Mr. Trump alluded to several executive orders in his first speech after being sworn in.
Donald Trump officially returned to power on Monday, becoming the 47th president of the United States in what he called a “historic political comeback.”
After being sworn in at the Capitol in Washington, he gave a speech lasting about 30 minutes, relatively short by his standards.
Here are six key takeaways from this speech:
1.Freedom of expression
Mr Trump has promised to “restore free speech” by ending government censorship. This is likely a nod to his support of big social media and tech companies. During the speech, CEOs of technology companies such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos sat a little further away from Mr. Trump’s new cabinet. The impact on the EU’s attempts to regulate tech giants will be a key question in the days and weeks to come.
2. “Drill, baby, drill”
Mr Trump called for a “national energy emergency” to allow greater production. Following his speech, the White House announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. This is the second time Mr. Trump has withdrawn from the voluntary agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. EU officials who manage the Green Deal will be worried about the impact of Mr Trump’s policies.
3.Mars territorial claims in Panama
In an apparent reference to his plan to colonize Mars, Donald Trump pledged to “expand our territory.” He also reiterated his foreign policy plans, mentioning the war between Israel and Hamas and falsely asserting that “China operates the Panama Canal” but “we are taking it back.” Earlier this month, he refused to rule out the use of military force to take control of this essential waterway.
4. Better not to talk about it…
Mr. Trump did not mention the rioters convicted of attacking the Capitol on January 6, 2021, a notable omission given that he said he planned to pardon many of them as early as today.
5. The war against homosexuality
The new president has hinted that he plans to roll back former President Joe Biden’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies, saying his administration will only recognize two genders – male and female – and that it would end efforts to “integrate race and gender into all aspects of public and private life.”
6. MAGA is back
Donald Trump has promised to raise the United States’ standing on the international stage, saying “America’s decline is over.” He also hailed his return to the Oval Office as “proof that you should never believe that you can’t get anything done in America.”
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
