Musk’s questionable salute and other key moments from Trump’s first day back
By Matthew Knott
The frosty Washington weather may have forced Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors, but his first day back in the White House was never going to be a dull affair. Here were the standout moments from his first day back in power.
A questionable salute
Reflecting a remarkable turn towards the political right in Silicon Valley ahead of Trump’s return to office, tech titans, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, attended the inauguration.
So too, of course, did Tesla founder Elon Musk, who as well as running social media platform X, has been appointed to lead Trump’s new cost-cutting agency, the Department of Government Efficiency.
After attending Trump’s address, Musk made his way to Capital Arena to speak to the Make America Great Again devotees gathered there. After revving up the crowd, he raised his arm in an eye-catching gesture that resembled a Nazi salute.
Defenders on social media quickly rushed to say that Musk was only trying to thank the crowd. In case there was any skerrick of a doubt, it was clear America and the world are in for a wild four years.
A burst of optimism
Trump’s first inaugural address in 2017 stood out for its unusually dark themes, including his famous claim that he would bring an end to an age of “American carnage”. Trump sought to project a sunnier image this time around, declaring that “the golden age of America begins right now”.
“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success,” he declared. “A tide of change is sweeping the country.”
The world put on notice
Trump sent a warning to the world that he would once again pursue an “America First” agenda but with even more vigour than during his first presidential term. He did not mention taking control of Greenland or turning Canada into the 51st American state but insisted his administration would be “taking back” the Panama Canal, the crucial trade passage the US handed over to Panama in 1977. Trump said the US had been “treated very badly” by Panama and that American ships were being “severely overcharged”.
Donald Trump signs his first documents as the 47th president.Credit: AP
He added: “And 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 also vowed to use tariffs on foreign goods to boost the American Treasury, including by setting up an External Revenue Service to raise funds from overseas.
Tearing up the Biden era
Trump revealed he would sign a blitz of executive orders to quickly establish his presence in the White House and sweep away key policies from the Biden administration. In particular, Biden’s focus on green energy and tackling climate change is being speedily dismantled. Trump’s declaration of a “national energy emergency” will encourage fossil fuel companies to expand oil and gas extraction – that is to “drill, baby, drill” in Trump’s words.
Trump also revealed he would scrap Biden’s “electric vehicle mandate”, a rule that required car manufacturers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half in new light- and medium-duty vehicles from 2027. The White House also confirmed that Trump would, as he did in his first term, withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the global pact to fight climate change.
An end to wokeism in the White House
Incoming presidents usually use their inaugural addresses to deliver a unifying and uplifting message. Trump, however, was determined to touch upon the hot-button social and cultural issues that have made him a hero to conservative Americans and reviled by progressives. His message: the White House is no longer woke.
“This week, I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” Trump said.
“We will forge a society that is colour-blind and merit-based. As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
A rare moment of unity
The Democrats who attended Trump’s inauguration – including outgoing president Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris – largely stayed stuck to their seats during his address as Republicans leapt to their feet to applaud. That changed when Trump turned to the Middle East and celebrated the return of Israeli hostages who had been held in Gaza for over a year. Biden, Harris and other Democrats stood up to applaud, reflecting the fact the incoming and outgoing administrations had worked together on the ceasefire deal. Trump has vowed to stop foreign wars and celebrated his role in helping implement a ceasefire in Gaza. “A peacemaker and a unifier, that’s what I want to be,” Trump said.
A second speech
For a president who loves the spotlight, one inauguration speech was not enough. After delivering his official speech, read from a teleprompter, Trump gave an off-the-cuff speech to supporters.
Trump, flanked by J.D. Vance (left) and House Speaker Mike Johnson, gave a second, edgier, speech to supporters in Emancipation Hall.Credit: AP
There, he went into edgier, more political material that he said his wife, Melania, had advised him not to include in his inaugural address. This included his intention to pardon people convicted of crimes in relation to the January 6 riots at the Capitol.
He also revealed he had wanted to talk about Biden’s decision to issue a flurry of last-minute pardons – including pre-emptive pardons for former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and members of Biden’s family – but left that out, too.
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