TRUMP 2: RETURN OF THE DONALD
While an enormous amount of news is happening everywhere right now, only one event is getting coverage this morning — The Donald 2.0 is back.
The 78-year-old’s inauguration has taken place in the rotunda of the Capitol building, along with very awkward attempts to get around his wife Melania’s massive hat. The 47th US president pledged an immediate blitz of executive orders and actions, with The New York Times reporting he plans to sign around 100 in his first few days in office.
The paper says Trump’s address after taking the oath of office “largely dispensed with lofty themes and the broad unifying strokes favoured by most presidents in their inaugural addresses, and outlined a series of often-divisive policies”.
“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump declared in his 29-minute address. “From this moment on, America’s decline is over.” The president’s speech was littered with phrases such as “a revolution of common sense” and “drill, baby, drill” as he announced he would declare an emergency at the US-Mexico border, designate cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, proclaim a national energy emergency and plant an American flag on Mars (no prizes for guessing which tech billionaire in the room gave a thumbs-up to that).
Most US publications went with similar-looking headlines on their coverage, with Fox News declaring: “President Trump sworn in and declares ‘the golden age of America begins right now’”, NewsMax stating: “President Trump pledges golden age for US”, The Washington Post reporting: “Trump promises immediate reversal of many US policies in vow to end ‘America’s decline’” and CNN (clearly not a fan of a short headline) saying: “The new president listed his priorities for a second term and criticised Biden as he sat nearby, declaring ‘America’s decline is over’”.
The Daily Beast didn’t pull any punches with its addition: “Trump declares MAGAfest destiny in unhinged ‘saved by God’ speech”, while The New York Post took the time to flag a video that appears to show Hillary Clinton laughing at Trump’s plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
CBS News played it straight and handily gives us the main takeaways from Trump’s inaugural address, stating the 47th president “invoked familiar themes from the campaign trail, including immigration and the economy, and repeated his attacks on the Justice Department and federal government”. The Wall Street Journal also rounds up the main themes of the address.
At the time of writing, The New York Times is reporting Trump later told supporters Vice President JD Vance and the first lady had convinced him to tone down his speech. Jonathan Swan writes in the live blog: “Trump is now giving the speech he wishes he could have given in the Rotunda. He is clearly infuriated that Biden gave pardons to people he has suggested belong in prison.”
As the inaugural address was happening, The Washington Post attempted something rather brave which was having 10 members of its opinion desk writing real-time analysis of Trump’s speech. A flavour of which helps convey the general tone:
Philip Bump wrote: “We might have just experienced the apex of Trump’s political career. Today was the capstone of his comeback story, the central element of his revenge fantasy. Now it only gets harder. He’s unlikely to get more popular, if should he govern as he just indicated he will. He is now tasked with an incredibly difficult, fraught job. And he and his party now bear the burden of incumbency. Trump’s always liked campaigning more than governing, which is in part why he governed like a candidate the first time around. He’ll probably do the same this time, even as a de facto lame duck. But he won’t be rewarded with tens of millions of votes at the end of it.”
E.J. Dionne Jr wrote: “I was really hoping that I might hear something, anything, that could reassure the country that Trump will look at this second term as a chance to bring Americans together and might use his electoral victory as a way to put his resentment and desire for revenge behind him. No, I did not really expect it, but I thought his speechwriters might draw on a long tradition of political reconciliation that I have referenced a few times here to lift us up.
“This speech, alas, has done everything possible to confirm the fears of those of us who were alarmed about what a Trump presidency will mean. Trump could have given Democrats who are ready to work with him something to work with. He didn’t. Instead, he confirmed that the next four years will require vigilance in defence of liberty, activism in defence of democratic values and organising in defence of an alternative vision for our country.”
While Jim Geraghty wrote: “This was a long, meandering, typically Trumpian speech full of implied and not-so-implied shots at the Biden administration, with the now-former president and vice president forced to grin and bear it; bizarrely extraneous points like restoring McKinley’s name to the mountain currently named Denali and the intention to rename the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ the ‘Gulf of America’, over-the-top bombast, a threat to take back the Panama Canal, and ludicrously unrealistic promises (‘Our power will stop all wars’).
“No doubt, the speech left Trump’s fans ecstatic. America, you knew this was what you were getting when you went to the ballot box in November. Buckle up!”
Earlier, former president Joe Biden and his wife Jill welcomed Donald and Melania at the White House, with the 82-year-old welcoming the 78-year-old with “welcome home” and a smile.
Biden spent his last few hours as president issuing pre-emptive pardons for COVID response chief Anthony Fauci and the members of the January 6 riot investigation, the BBC reports. He then also issued pardons for members of his family, including his brothers James and Francis and his sister Valerie, in order to “shield his family from politically motivated attacks”.
Speaking of January 6, Trump has said he will pardon some of those convicted over the riot, saying on Sunday: “You’re going to see something tomorrow. I think you’ll be very, very happy.”
Biden finished his final day as president with “one more selfie for the road”. Seriously.
ANYTHING ELSE?
Well, sure, but is anyone really paying attention?
Last night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC’s 7.30 program that Trump had reassured him America’s relationship with Australia will remain “perfect” despite the US president’s pledge to put tariffs on goods from almost every nation.
Albanese conceded Trump had not told him extra tariffs wouldn’t be levied against Australia but claimed being in partnership with America on numerous fronts would help the relationship.
“I expect that the relationship between Australia and the United States will remain strong,” the PM said. “We are both Five Eyes partners, we have the US alliance, we have the free trade agreement. Also, Australia plays a critical role in this region through our engagement with ASEAN and through our engagement with the Pacific Islands Forum. Australia is a middle power, but we’re an important part of this region.”
The Australian also quotes former Australian ambassador to Washington Dennis Richardson as saying there was “no reason to think that Trump has anything less than a positive view of the relationship”.
In other news, thank you to everyone who helped explain meme coins to me yesterday. It’s clearly a topic that has got people talking. The Australian Financial Review has featured its report on the phenomenon high up overnight claiming “meme coins, it seems, are back in a big way”.
The paper also reports on First Lady Melania Trump entering the fray with her coin on Monday. “The only thing that stood in the way of the $Trump token’s rise was Mrs Trump. Announced on Monday morning, the MELANIA token quickly rose to a market capitalisation of $US5 billion. That shaved about a third of the value off Mr Trump’s coin, reducing his wealth by $US20 billion,” the AFR said.
Digital Asset Capital Management’s Richard Galvin is quoted as declaring: “Meme coins are not going anywhere.” (Imagine explaining that sentence to someone 20 years ago.)
The Washington Post reports on the ethical questions being raised over the president’s cryptocurrency venture. Norman Eisen, a former White House ethics adviser during the Obama administration, told the paper: “He’s [Trump] launching a major, new multibillion-dollar venture in the burgeoning crypto industry, where he has the most profound conflict of interest between [what] he’s seeking to gain and his duties to regulate that industry — which now includes himself. This may represent the single worst conflict of interest in the modern history of the presidency.”
Finally, Guardian Australia has the results of its latest Essential poll, in which it found “Australians are feeling more optimistic in 2025 about the fortunes of the economy and their families”, which will come as welcome reading for Albanese as he mulls when to call the election. My colleague Anton Nilsson has a handy recap for you here on all the times media outlets have tried (and failed) to guess when the federal election will be.
Oh, and Guardian Australia also points out that two of Australia’s richest people, Gina Rinehart and Anthony Pratt, have taken out adverts in American newspapers declaring their support for a certain Donald Trump.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE…
Not so much a lighter note, more an act worthy of enormous praise — Olympic kitesurfer Bruno Lobo has made headlines around the world after rescuing a woman in distress out at sea.
The 31-year-old was kite surfing and testing out his camera off the coast of São Luís, Brazil, last week when he heard someone screaming, CNN reports.
“After sailing a few meters I heard a cry for help and looked at the girl who was drowning,” he said in an Instagram post, which also featured a video of the rescue. “I promptly approached her with the kite, tried to calm her down and asked her to climb on my back (as) she was very tired and had no strength.”
He later told CNN: “I am very happy that there was a happy end and she is fine!”
The BBC adds that Lobo, who is also an orthopaedic doctor, used the rescue to warn people on social media of the dangers of the ocean and the strength of tides.
Say What?
If true, this will be a disgrace… This is not the way to solve things.
Pope Francis
The Pope was speaking about the US President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants during an interview with Italian talk show Che Tempo Che Fa on Sunday.
CRIKEY RECAP
It’s an idea so stupid even the Financial Review lambasted it. Is this the best that Dutton and his team — which is, admittedly, the weakest frontbench on either side for 20 years — can actually do? Where was shadow finance minister Jane Hume in the announcement? Sulking because she was rolled on such a dumb idea?
Or is it not so much that Dutton can’t produce worthwhile policy, or for that matter add up, but that he doesn’t care? Is the opposition leader so confident he can scare his way to victory against an insipid Labor outfit that his policy offerings will simply be trolling? A nuclear power policy that blatantly doesn’t add up. A migration policy that changes from week to week. A housing policy designed to transfer retirement savings from young people to homeowners. And now, the return of the long lunch.
It’s a man taking the piss out of the entire idea of worthwhile public policy.
Considering the hand it was dealt, ByteDance played an incredible game to get here. In mid-2024, the company’s platform was scheduled to be banned in six months by law unless it found a buyer. The Chinese government said it wasn’t going to permit any sale, so that wasn’t an option. And the next leader of the free world, the only person who could really do something about this, was either going to be the man who signed the law, Joe Biden, or the man who a few years earlier had tried to ban it himself.
ByteDance had a narrow, maybe impossible, path to make it out of this mess. It drew directly from the strongman’s playbook to win over Trump. To save TikTok, ByteDance acted like a cyber-dictator and a bully.
The Jones faux pas is the talk of the Australian Open media centre. Reporters from Nine competitors, including overseas outlets, were overheard in the media room dismissing Jones’ mea culpa as a “non-apology apology”, with others suggesting “It’s time for Ch 9 to retire that fella” and “This is a product of … matey Australian TV culture.”
“It was wildly unnecessary from Chompers,” another local reporter told Crikey.
It’s not just about Nine’s reputation either, they argued. Jones continues to “act like an inappropriate and unfunny uncle without consequence. It’s embarrassing and now it’s embarrassing on a global scale.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
UN ramps up aid to Gaza as Palestinians return home to ‘total destruction’ (BBC)
Fears for new mums after mass psychiatrist resignation (Australian Associated Press)
Coalition to PM: Bring on hate speech crackdown (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Star flags ‘going concern’ doubts as Qld tax breaks revealed (The Australian)
EPL broadcaster Optus considers selling sports streaming to Nine (AFR)
Alaska to resume ‘barbaric’ shooting of bears and wolves from helicopters (The Guardian)
THE COMMENTARIAT
It turns out that AUKUS is really all about symbolism — Greg Sheridan (The Australian): The only value in AUKUS is signalling — to Beijing that we’re with the Americans and they’re with us, and to the wider world that Washington can still mobilise allies.
The Trump administration will speak well of AUKUS partly because Australia is contributing $4 billion to the US submarine manufacturing effort. Give anyone $4 billion and you’ll get smiles for a while.
In many ways, AUKUS is a typical conspiracy of Australia’s cosy politics.
The right pretends AUKUS is happening so they can pretend they’re doing something substantial on defence without actually doing anything or spending any more money. (Last year our defence budget didn’t even reach 2% of GDP.)
The left pretends AUKUS is real so they can pretend they’re heroically resisting shocking militarism.
Left and right resemble Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, two workmates disguised as performers in an endless contest neither one must ever win or lose.
Four more years! Four more years! Wait. Four more years? — Gail Collins and Bret Stephens (The New York Times):
Bret: The larger question here is what the next four years brings in terms of our relationship with China. This is one of the areas where I’m comparatively happier with Trump in the White House than I would have been with Harris. He conveys a combination of toughness and unpredictability that might do more than the Biden team did to really deter a strongman like Xi Jinping. Either that — or it’s World War III.
Gail: Not thrilled with ushering in four more years with a guy who might blow up the planet. Good Lord, four years. My mind keeps coming back to that. I guess that’s a test of my side of the political world — can we march along for 48 months, standing up for sanity and not going insane ourselves?
