Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president Monday, returning to power with a promise of a new “golden age of America” and pledging to “completely and totally reverse” the actions of the man who drove him from office four years ago.

Trump overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, and he planned to act swiftly after the ceremony. Dozens of executive orders were prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development, and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.

The orders from the incoming Republican president will begin the process of unraveling the Democratic agenda of Joe Biden, whose term ended at noon, moments before Trump took the oath of office.

Declaring that government faces a “crisis of trust,” Trump said in his inaugural address that under his administration, “our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced.”

Trump claimed “a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal,” promising to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and indeed their freedom.”

“From this moment on,” he added, as Biden watched from the front row, “America’s decline is over.”

“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” he said.

The executive orders are the first step in what Trump calls “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”

Other goals will prove more difficult, perhaps testing the patience of supporters who were promised quick success. Trump has talked about lowering prices after years of inflation, but his plans for tariffs on imports from foreign countries could have the opposite effect.

Frigid weather rewrote the pageantry of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda — the first time that has happened in 40 years — and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a downtown arena. Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the ceremony outside the Capitol from the National Mall were left to find other places to view the festivities.

At the Capitol, US Vice President JD Vance was sworn in first, taking the oath read by US Supreme Court Justice Brett........

© The Times of Israel