In a shocking return to form, President Donald Trump wasted no time sowing chaos and division on his first day back in the White House. The twice-impeached leader, who survived an assassination attempt last year, kicked off his term by withdrawing the US from the Paris climate agreement once again, to the delight of supporters packed into a Washington DC arena.
Trump signed a blitz of executive orders with theatrical flair, including pardons for the January 6th Capitol insurrectionists he called “hostages.” The message was clear – Trump will govern with grievance and resentment, prioritizing his base over national unity after the most violent transition of power in modern history.
Planet Takes Backseat as Trump Panders to Base
Experts fear exiting the Paris accord will spell disaster for the planet as the window to curb catastrophic warming closes. But for Trump, sticking it to the international community and burnishing his “America First” bona fides is worth the cost. As one aide gushed at the signing ceremony, “We’re going to save over a trillion dollars by withdrawing from that treaty,” earning raucous cheers from the MAGA faithful.
Trump dismissed concerns over leaving the world’s climate pact, insisting “We’re not going to do the wind thing.” In a riff that ranged from whales to birds, he misleadingly claimed wind energy “kills your birds and ruins your beautiful landscapes,” while being “the most expensive form of energy by far.” He neglected to mention the far higher costs of unchecked climate change.
Revenge and Retribution Rule the Day
The inauguration spectacle, complete with a miniature parade and pens hurled to clamoring crowds, featured a greatest hits of Trumpian bugbears. He bitterly complained of a double standard for prosecuting his supporters versus BLM protesters, growling “No, we’re not going to put up with that crap anymore.”
But the defining moment crystallizing Trump’s intent to govern through retribution came when he conflated two disparate hostage situations. In a whiplash-inducing pivot, Trump segued from vowing to free Americans detained by Hamas to announcing “tonight I’m going to be signing the J6 hostages’ pardons to get them out.”
With the stroke of a pen, Trump erased any accountability for the violent mob that stormed the Capitol to overturn his election defeat. Critics argue it sends a dangerous signal that such anti-democratic revolts are not only tolerated but celebrated.
First Family Takes Center Stage, With One Glaring Omission
Basking in adulation from his base, Trump took a prolonged victory lap by parading his family members one by one at the surreal indoor event. There were shout-outs and applause for Lara, Don Jr, Ivanka, Jared, pregnant Tiffany, and notably Barron – the 18-year-old with a “smirk and swagger” described as “more Trumpy than Trump.”
Conspicuously absent from the roll call was long-suffering son Eric. The second fiddle remained grinning on stage “even as he must have been dying inside” at the latest familial slight. It set the tone for a dynasty poised to dominate headlines, for better or worse.
Buckle Up for a Bumpy Ride
If day one is any indication, buckle up for a turbulent four years. With a Republican trifecta at his back, there’s little to constrain Trump’s penchant for sowing tumult, fraying democratic norms and institutions for personal gain.
Once the orders were signed, the president celebrated by tossing the pens out into the crowd, setting off a scramble as if for a home run baseball.
-David Smith, The Guardian
In a sign of the mayhem to come, Trump’s rambling two hour monologue careened from “illegal immigrants” to the “price of apples” to Hunter Biden’s laptop with the unhinged “neuron flashes” that once led ex-adviser John Bolton to compare his train of thought to a “series of bouncing tennis balls.”
The human wrecking ball is back to finish what he started, norms and guardrails be damned. VP JD Vance’s ominous cackle as he slapped the President’s back spoke volumes. It will be up to the battered bulwarks of civil society, democratic institutions and the rule of law to weather the coming storm. Barricade the doors, it’s going to be a wild ride.
