The inauguration of Donald Trump’s second term put on a spectacle heavy with symbolism in many respects. Jeff Bezos, the founder and principal shareholder of Amazon, was seated directly behind Vice President JD Vance. Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Elon Musk of Tesla and recent owner of X (Twitter), Sundar Pichai of Google: the tech giants were all front and centre on this symbolic day of January 20.
Donald Trump is officially the oldest man ever elected President of the United States. In his inaugural address, he declared that he was still alive to make America great again, solidifying his narrative as a sovereign of divine right.
The president was very clear: he will use the national emergency framework for the border and energy. It was a clearly scripted speech, and in some respects more measured than usual, delivered by the newly sworn-in President of the United States.
He promised to restore America’s greatness while denouncing a « vicious » justice system, an inefficient government, and public institutions that are costly yet inadequate, particularly in health care and education.
His inaugural address resolutions did not hold for long. Before his supporters, he spoke for an hour, going in every direction, multiplying false claims. He also made it clear that his priority is illegal immigration, not the inflation burdening the average American.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were present, as tradition dictates for the peaceful transfer of power. But the pill seemed hard to swallow: Donald Trump promised to dismantle the Green New Deal and to « drill, baby drill ». To minimize barriers to oil production as much as possible, the 47th president declared a national energy emergency.
In 36 hours, the new president had already signed more than 200 executive orders. Although several are likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court, by the time everything makes its way through the courts, many changes will have been made and will be difficult to reverse thereafter.
Among his most significant executive orders: the national border emergency will allow him to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. He also intends to further militarize the border with Mexico and has declared cartels to be terrorist organizations.
The 25% tariffs on Canada are expected to take effect on February 1. The Canadian dollar is at a low point, at $0.69 against the U.S. dollar. In response to this situation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Joly, are already seeking other trade partnerships around the world. There are also intentions to respond dollar for dollar to the tariffs. These are therefore gloomy months ahead for the Canadian economy. On the Quebec government side, Premier Francois Legault says he will protect Quebecers at all costs against the protectionist measures announced by Trump.
The Americans also intend to reclaim the Panama Canal and assert their Manifest Destiny, thus signalling a great deal of global instability to come.
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