Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has been sworn in for a second term at an indoor ceremony at the Capitol, where he was shielded against the wintry gusts of a polar vortex.
But his inauguration still saw supporters descend on Washington, DC, to celebrate.
On Monday, in his second inaugural address, Trump pledged that his legacy would be that of a “peacemaker and unifier”.
But in the same remarks, the US president outlined some of his most divisive policy proposals, including a harsh crackdown on irregular immigration and “taking back” the Panama Canal.
“Above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigour and vitality of history’s greatest civilisation,” Trump said. “So as we liberate our nation, we will lead it to new heights of victory and success.”
Trump’s Democratic detractors have long accused him of being a threat to US democracy – if not an outright fascist.
However, there were few protesters in Washington on Monday to reject Trump’s return to the White House, marking a stark contrast with the large demonstrations before, during and after his first inauguration.
Protesters may have been deterred by the indoor inauguration or the freezing cold. Others may have felt apathy or a sense of acceptance towards Trump’s return to the White House.
The weather, however, did not keep away the US president’s supporters, who showed up in their Make America Great Again (MAGA) gear and queued over several city blocks to get inside the Capital One Arena.
Trump’s last-minute decision on Friday to move his inauguration indoors left many unable to watch it in person. But the arena was set up as an alternative, with a live broadcast of the event. Plus, Trump promised to make a personal appearance afterwards.
Still, thousands of his supporters were left angling for a spot in the 20,000-seat arena, which boasted less space than the outdoor National Mall park.
‘Respected again’
Although Trump has filled his cabinet with foreign policy hawks, several of his supporters stressed his pledge to advance global peace.
David Marks, who drove from Orlando, Florida, to attend the inauguration events, praised Trump for using “common sense” instead of relying on bureaucracy in his governing style.
Marks rode a bike featuring a banner with the flags of Israel and Palestine and a peace sign.
“He understands it’s in our interests to have world peace,” he said of Trump.
Marks was not able to make it to the arena, where the inauguration ceremony and the president’s speech were broadcast on jumbo screens.
Thousands of others were left outside in the Arctic cold, even after waiting for hours to enter the building. Many watched the inauguration on their phones instead as they waited in the slow-moving line.
Trump’s inaugural address was marked by jabs at outgoing President Joe Biden and pledges to aggressively enact his hardline campaign promises.
“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump said, invoking an oft-repeated phrase from his presidential campaign.
“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.”
‘World peace’
Those hoping to get a seat in the Capital One Arena began lining up before dawn, despite temperatures that hovered at -6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit).
Johnny Estrada, a 28-year-old police officer from New Mexico, said he and his friends made a last-minute decision to fly in for the inauguration. He admitted some disappointment about the venue change.
“Unfortunately, it was changed a bit on us, but we’re here,” said Estrada, who wore a red Trump hat with a tuft of fake orange hair poking out.
“The next four years are looking really good. As far as today, I’m just happy to be here.”
He added that he most identified with Trump’s “America First” pledge.
“Personally, I don’t like how we give money to these other countries for their wars. I’m an Army veteran, and the money should be going to our country.”
Chicago resident Shay White also did not make it to the arena, but he played down any dismay in the crowd over the circumstances.
“We’re Americans no matter where we are,” White said. “There’s so much good energy over here.”
His face featured a smear of fake blood, in reference to the blood splatter that stained Trump’s cheek after he survived an assassination attempt in July. White explained that he was confident Trump would help end conflicts globally.
“I think we’re going to have less issues with war. Already, a few days ago what did Gaza announce? Gaza announced a ceasefire,” White told Al Jazeera.
Trump sent his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the region earlier this month to help finalise the ceasefire deal, alongside Biden’s representatives.
Several Israeli media outlets reported that Trump’s team pressured Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve the agreement that was announced last week.
‘Felon coming in with access to nuclear weapons’
While supporters in and around the arena viewed Trump as a strong man who would fight for peace, the president’s critics feared a different outcome for the next four years.
At the Metropolitan AME Church just blocks from the White House, Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network held a rally in honour of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Many attendees found irony in the fact that Trump’s inauguration took place on the national holiday named for the Black civil rights leader.
“We came here to talk about Trump and how to protect people,” said Valerie Adelin of New York City, wearing a fur coat and a face mask advertising Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign as she walked into the church.
“Martin Luther King Jr stood for justice, peace and empowerment,” she added. “We’re celebrating his life, and that’s particularly significant today.”
Inside, 70-year-old Duval Clemmons, who is from New York, condemned Trump’s pledge to pardon his supporters who ransacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to overturn Biden’s election victory.
Trump repeated that pledge on Monday, telling supporters, “You’re going to see a lot of action on the J6 hostages”.
Clemmons also pointed out that Trump himself had been found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, related to a hush-money payment he attempted to conceal during the 2016 election.
That conviction in May made Trump the first person in US history to assume the presidency with a criminal record.
“He’s a felon coming in with access to nuclear weapons,” Clemmons said. “He’s a liar, and he’s making us weaker globally.”
“Now he’s talking about pardoning the people who stormed the Capitol, when so many people are still feeling the effects of that.”
‘Gear up for the next four years’
One mile north, at Meridian Park, about 200 protesters also gathered to decry Trump’s pledges of mass deportation, his support for Israel and his attacks on reproductive rights.
Rachel, 32, an art historian from Washington, DC, said protesters hoped to send a unified message of “community” despite the various causes they support.
“It shows that our agendas are not siloed. They are intertwined and connected, and there is strength in working across our immediate interests,” said Rachel, who chose to be identified by her first name only.
Still, the protest movement surrounding Trump’s inauguration was relatively quiet compared with when Trump first took office in 2017.
While the Women’s March in 2017 brought an estimated 500,000 people to the US capital, its latest iteration – dubbed the People’s March on Washington – saw far fewer protesters on Saturday, though several thousand still showed up.
Amy Burke, a 55-year-old protester from Tampa, Florida, who had also attended the Women’s March in 2017, acknowledged a general fatigue ahead of Trump’s second term.
“It’s hard. I can’t tell you how many friends I asked to join me, and they’re just tired, they’re exhausted, they’re disappointed,” she said. “They’re trying to gear up for the next four years.”
New policies ahead
Already, Trump has moved ahead with sweeping pledges for changes – enacting some of them within hours of his inauguration.
In his inaugural speech, Trump outlined his executive actions on immigration, including declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and sending troops there.
He added that he would reinstate his “remain in Mexico” policy, which forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their US immigration hearings, designate Mexican drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organisations” and “eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks”.
In one of the first moves under his administration, US authorities announced that the CBP One app had been shut down, and all appointments made through it cancelled.
CBP One was established in 2020 under Trump’s first presidency, and his successor Biden expanded its use, making it a requirement for nearly all asylum seekers arriving at the southern border.
Videos shared on social media showed migrants breaking down in tears after learning that their appointments had been annulled.
Peter Cepeda, a mining industry worker from South Texas, was among the supporters who arrived in Washington, DC, to celebrate Trump’s inauguration.
He said he looked forward to the president increasing border security. A Latino immigrant himself, Cepeda said the main reason migration was a top issue for him was public safety.
“A lot of people are getting in without being vetted,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that he only supports immigration “the right way”.
But numerous studies have shown that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than US-born citizens.
On Monday, Trump also pledged to take actions to boost the country’s economy, including directing his cabinet members to “defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices”.
He also announced a broad deregulation of the energy industry, throwing his support behind the increased extraction of fossil fuels.
“We will drill, baby, drill,” Trump said, returning to a familiar catchphrase.
All told, Trump’s inaugural address was a relatively subdued event, light on policy and similar to his campaign trail speeches.
Biden’s farewell
For his part, Biden used his final day in office to issue a flurry of preemptive pardons for potential targets of Trump’s vowed retribution.
Those included five pardons for his siblings and their spouses.
There were also pardons for Dr Anthony Fauci, an immunologist who sparred with Trump over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and General Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who called Trump a “fascist”.
Biden also shielded members of Congress who had probed Trump’s role in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
Following the inauguration, Biden left Washington on board Special Air Mission 46, a military aircraft. In his final words to former staff, he said, “We’re leaving office, but we’re not leaving the fight.”
Trump’s presence was almost immediately seen at the White House, as he swiftly issued a presidential proclamation ordering US flags to be raised to full-staff for the day.
They had been lowered for a 30-day mourning period for the late President Jimmy Carter. But Trump objected to flags staying at half-mast for his inauguration.
The flags will be returned to half-staff at the end of the day, per the terms of his proclamation.