Trump lays out plans for drastic changes to America in inaugural address
Washington DC - Donald Trump pronounced the start of a "golden age" in the US after taking the oath for a historic second term as president on Monday, using his inaugural speech to lash out at what he described as a "broken" society that he would rescue.
"The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world," Trump said in the US Capitol, where his inauguration was held indoors due to chilly weather.
While promising renewal, Trump's tone was characteristically dark, denouncing what he said had been a "betrayal" of Americans by a "radical and corrupt establishment."
"For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair," he said.
"From this moment on, America's decline is over."
The Republican – at 78, now the oldest person ever to take the presidential oath – was set to kickstart his new term with a blitz of immediate orders targeting immigration and the LGBTQ+ community.
Trump details plans for first executive orders after inauguration
"I will declare a national emergency at our southern border" with Mexico, Trump said to loud cheers from supporters inside the ornate Rotunda hall, vowing to deport "millions and millions" of undocumented immigrants.
He also outlined new attacks on transgender Americans, promising, "I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life... As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female."
Trump also doubled down on his latest threats that were not mainstays on the campaign trail, including a promise to "take back" the Panama Canal.
"We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we're taking it back," said the president, who has previously not ruled out using military force against Panama.
Trump further vowed to take America's "manifest destiny into the stars" by sending US astronauts to "plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars."
Cover photo: POOL / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP