PTI
Washington
Donald J Trump was on Monday sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, marking his remarkable return to power for a second term, four years after he left the American capital as a pariah.
“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “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,” he said.
The 78-year-old Republican leader vowed to put America “first”.
“The scales of justice will be re-balanced. The vicious, violent and unfair weaponisation of the justice department and government will end,” he said.
Trump storms back to White House with a strongman persona with the vision of an all-powerful presidency and also with a promise to aggressively reset US policies in a range of domains including immigration, tariffs, and energy.
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” Trump said in his oath.
JD Vance was sworn in as the Vice-President ahead of Trump.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the inauguration ceremony as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special envoy.
Trump registered a spectacular victory over his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election, defying two assassination attempts, two presidential impeachments and his criminal conviction.
Four years back, Trump had left Washington as a pariah in the face of his unsuccessful attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election to stay in office.
His victory in the bitterly-fought election was widely acknowledged as the most momentous comeback in American political history.
The inauguration ceremony was held indoors under the Capitol rotunda as opposed to the initially planned outdoor venue in view of frigid temperatures in the US capital city.
The ceremony was attended by Trump’s wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook.
On the first day in office, Trump is expected to sign a slew of executive orders, including kicking off a process to end birthright citizenship.
