The inauguration on the screen of the entire nation was not enough for the stage animal Donald Trump. For the entire first day of his second presidency, he wanted to shine in the full light of the spotlight. Let yourself be applauded. And let the world understand that everything will be different from now on. “Can you imagine Biden doing this,” he shouted Monday evening from behind a small wooden desk that had been set up for him in the indoor sports stadium in Washington. There, instead of in the White House, he signed his first eight of 41 decrees in front of 20,000 fans.
The dawning “Golden Age,” which he proclaimed during his speech, began with a withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and an order banning federal officials from working from home. After getting out of his red chair somewhat stiffly, he threw the eight black markers with which he had signed his name into the audience. Supporters dove in as if a stripper had just thrown her underwear at them.
In this way, Trump offered his supporters what they had come to Washington for, braving the cold: entertainment, boasting and the destruction of everything his alleged enemies hold dear. In his dedication speech, he had promised them that he would “take back” the Panama Canal and plant the American flag on Mars. Trump plans to operate unhindered at home and abroad. He advocates imperialism beyond his own planet. “Nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans.”
Capitol stormers
The second international ‘obstacle’ he removed after ‘Paris’ was the World Health Organization. Trump withdrew the US from there later on Monday evening. In 2021, Biden had reversed Trump’s decision to do so before it came into effect. Trump also declared invalid on Monday the international tax deal that Biden had made to make companies pay at least 15 percent in taxes.
Trump rewarded his most radical supporters by making good on his promise to release the Capitol stormers on day one. On Monday he pardoned around 1,500 convicts and suspects for the attack on the heart of American democracy in 2021. Several officers and supporters were killed as a result.
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys militia, who received the maximum prison sentence of 22 years for seditious conspiracy, was immediately released from prison in Louisiana with a pardon. The far-right Proud Boys waved their flags again in Washington on Monday.
Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, who is serving 18 years in prison, will also be released, but through a drastic reduction in sentence instead of a pardon. As a result, he retains his criminal record. Neither entered the Capitol on January 6, 2021, but they were found guilty of planning the storm.
By releasing virtually all perpetrators of January 6, Trump shows that he not only spits on international agreements and organizations, but also on police officers and judges who enforce American laws. Plus the politicians whose lives were threatened during the storming. Every friend of his enemy – Joe Biden, in this case – is his enemy. And vice versa.
Constitutional amendment
In the White House, Trump launched several decrees around his other important campaign promises, although not all of them had immediate effect. Trump shouted a ‘energy emergency‘ to make drilling for fossil fuel easier. He also signed off on “protecting the American people from invasion.” tighten and turn off of illegally entered migrants. His ‘border czar’ Tom Homan has already announced raids this week. Trump also wants to reverse all policies in favor of trans and nonbinary people, including the gender in their passports.
Trump’s decree to end birthright citizenship, the fundamental right to citizenship for everyone born on American soil, is symbolic. The president has a lot of power, but cannot single-handedly change the constitution. The decree that all its ministries must take measures to reduce the living costs of citizens is no more concrete than that regulations and administrative burdens must be scrapped.
Trump was slower on other dossiers that were crucial to him. The import duties he wants to impose on other countries will not come immediately, because they could also harm the US. “We are not ready for it yet,” he told reporters at the White House.
By postponing or canceling the ban on TikTok, Trump even turned 180 degrees from his previous position that the Chinese app should be banned.
Deluge
In his first presidential campaign in 2016, Trump called Barack Obama a weak president for issuing decrees that bypass Congress. As president, he quickly reversed his statement that “largely want to finish” of such unilateral decisions. The flood of decrees he released on Monday prove that it is now his favorite tool, even when the Republicans have a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
On Monday evening, Trump would meet first lady Melania three galas organized in his honor in Washington. Showing up there and doing a dance would fulfill his duties. But Trump plans to speak again at all three events.
Trump can’t get enough of his comeback and adulation. But he’s not a stripper who only grabs attention with shamelessness. He wants to be a boxer, a fighter who knocks out all his opponents with striking blows. With the drastic measures for all facets of society, he has made his opponents dizzy, to say the least.