Trump vows 'golden age' for US

Sworn in as 47th president Moves swiftly to implement his new agenda Pledges to reshape American institutions

WASHINGTON:

President Donald Trump on Monday cast himself as a peacemaker in his second inaugural address, but immediately vowed that the United States would be "taking back" the Panama Canal.

He was expected to launch his second term as US president with a barrage of executive orders, many set to be signed at a desk set up in the Capitol One Arena in downtown Washington, where the inaugural parade was moved to avoid freezing temperatures outside.

"With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense," Trump said earlier, in an inaugural address at the US Capitol that was also moved indoors. "It's all about common sense."

"I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success," Trump said. And although he listed many challenges, he assured the nation that they would be "annihilated" by American momentum. "The golden age of America," he declared.

Trump spoke in the Capitol rotunda, a hallowed space through which his supporters rioted to deadly effect four years ago, as they sought to block certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory on the basis of Trump's electoral fraud lie.

Four years on, having completed an astonishing political escape act, Trump focused on executive orders concerning immigration.

"First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border," he said. "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came."

Crossings at the southern border are currently low, as a result of hardline policies under the Biden administration. The number of undocumented migrants on US soil convicted of one or more crimes does not run anywhere close to "millions and millions". Undocumented migrants also offend at a lower rate than US citizens.

"We will reinstate my remain in Mexico policy," Trump said, referring to a Covid-era measure that lapsed under Biden. He also promised to "end the practice of catch and release" of undocumented migrants and said he would "send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country".

The US Department of Defense was reported to have been planning for such deployments, in anticipation of Trump's orders.

Trump was reportedly set to sign an order attempting to end birthright citizenship – which is guaranteed by the 14th amendment to the US constitution and not thus not subject to removal by executive order.

In his inaugural address, he said: "Under the orders I sign today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to US soil, including our cities and inner cities."

Shifting to domestic policy, Trump said he would direct his cabinet to "defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices", though he did not say how.

He would "declare a national energy emergency", he said, adding a campaign-trail expression of support for renewed focus on fossil fuels: "We will drill, baby, drill."

"As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female. This week, I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the Covid vaccine mandate with full back pay and I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It's going to end immediately. Our armed forces will be free to focus on their sole mission: defeating America's enemies."

Though Trump said "my proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and a unifier", he continued to outline orders and policies that promise to stoke rancor and division.

"A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America," Trump said, without indicating how international waters might be so renamed, "and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley where it should be and where it belongs."

Trump issued the threat without explaining details after weeks of refusing to rule out military action against Panama over the waterway, which the United States handed over at the end of 1999.

"Above all, China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we're taking it back," Trump said after being sworn in inside the US Capitol.

Panama maintains control of the canal but Chinese companies have been steadily increasing their presence around the vital shipping link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino swiftly denied that any other nation was interfering in the canal, which he said his country operated with a principle of neutrality.

"The canal is and will remain Panama's," Mulino said, calling for dialogue to address any issues.

At his inauguration, Trump said that the United States has been "treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made."

"The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, and that includes the United States Navy," he said.

Marco Rubio, Trump's choice for secretary of state, stopped short of threatening military action during his confirmation hearing last week but warned that China through its influence could effectively shut down the Panama Canal to the United States in a crisis.

"This is a legitimate issue that needs to be confronted," Rubio said.

Trump has also not ruled out force to seize Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark where Russia has been increasingly active as ice melts due to climate change.

The Panama Canal was built by the United States mostly with Afro-Caribbean labor and opened in 1914.

Former US president Jimmy Carter, who died last month, negotiated its return in 1977, saying he saw a moral responsibility to respect a less powerful but fully sovereign nation.

Trump pledged an "America First" policy of prioritizing US interests above all else. He has put a focus on cracking down on undocumented immigration and said he will deploy the military to the border with Mexico.

But Trump also cast himself as a peacemaker and pointed to a Gaza ceasefire deal whose implementation began Sunday.

"My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be—a peacemaker and a unifier," he said.

The Gaza ceasefire, which includes an exchange of hostages and prisoners, follows the outlines of a proposal outlined in May by then-president Joe Biden, but it was pushed through after intensive last-minute diplomacy by envoys of both Biden and Trump.

Trump has also promised to end the war in Ukraine by pushing for compromises—a contrast to Biden's approach of supporting Kyiv to a potential military victory.

Despite Trump's vow to be a unifier, he immediately fired a symbolic but provocative shot above the bow to Mexico.

He said in his address that the United States would start referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America"—making the water body the latest in the world whose name is disputed between neighbors.

"America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world," Trump said.

With additional input from News Desk