President Trump's Inauguration Speech: Some Thoughts

Like lots of other folks, I watched the inauguration ceremonies; as is usual for this kind of thing, it kind-of dragged until noon. I found myself sympathizing with Barron Trump's fidgeting and yawning :)

As billed, President Trump's speech was not draggy! it clocked in at about 18 minutes and 1,454 words. Word-wise, it was 25% shorter than President Kennedy's inaugural.

Interestingly - and not unexpectedly - the first part sounded a lot like one of Trump's campaign speeches. I'm sure it's already being billed as unusually boisterous. To be fair to the man, he did try to be as inclusive as American custom demands - especially in his points about America unity precluding bigotry.

If you want to follow along, I'm using the New York Times transcript of his speech.

The Three-Legged Stool Of Themes

His speech was suffused with three themes:

1. Populism
2. Nationalism
3. Strength Through Unity

Theme 1: Populism

Right out of the gate, after his opening thank-yous, he struck a clear note of challenge:

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships, but we will get the job done.

Every four years we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you.

Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people.

That last sentence kicked off his first theme, Populism - anti-Washington populism. True to his campaign, he didn't stress power or abstract political metrics like centralization. He made this point using the pocketbook:

Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs, and while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

See the note of division there? It continues in the same vein: he presented his victory as the People's victory, and the beginning of a new time when Washington disgorges some power that will wind up in the hands of the People.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of an historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before. At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

He gets back into campaign mode, decrying the "carnage" that has ravaged America, and then makes this promise:

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now. We are one nation, and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams, and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny. The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

This part is the segue into his second theme. Interestingly, it touches on the third.

Theme 2: Nationalism

Again drawing on his campaign, he presents his Nationalism as an end to the times when America was bled abroad while too many of its citizens have suffered at home.

For many decades we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We've defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.

Yes, it's a good bet that he really did write this speech himself. :)

As with the Populism theme, this theme is structured as dark days to be followed by better days.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first.

Consistent with his bread-and-butter approach, his "America First" means protectionism, more attention to guarding the border and a rebuilding of America's infrastructure. Not much high principle, but you sure can say that he has his feet on the ground.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American. We will seek friendship and good will with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.

The original "America First"was an anti-war movement. He touches on a similar vision in the next part...

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example. We will shine for everyone to follow. We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.

...with one glaring exception. To the extent that President Trump becomes a neo-con, he'll focus on warring against radical Islamic terrorism.

Getting away from the war-growl, he moves into his third theme:

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.

Theme 3: Strength Through Unity

Interestingly, this theme contains his decryings against bigotry - and it starts off with a sutle dig at political correctness and SJWism:

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear. We are protected, and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and most importantly, we will be protected by God.

All new Presidents speak for unity; it's part of the tradition. But Trump is very clear in tying unity to strength:

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action constantly complaining but never doing anything about it. The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action. Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium ready to unlock the histories of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow. A new national pride will lift our sights and heal our divisions. It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.

Significantly, he implies that America's strength has been drained by professional politicians. As consistent with his bread-and-butter approach, he focuses on how Americans from both sides of the tracks have common experiences and aspirations:

We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American flag. And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the wind-swept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky. They fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator.

The Finale: Back To Theme 1

So to all Americans in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words. You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

"You will never be ignored again." That's quite a promise, so much so that I have to peg it as sentiment. To the extent to which it's a culmination, Trump's populist vision - his vision of bringing back power to the people - implies that Big Government has been indifferent to the people.

Together we will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And, yes, together, we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America! Thank you. God bless America.

Strong again! It's clear that his speech cannot be pegged as high-falutin'

Quick Thought

What struck me most was the aggressiveness of the speech. Donald Trump has criticized neo-conservative nation-building, using a theme we've already encountered: America wasting blood and treasure while the domestic front has been allowed to rot. Interestingly, this theme is standard amongst anti-war liberals: people that are easy to peg as peace creeps. But in Trump's hands, there's no plaints about how many children could be fed if the military budget was cut by such-and-such. Despite his oft-professed aversion to war, despite his now-legendary criticism of the Iraq War, President Trump comes across as subtly bellicose.

If a war starts on his watch, I suspect it's gonna be a yuge one.

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(The images came from here, here and here, in order of appearance. Just to let you know, I did not copy and paste his full speech.)

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Thanks for reading! The next four years are going to be...interesting.