President Donald Trump addresses guests and supporters in an overflow room in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol for his Inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. Reuters-Yonhap
Donald Trump took office as the United States' 47th president on Monday, renewing his vow to "put America first" and tariff foreign countries to enrich Americans, while signaling an intent to refrain from military involvement in conflicts overseas.
During his swearing-in ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, Trump, 78, underscored his America First credo as his second four-year term is expected to see a major shift in the U.S.' approach to alliances, trade and other key issues. Vice President J.D. Vance was also sworn in.
"The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer," Trump said in an inaugural address after taking the oath of office.
"During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first," he added as the address underscored that "America's decline is over."
Vowing to build the "strongest military the world has ever seen," he hinted at his desire to end wars abroad and refrain from getting involved in foreign conflicts amid expectations that his America First agenda might smack of isolationism.
"We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into," he said. "My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be."
Trump's America First leitmotif was seen as an overarching theme of his policy agenda that would seek to curtail America's costly overseas military involvement, pressure its allies and partners to take greater security burden and redress U.S. trade deficits for the sake of American interests.
In the address, he also pledged to immediately begin an overhaul of America's trade system to protect American workers and families.
"Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens," he said. He did not elaborate on details.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk gestures on stage when he speaks inside the Capital One Arena after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. UPI-Yonhap
During his election campaign, he unveiled a proposal to slap blanket tariffs of 10 to 20 percent on all imports, and threatened to impose tariffs of up to 60 percent on Chinese goods.
He reaffirmed his intent to retake the strategically crucial canal that Panama took control of in 1999, claiming that American ships have been "severely overcharged" and "not fairly treated," and that China is operating the canal.
"We did not give it to China. We gave it to Panama," he said. "We are taking it back. Above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history's greatest civilization."
In addition, he said that the U.S. will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Trump envisioned a "growing" U.S. despite allegations of his expansionist inclinations.
"The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increase our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flags into new and beautiful horizons," he said.
"And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the starts and stripes on the planet Mars."
Stressing his commitment to "make America great again," he said his administration will work to meet every crisis that it may face "with dignity, power and strength."
"We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed," he said. "For American citizens, January 20, 2025 is Liberation Day."
Trump unveiled his plan to sign a series of executive orders on the first day in office, including declaring a national emergency at the U.S.' southern border, sending troops to the border to stop the entry of illegal immigrants and designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
"With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense," he said. "It's all about common sense."
The president also said that he will declare a national energy emergency to boost oil drilling and fossil fuels. Moreover, his White House announced a plan to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord that the U.S. rejoined under the Biden administration in 2021 following a 2017 withdrawal during Trump's first term.
"The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today, I will also declare a national energy emergency," Trump said. "We will 'drill baby drill.'"
As anticipated, he made official a plan to revoke his predecessor Joe Biden's "electric vehicle mandate," casting the plan as a move aimed at "saving our auto industry and "keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers."
From left, CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, U.S. businessman Jeff Bezos, CEO of Alphabet Inc and Google Sundar Pichai and Teska and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attend the inauguration ceremony where Donald Trump will sworn in as the 47th U.S. President in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. AFP-Yonhap
During the televised address, Trump made no mention of North Korea although he repeatedly boasted about his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in his campaign speeches that raised the prospects of the new president seeking to revive his direct diplomacy with Pyongyang.
On its new website, the White House posted Trump's photo with a catchy phrase, "America is back."
"Every single day I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body," Trump said in a statement on the website. "I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age of America."
Following the inaugural events at the Capitol, he moved to Capital One Arena, a sports arena in Washington, where he attended an indoor inaugural parade, met with his supporters and signed some executive orders, directives and other documents.
The signed documents included those revoking 78 Biden-era executive actions, orders and others, withdrawing from the Paris agreement, directing every federal department and agency to address the "cost of living crisis" and ending the "weaponization" of government against political adversaries of the previous administration.
Back in the Oval Office later, he plans to sign more documents.
Trump is the oldest president to be inaugurated as U.S. president and only the second president to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland, who was elected president in 1884, defeated by a Republican rival in 1888 and reelected four years later.
The swearing-in ceremony was initially planned to take place at the West Front of the Capitol. But it was moved indoors due to frigid temperatures. The last indoor inaugural ceremony occurred in 1985 for former President Ronald Reagan's second term.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies distributed 220,000 tickets for those who planned to attend the inaugural ceremonies in person, but many watched Trump's swearing-in through a livestream due to events having been moved indoors.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — and other dignitaries. South Korea's Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong was to be present to represent the Seoul government.
Inauguration Day began with a service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, a historic church in the U.S. capital, followed by tea with Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the White House.
Donald Trump sworn in as the 47th President of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. Reuters-Yonhap
A highlight of the swearing-in ceremony was Trump putting his hand on the Bible and reciting the oath of office administered by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Trump used two Bibles — one that his mother gave to him in 1955 to mark his Sunday church primary school graduation at First Presbyterian Church in New York, as well as the Lincoln Bible, part of the collections of the Library of Congress, according to the committee.
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States," he recited.
In last year's general election, Trump swept all seven battleground states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona. He secured 312 Electoral College votes, compared with Harris' 226 — an outcome that a joint session of U.S. Congress formally certified earlier this month.
His Republican Party also has a majority in both the House and the Senate, although their margin in both chambers is slim.
Trump's inauguration marked a culmination of his political comeback following a challenging journey to the citadel of power marked by two attempts on his life, a criminal conviction and dogged questions over his foreign policy vision, to name a few.
His return to the Oval Office comes as South Korea has been reeling from the aftermath of now-impeached and detained President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law bid last month, with the current period of political uncertainty feared to weaken Seoul's hands in policy coordination with the Trump administration. (Yonhap)