
<p><em>Part 1 of a series of commentaries on the key aspects of the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47<sup>th</sup> President of the United States.</em></p>



<p><strong>The Overview</strong></p>



<p>If we lived in ancient times, the election of Donald Trump might be given historic spiritual relevancy. His Inauguration occurred at the time of the Great Planetary Alignment – when seven of our solar system’s heavenly bodies moved into visible perfect alignment. The events coincided with a major national holiday – Martin Luther King Day, which was signed into law by the most popular Republican President of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century – Ronald Reagan. Not only was Ohio Senator J.D. Vance inaugurated as Vice President of the United States, but his hometown university, Ohio State, won the college national championship. Unless you are an ancient Druid – all these coincidences mean &#8230; nothing. So, on to the real world</p>



<p>Trump’s entire Inauguration Day was filled with high visibility pomp and circumstance mixed with reality television. Whether that was good or bad depends on your politics. Those on the left were critical of the media coverage. Those of us not afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome have a different view.</p>



<p>Trump only got down to business on day one – as he promised – he invited the American people to see what a Trump day at the office looks like. ; He gave three major speeches during the daytime activities – often associated with signing Executive Orders, directives and memoranda.</p>



<p>Upon arriving to the Oval Office to sign more Orders, Trump simultaneously held an impromptu open-ended press conference as he signed scores of documents. It was a sharp contrast to the past four years of Biden hiding from the press. Trump spent almost an hour responding to question that were not pre-approved. ; There were no cheat sheets.</p>



<p>Even before Trump arrived at the evening’s three Inaugural Balls, there were already visible results of his day-one actions. The online immigration asylum app shutdown at noon – the moment Trump officially became President of the United States. ;</p>



<p>Later in the evening, crowds assembled outside the federal detention center in anticipation of scores of jailed January 6 rioters being released. ; Whatever one thinks about the arrest and incarceration of the rioters, the pardons and commutations come as no surprise. ; Trump repeatedly said he would issue pardons and commutations. ; ; The people who voted for Trump did so with full awareness of his plan.</p>



<p><strong>The losing team</strong></p>



<p>It is not uncommon for the American presidency to transition from one political party to another. ; There is always a modicum of discomfort since the Inauguration is the culmination of a long –and often contentious – campaign over political and policy disagreements. ; The losing candidate is forced to relive all the reasons the American people selected the other guy.</p>



<p>Losing campaigns leave losing candidates with a sense of rejection – and the higher the office, the greater is the sense of rejection. It is even worse if the losing candidate was an incumbent seeking reelection. Even worse if the campaign was exceptionally personal and bitter.</p>



<p>That was the situation when President Trump and President Biden shared the stage for the Trump inauguration. ; For Trump, it was more than an election win, it was a triumph – for a man, a political party and a (MAGA) movement. ; Conversely, it was conversely a defeat for a man – and for the woman who picked up the fallen standard – a party and a (resistance) movement.</p>



<p>To their credit, President Biden and Vice President Harris followed the evolved tradition of predecessor presidents – even the defeated – to be on hand to symbolize the peaceful transition of power.</p>



<p>But &#8230; the discomfort was palpable.</p>



<p>Former Presidents Clinton and Obama were most gracious in their apparent demeanor. ; They engaged with Trump – even briefly – and others in what seemed to be very sociable exchanges. ; They chatted and smiled. ; Of course, they had not been personally defeated &#8230; humiliated &#8230; by Trump.</p>



<p>Then there was Biden and Harris. They were in the ring with Trump – and it was a very personal and nasty campaign. ; Biden, Harris and their supporters demonized Trump as the personification of evil – a Hitler-style despot, who would create a fascist government and literally end free elections in America in favor of a dictator-for-life. ; And yet the voters freely and fairly preferred Trump. ; THAT has to hurt.</p>



<p>And now Joe and Jill Biden, Kamala Harris and hubby Douglas Craig Emhoff ;were compelled to sit there and listen to their nemesis shatter their programs &#8230; their policies &#8230; their opinions &#8230; their legacies. ; At best there were tight smiles and looks into space. ; Infrequent applause as all round them clapped and cheered enthsiastically.</p>



<p>A number of pundits expressed their belief that Trump was too hard on Biden &#8212; ingracious. ; I will cover that subject in the next commentary: “Inauguration (Part 2): The Speech(es)”.</p>



<p><strong>The New Trump</strong></p>



<p>As the Inauguration approached, there were two schools of thought expressed in the media – that we would see a kinder and gentler Donald Trump or we would see the same old pugnacious guy we have seen since he rode down the escalator in 2016. “Kinder and gentler” did not mean that he would be less tough and determined to fulfill his campaign promises. No. No. No. Trump was coming back to disrupt the entrenched Washington establishment. The mission was unchanged.</p>



<p>One could argue that there was a wee bit of softening in the language and bellicosity. Trump seemed to be less angry – fewer frowns and more smiles. ; Once he got into expounding – from the inaugural address to his late night remarks at the last Inaugural Ball, it was obvious that it was the old Trump who was returning to the White House.</p>



<p><strong>Summary</strong></p>



<p>Having attended several presidential inaugurations. ; I saw only one difference with this one and all past inaugurations – but it is a big difference. ; Most inaugurations are ceremonial – a series of traditional celebratory events long on uplifting rhetoric and virtually devoid of policy actions. ; This one was obviously different. ; The policy statements and actions dominated. ; More specific on those issues in future commentaries.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Inauguration (Part 1): General Observations
