Read full text of Donald Trump’s inauguration speech on January 20, 2025
View video of speech
By Miriam Raftery
January 20, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Donald J. Trump was sworn in for his second term of office today inside the Capitol rotunda, instead of outdoors, due to bitterly cold weather. In a 30-minute inaugural speech, Trump promised a “Golden Age of America” in which he would “put America first,” proclaiming, “America’s decline is over.”
The 47th President is only the second ever to be returned to office after being voted out following his term as 45th.
Below are highlights of his inaugural speech, along with fact checks and clarifications as context.
Trump railed against “unfair weaponization of the Justice Department” and pledged to “rebalance” the scales of justice.
Fact check: Trump was convicted by a jury on 36 felony fraud counts in federal court and faced dozens of other charges that were dropped due to a Justice Dept. policy prohibiting prosecution of a sitting president, however multiple grand juries found evidence of serious crimes. He previously announced his intent to seek retribution against his political enemies and those who prosecuted him. This morning, President Biden responded to those threats by issuing proactive pardons against individuals who investigated Trump as members of the January 6 commission, as well as General Mark Milley.
With his predecessor at hand for the inauguration, Trump repeatedly criticized the Biden administration as “corrupt,” but did not specify examples. In other criticism, he stated, “We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.” Trump predicted that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” He than announced satisfaction that “the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families.”
Fact check: Biden has drawn criticism over the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, as well as the mounting death toll in the Israel-Gaza War. However it was the Biden administration that negotiated cease fires in both Gaza and Lebanon to end the military hostilities in the region and return remaining hostages.
Trump faulted the Biden administration’s handling of the wildfires in California. “Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency,” he stated, adding that in Los Angeles, ”we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense....everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change.”
Fact check: While its unquestionable that the L.A. wildfires have been devastating, President Biden actually pledged to have the federal government cover 100% of the disaster response cost, higher than the 75% that is customary. He’s also asked Congress for additional help, though it will be up to the Trump administration to carry through. The fires were fueled by hurricane-force winds and in some areas, so many homes burning that fire hydrants ran dry; winds were so strong that firefighting planes could not fly. Thousands of firefighters did come from across the nation and around the world to help battle the catastrophic blazes.
Trump attacked the public health system, calling it the most expensive in the world while failing to deliver in times of disaster, but did not provide specifics.
Fact Check: It is true that America spends more than other developed nations on healthcare, in some cases four times higher per capita, though the U.S. is also larger geographically and in population than most other countries. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has provided healthcare insurance for millions who were previously uninsured, though Trump has pledged to eliminate the program. It is unclear what Trump meant about failing to deliver during disasters; both the Trump and Biden administrations mobilized to combat the COVID pandemic, developing a vaccine in record time, getting protective gear out to healthcare workers and more. If Trump was referring to inadequate coverage for those facing a personal health crisis such as cancer, Affordable Care Act coverage is far better than for those who are uninsured and better than coverage under many private insurance policies. The ACA also prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage for preexisting conditions.
He faulted America’s schools, stating,”We have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves, in many cases, to hate our country,” promising “All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly.”
Fact check: Trump has set a goal of abolishing the Department of Education, which provides funding for schools across the U.S., though this will require Congressional approval. It is unclear how the quality of education would improve if a major source of funding for schools is taken away. As for the curriculum specifics, Trump is on record objecting to historically accurate teachings about issues such as slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, and other minorities.
With the inauguration occurring on Martin Luther King Day, Trump specifically thanked those Black and Hispanic community members who voted for him, adding, “Today is Martin Luther King Day...in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality.”
Fact check: Trump, in his speech, pledged to strive for world peace, a goal that King shared. However Trump has also pledged to eliminate policies that mandate or promote diversity, equity and inclusion in an executive order on day one. Dr. King strongly supported increasing diversity, equity and inclusion to assure fairness and opportunities for people of color.
Trump announced that later today, he will sign a series of executive orders, starting with declaring “a national emergency at our southern border.” Specifically, he said, “all illegal entry will be halted and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.” He also pledged to reinstate his “remain in Mexico” policy, end “catch and release” policy, send troops to the southern border to block immigrants, and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Fact check: Illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border has actually dropped to a 5-year low as of this January, USA Today reports That’s due largely to Biden policies such as closing the border during migration surges, working with Mexico to stop migrant caravans, and creating an app for would-be asylum seekers to apply online without entering the U.S., an app Trump has said he will eliminate. Trump’s remain in Mexico policy, which did reduce illegal immigration, also resulted in many migrants victimized by criminals while in a migrant camp in Mexico...As for Trump’s statement that he will deport “millions and millions of criminal aliens,” a National Institute of Justice Study found immigrants commit crimes at much lower rates than U.S. citizens, and the overall crime rate in recent years has dropped even as immigration has risen. With a estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., the vast majority have committed no crimes, other than crossing the border illegally, including those brought here as children. Most nations have indicated they will not accept deportees from the U.S., making it unclear how Trump’s administration could deport many immigrants who are here.
Trump claimed the U.S. experienced record inflation during the Biden administration. He blames this on “massive overspending and escalating energy prices.”
Fact check: The highest inflation under Biden was 9.1% in June 2022, which was not even close to the 23.8% record set in 1920, CNN reports. Inflation after COVID occurred worldwide. As of December 2024, inflation had dropped to 2.9%, one of the lowest in the world. Energy prices rose globally due to instability in Ukraine and the Middle East. Much of the increased spending under Biden included efforts to combat COVID and reduce the pandemic’s impact through his Inflation Reduction Act and American Recovery Act which helped individuals, small businesses and local governments recover from the pandemic’s economic impacts.
Trump said the solution to bring inflation down further will be a “drill, baby, drill” policy which he has previously said will include offshore drilling in California and opening oil reserves in Alaska. He also announced, “With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate.” He later said he will pull America out of the Paris Climate Accord, a long-standing campaign pledge.
Fact check: Whether large-scale oil drilling will bring down prices remains to be seen, but Trump’s planned actions will indisputably worsen greenhouse gas emissions by burning more carbon and pulling out of clean energy options, also potentially dissuading other nations from living up to their environmental promises under the Paris Climate Accord signed by 200 nations. Politico reports,” The U.S. withdrawal further imperils nations’ already slim hopes of preventing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming since the Industrial Revolution began.”
Trump said he will “immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families,” adding, “We will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.” He also announced intent to establish an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs, duties and revenues from foreign sources.
CNN labels Trump’s claims that tariffs would help Americans “false” since tariffs are paid by U.S. importers— companies in the U.S.—not foreign companies. Moreover, numerous studies including the U.S. International Trade Commission’s study have found that when Trump imposed tariffs on China in his first term, Americans bore almost the entire cost—including higher prices on consumers goods.
Trump reiterated his plan to establish a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aimed at streamlining government to be more efficient and reducing spending.
Fact check: Trump has named billionaire Elon Musk, head of Space-X and the X(formerly Twitter) social media platform, to head up DOGE. Concerns have been raised over the propriety of an unelected person wielding such power without oversight, since DOGE would not be an official government entity. Another concern is Musk’s conflicts of interest, since his business entities have received lucrative federal contracts and funding. There is also a moral issue, with potential cuts to include Medicare for the poor and fixed-income seniors on Social Security being proposed by billionaire Musk and Trump along with tax changes that would benefit the wealthiest Americans. A lawsuit challenging legality of DOGE was filed minutes after the inauguration, CBS News reports.
The newly elected President also pledged to “sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America,” after what he called “years of illegal and unconstitutional efforts to restrict free expression.”
Fact check: Trump is likely referring to earlier efforts under the Biden administration to prevent spread of disinformation by foreign nationals including Russia on social media, as well as COVID conspiracy theories and AI-generated misleading political videos. Conservatives have objected to this as censorship. The Supreme Court sided with Biden, ruling it legal for the government to communicate with social media with concerns on content moderation policies. Meanwhile in anticipation of Trump taking office, META has proactively eliminated fact-checking on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, AP reported, following suit after Musk did so on X.
Trump took aim at gender-affirming care and policies protecting LGBTQ+ individuals. “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” he stated.
Fact check: Mother Jones reports details on what this executive order is expected to include: “Federal agencies will be instructed to classify people by biological sex on government IDs like passports, visas, and personnel documents. ... agencies also will be ordered to stop interpreting sex discrimination laws in ways that protect trans people—inviting federal workplaces, schools, and social service programs like shelters to misgender and discriminate against trans people. Transgender women in federal prison reportedly will be transferred to men’s prisons and no longer provided with gender-affirming medical treatments—potentially forcing up to 1,500 incarcerated trans women to medically de-transition...The order is expected to attempt to cut off federal funding for gender-affirming medical treatments, like hormone therapy—a move that primarily affects transgender adults.
Trump also announced plans to rename geographical features. “A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley,” he said. Trump praised McKinley for imposing tariffs and for his role in American controlling the Panama Canal.
Fact check: Trump has no power to force other nations or international authorities to change the Gulf of Mexico’s name, and Mexico’s president has objected, noting the name has existed on maps long before the U.S. became a nation. He could order the name changed on internal U.S. documents. Trump’s Secretary of the Interior could, however, change the name of Denali, formerly called Mt. McKinley, in Alaska back to the original name. This would likely anger Native Americans, since Denali honored the indigenous name of the mountain. This also raises the question of whether Trump will seek to rename Denali National Park and other features with Denali in the name.
Trump announced intent to take back control of the Panama Control. “We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back,” he announced. Trump claimed “China is operating the Panama Canal.” He used the term “manifest destiny” to refer to ambitious to advance space exploration and land American astronauts on Mars.
Fact check: Panama has denied ceding control to China and Trump has provided zero evidence to back up this claim, Reuters reports. Trump has not said how he would retake the Panama Canal, which Panama has indicated it would not relinquish, though Trump has previously said he would not rule out use of military force. Trump has also drawn alarm in the international community with his demands for the U.S. to gain ownership of Greenland, a Danish territory, over the objections of Denmark, as well as his use of the term manifest destiny, which in America’s past has been used to assert a divine right to expand territory by conquering indigenous peoples.
Trump pledged to build the strongest military in the world, stating, ”Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable...We will not be conquered, we will not be intimidated, we will not be broken, and we will not fail.”
Fact check: Peace through strength is a concept touted by many leaders throughout history, starting with the Roman Empire Hadrian over 2,000 years ago, including Presidents George Washington and Ronald Reagan in the U.S. The policy has had mixed results, providing a deterrent in some cases, while spurring pushbacfk in others.