
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Part 2 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 class="wp-block-paragraph">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. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Personally &#8230; I beg to differ.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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 &#8212; the election results.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Actually &#8230; 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 &#8212; 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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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 &#8230; or President Lincoln’s “malice toward none” speech &#8230; or President Kennedy admonishing us to ask what we can do four our country.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On the other hand &#8230;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">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 &#8212; 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.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

Inauguration (Part 2): The Speech(es)
