WASHINGTON (OSV News) — President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second, nonconsecutive term in the White House Jan. 20, becoming the nation’s 47th president four years after he left office as its 45th.
In his inaugural address, Trump pledged to reverse what he called “America’s decline.”
“My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all of these many betrayals that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy. And, indeed, their freedom,” Trump said.
Trump took a sharply critical tone of his predecessor, without naming him, but also pledged “unity” moving forward.
“We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad,” he said. “It fails to protect our magnificent law-abiding American citizens, but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.”
Trump also addressed his own assassination attempt while campaigning in Butler, Pa., last July, arguing, “I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason — I was saved by God to make America great again.”
In his address, Trump confirmed his plans to sign a series of executive orders on Day One, including declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, shutting down “illegal entry,” and beginning “the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.”
While Trump has not yet offered specifics on how he would carry out such a program, mass deportations more broadly run contrary to the Second Vatican Council’s teaching in “Gaudium et Spes” condemning “deportation” among other actions, such as abortion, that “poison human society” and give “supreme dishonor to the Creator,” a teaching St. John Paul II affirmed in two encyclicals on moral truth and life issues.
Executive orders are legally binding directives from the president and are published in the Federal Register. Conversely, the term “executive actions” is broader and may include informal proposals for policy the president would like to see enacted. While it is typical for new presidents to issue some executive orders on their first day to signal certain priorities, Trump signaled plans that were broader in scope. Some of his planned orders are expected to face legal challenges.
In an oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, Trump pledged to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution, as that document requires.
JD Vance, previously Ohio’s senator, also took the oath of office, becoming the nation’s second Catholic vice president. Justice Brett Kavanaugh administered his oath.
The inauguration ceremony was moved indoors amid frigid temperatures in the nation’s capital, taking place in the Capitol Rotunda rather than the exterior West Front of the Capitol Building.
An opening prayer was delivered by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York. He cited the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, whose federal holiday was also observed Jan. 20, “who warned without God our efforts turned to ashes.”
The cardinal prayed that Trump “may know your designs,” and also wished God’s blessings on President Joe Biden in the final moments of his term.
Cardinal Dolan spoke alongside Franklin Graham, son of the late Baptist evangelist Billy Graham.
Prior to the ceremony, Presidents Trump and Biden met at the White House, marking the first time in generations a president had the same predecessor and successor. Only one president, Grover Cleveland, has previously served nonconsecutive terms in the White House. Others, including Martin Van Buren, tried and failed to return to the White House.
But the meeting was also something of a return to precedent, after Trump refused to meet with Biden or attend his inauguration four years ago. Trump’s action was taken amid his unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — the day 2,000 supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempted to block Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
But despite the cordial public greeting, the tension between the two men could be seen in one of Biden’s final actions in his closing hours as president. Biden issued preemptive pardons for some individuals Trump has threatened to prosecute: Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; retired Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the lawmakers and staffers from the House committee that investigated the events of Jan. 6 including former GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, as well as Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”
In a message to Trump, Pope Francis expressed “the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom, strength, and protection in the exercise of your high duties.”
“Inspired by your nation’s ideals of being a land of opportunity and welcome for all, it is my hope that under your leadership the American people will prosper and always strive to build a more just society, where there is no room for hatred, discrimination or exclusion,” Pope Francis said, adding, “I also ask God to guide your efforts in promoting peace and reconciliation among peoples.”
But in a Jan. 19 interview with an Italian television program, Pope Francis said Trump’s mass deportation plans would be a “disgrace” if they materialized.
“That’s not right. That’s not how you solve problems,” the pontiff said.
At the ceremony’s conclusion, interfaith clergy members, including Father Frank Mann of Brooklyn, New York, delivered a blessing.
This story was updated at 9:15 p.m.
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