How not to watch Donald Trump’s second inaugural address

On By Littum

Donald Trump’s first inaugural address is often referred to by political commentators as the “American Carnage” speech. Instead of presenting an optimistic vision of what he would do as president, Trump used a dark (and at times misleading) rhetoric that would set the tone for his first term.

It was years before he called on his supporters to march violently on the Capitol, the building where he will deliver his speech today.

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And even in the days leading up to the inauguration, the Trump team has previewed their priorities for the first few days of his term, promising mass deportation raids in larger citiespardoning rebels and an executive order allowing career civil servants to be fired.

A moderately controlled speech does not mean that Trump actually plans to put aside his political grievances and rule for all people.

So the bar for a speech is already embarrassingly low.

But as Trump prepares to deliver his second inaugural address on Monday, we cannot allow his past to lower our own bars for what to expect from a future president.

And more importantly, a moderately controlled speech does not mean that he actually plans to put aside his political grievances and rule for all people.

After all, this is a direct quote from the same “American carnage” address in 2017:

“The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans. To all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain and from sea to sea, hear these words. You will never be ignored again.”

We know that’s not exactly how it worked.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when thousands upon thousands died, Trump repeatedly questioned sending aid to blue states and referred to a Covid aid law submitted by House Democrats as a “major bailout for poorly run Democratic cities and states.” He denied the deaths of Americans who died in states that didn’t vote his way.

Trump was similarly dismissive after a series of devastating hurricanes hit Puerto Rico in late 2017. The president reportedly told his staff he didn’t want “a single dollar” for Puerto Rico. Instead, he wanted more of the money to go to Texas and Florida. The Washington Post reports that he even signed an order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay almost all disaster costs in Florida, a deeply red state, after threatening to veto a similar proposal for Puerto Rico.

Trump too allegedly withheld wildfire aid for Washington in 2020 after falling out with the state’s Democratic governor, Politico reports, and initially rejected to provide disaster relief for the 2018 wildfires in California.

And these are just some of many examples.

It’s very possible that Trump will stand in the middle of the Capitol rotunda on Monday and reiterate his commitment to representing all Americans, especially those who feel left behind by government. He will, of course, give that speech in front of some of the world’s elite, including Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk’s tech oligarchy. The tens of thousands of Trump fans originally expected to watch from the Mall will be literally locked out.

Perhaps Trump won’t talk about his plans for immigration crackdowns in major cities like Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington. Perhaps he will not celebrate the “heroism” of the rebels on January 6. And that’s a good thing.

But that doesn’t mean immigration crackdowns aren’t imminent. Or that violent rioters will not soon be rewarded with presidential pardons.

It is the job of political pundits to watch and analyze, to listen carefully to the president’s words and try to predict their true meaning. But Trump is not like other presidents. So we must resist the urge to grade on a curve. And remember that what he does is infinitely more important than anything he says.