My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals that have taken place and to give the American people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom,” Trump said in his 30-minute speech. “From this moment on, America’s decline is over.”

The Supreme Court has granted Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution as he vows to exact retribution against his political adversaries, according to Vox. While his administration was unprepared to assume office for the first time in 2017, his staff has reportedly prepared over 100 executive orders to be signed on Day 1 of his presidency.

Meanwhile, the resistance movement that protests Trumpism online and in person has been muted. However, experts and activists expect the renewed resistance to come in different forms, according to Axios.

“When you first see something unexpected, it’s really jarring and you react strongly,” Mitchell Brown, professor of political science at Auburn University, says in her interview with Axios. “But the more you normalize something that was unexpected … the more habituated you become to it.”

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