By Cristina Damato
Donald J. Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States in the traditional inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20. The proceedings were moved inside the Capitol Building for the first time in 40 years due to forecasts of snow and temperatures dropping into the single digits, leaving most of the expected and ticketed guests unable to attend. Shortly after becoming president and vice president, Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance were sworn into office by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts. Many have noted that Trump did not place his hand on the Bible when taking his oath of office, though doing so is mandated only by tradition, not by law.
For many, this transition of power marks a turning point in American history, either for better or worse. Trump has promised to execute several executive orders within his first two days in office, which could radically change the government’s policies on issues such as immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. Already he has signed into effect pardons for over a thousand people involved in the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He also largely halted federal hiring, initiated a plan to reverse Biden’s clean energy initiative, and pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement and World Health Organization.
From an immigration standpoint, Trump has declared a national emergency at the southern border and plans to remove birthright citizenship, meaning children of illegal immigrants would not automatically become U.S. citizens. Economically, he declared in his post-inaugural speech that his office would attack inflation but did not provide specifics on how.
Further changes will include recognizing only two genders, which cannot be changed. This comes as a hit to the LGBTQ+ community – the U.S. has allowed for a third gender, X, since 2022, and undoes the Biden administration’s efforts to be inclusive of gender identity in federal documentation.
Trump has also vowed to put an American flag on Martian soil, claiming Manifest Destiny, or the belief that one has a God-given right to expand. He has also stated his intentions to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and restore Mt. Denali’s name to Mt. McKinley, after it was changed by Obama in 2015 to recognize native Alaskan tribes. The president ultimately claimed divine right, saying he had been “saved by God to make America great again” and that America was entering a Golden Age.
As we enter into another Trump term, focus shifts to his choice of Cabinet, which has prompted controversy. Among the most controversial is his selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary. The former presidential candidate holds no degree in medicine or public health and has responded to a sexual assault claim by stating that he has so many skeletons in the proverbial closet that he wishes they could vote. He has also pleaded guilty to a felony heroin conviction, dropped a dead bear cub in Central Park, driven five hours with a dead whale head on his car, and claims that a worm got into his brain and ate a portion of it in 2010.
Several other nominees have been convicted or accused of sexual assault. Among the most prominent is Matt Gaetz, whose nomination for Attorney General sparked so much outrage that he withdrew. Gaetz resigned from his position in the House in November after charges were brought against him for the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. Additionally, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly paid a woman to avoid a sexual assault lawsuit, and Linda McMahon, who was nominated for Secretary of Education, denied allegations of grooming young boys in a child sex exploitation case.
Other controversial nominees include Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence. She secretly met with the Syrian president, prompting concern about the wisdom of putting her in an intelligence role, and has never worked in intelligence before. Kristi Noem, nominated for the Department of Homeland Security, faced criticism after openly admitting to killing her puppy because it was “untrainable.”
Another common theme seen in Trump’s Cabinet picks is their proximity to him or his family. Several nominees have connections to Trump’s children, and Kimberly Guilfoyle has been engaged to Donald Trump Jr. for several years. This prompts questions about how much of his Cabinet selection is merit-based and how much is recycling the old 19th-century spoils system.
America is certainly entering a period of change – Trump’s second term will overturn much of the Biden administration’s work and introduce new legislation and policies in fields such as reproductive healthcare, immigration, foreign policy, and environmental conservation. Only time can tell what the future will hold.
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