Inauguration (Part 2): The Speech(es)
Part 2 of a series of commentaries on the key aspects of the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.
President Trump gave a great inaugural speech – one of the best ever. At least that was HIS assessment. It must be true because every time he asked the assembled their opinion of it, they cheered and applauded enthusiastically.
Personally … I beg to differ.
I watched the speech with a friend – a person far less engaged in politics, but a Trump supporter none the less. Before I could offer my assessment, he offered his. He did not like the beginning – the attack on President Biden and his presidential failures.
My friend thought it was unseemly in view of the fact that both Biden and Vice President Harris had bowed to tradition to visibly – and painfully – appear on the dais to demonstrate their acceptance of – if not their enthusiasm for — the election results.
I had the same impression, although I was more aware of the fact that Trump had toned down his rhetoric a bit – reserving his harsher words for speeches later in the day.
Actually … Trump did use some of the traditional high-tone phraseology we have come to expect in inaugural addresses. He talked of the greatness of the American people — who can do anything when united. They spoke of the nobility and sacrifice of the American fighting men and women. He talked about American exceptionalism. He spoke of America’s future as a new Golden Age.
While Trump said the right things on occasion, they did not reverberate through the political ethos like President Reagan describing America as that golden house on a hill … or President Lincoln’s “malice toward none” speech … or President Kennedy admonishing us to ask what we can do four our country.
Perhaps the more traditional sentiments were lost among Trump’s harsher rhetoric. Or perhaps Trump is not an eloquent orator in the tradition of Lincoln, Kennedy and Reagan. Rather, he is a no-nonsense guy who prefers to get right to the point – often a very sharp point.
That is exactly what we got on Inauguration Day. Not only did Trump start laying out his agenda in great specificity in his speech, but he also started implementing it within minutes of his taking the oath of office.
The less rhetorically gifted presidents – such as Biden, Bush (your pick), Carter or Ford – rely on a team of writers to provide the picturesque prose. Trump may solicit ideas for his speeches from family and staff, but I would not call them writers. Most of Trump’s speeches are off-the-cuff. And even when he gives in to a teleprompter address, he often goes off script. You may recall his GOP convention speech in which he spent more time off script than on teleprompter.
Trump explained why his initial speech was softer than usual. It was because his staff suggested that he leave out the harsher talking points. But, he was happy to report that he got them in in his later speeches that day – as if we would not have noticed had he not drew our attention to that fact.
On the other hand …
While I am no fan of the Trump style and personality, I have to admit that – putting aside hyperbole, pugnacity, repetition and veracity – there is a refreshing frankness in him There are no ruffles and flourishes. He likes to get to point without any oratorical scenic tours.
That is exactly what we got on Inauguration Day. Not only did Trump start laying out his agenda in great specificity in his speech, but he also started implementing it within minutes of his taking the oath of office.
It should be noted that THE speech was not his only communication to we the people of America. In addition to the two ancillary speeches, there were remarks at the three inaugural balls. Perhaps most significantly was his impromptu press conference while signing documents in the Oval Office. It all made the official inaugural speech just one of many speaking events.
Unlike all his predecessors, Trump’s Inauguration Day will not be remembered for his speech, but for all the things he did that day. Like it or not, January 20, 2025, was indisputably the most productive Inauguration Day in American history. The speech – which was the keystone event in the past — was more or less the preface for a series of unprecedented activities. What was most notable about Trump’s Inaugural Address was its historic importance – or more accurately, the lack thereof. It was a retreaded campaign speech that diminished in importance as the day went on.
So, there ‘tis.
I like Trump because this IS who he is.
Politicians are just actors and try to put on the face of the American people.
They read things by design to be what others think the American people want to here.
Biden whole heartedly did not believe most of what he was forced to spew.
As you pointed out Larry, good or bad the man has Brains and the ability to ENTERTAIN!
Ever wonder why Reagan was liked? ( Entertainment )
He is NOT ACTING the role of the president. He IS the President.
That is what America has been missing on the world STAGE!
Respect can not be written or asked for.
Respect is becoming of an individual by the way one carries him or her self.
Trump made sure his Cabinet has shown the ability to carry themselves in this tradition.
DEI was the exact opposite of this. DEI was about putting a person in charge that never
garnered them selves to be in a position of respect or high regards.
Those individuals never commanded respect of the masses, just appointed!
And we wonder why the country went to hell?
And what you say is a good thing about a president of we the people as a whole and not just those who voted for Trump 2.0. What was more interesting happened to be the most important issues for the average American and the common working family and these were not mentioned at all. I guess injustice, inequality, economic stress, homelessness, and tax equality across the income spectrum were not mentioned because these issues have some wokeness attached to them.
WOKE is a dirty word for those who consider themselves to be true conservatives, while saying F…k You has grown as a common refrain and any combination of words with F..k interspersed through out is an exercise in Free Speech. No one seems to care if what they say and the vocabulary ( or lack of such) used in saying it is offensive to even one or two people within hearing distance.
Trump’s Inaugural speech was a reiteration of at length of the outlandishly undemocratic posture he has and people don’t see and understand the longterm ramifications his actions will have on those who hope for more woke. At least for policy makers to become awaken to the needs of real Americans. Americans who may have voted for Trump but heard nothing in his words all day that spoke to them where they live and try everyday to just survive emotionally and economically.
Trump is for the top 5% of Americans economically and hardly gives lip service to people who have the most needs. His heart is not in tune with the majority in the mid-low income bracket Americans.
A major need is reasonable cost health insurance available to every American. But he is all about cutting insurance assistance and Medicare/Medicaid. His bros don’t have to think about Medical Insurance cost and coverage. It’s less and less taxes that Trump fights for. He himself is a tax cheat.
You may say you are not a fan of Trump’s dark side personality but you embrace his non-conservative approach to the country’s greatest priorities. All of which the political right does not seem to see or appreciate in your rage against the other half of legitimate Americans who the right out of ignorance of what democracy actually means spew hate language and free rights denying bullying characteristics.
Backlash against others proofs of wrongful and willful crossing moral/ethical lines is further proof of unwarranted and unjust presumptions of mental incapacitation.
What it is to be an American has gone out of focus for those who believe only the right’s ideology has the correct way of governance for all persons who live, work, and recreate in this country. Wrong, oh so wrong, that’s not how the Fathers foresaw the country succeeding in peace
Larry, Glad you could at least see some of the bullshit (though not all) that was spouted on the 20th. Trump continues to be the worst president in well over 100 years-likely this time he will be rated worst ever. Those of us who were smart enough to not vote for this asshole were not surprised in the least. He has the least qualified cabinet ever (I know you thought Gaetz was the only unqualified person, but that is a reflection of your intelligence, not the choices). He has started his administration by pardoning individuals who assaulted law officers on Jan 6 2021, essentially stating that it would require too much effort on his part to determine who was very guilty, and who was less guilty-that’s what you get when you vote for a lazy bastard. Now he wants to completely defund fema (who get most fema dollars? You’d better say red states or you really are a lying asshole) and stop payments for the inflation reduction act and the infrastructure act-again, which states benefit most from this legislation-red states due to their low tax rates that don’t allow them to fix their own bridges and roads. What a wonderful 4 years we can look forward to with this asshole in the WH..