The day of inauguration is meant to be one of celebration in which the American people can be reassured and made hopeful for the coming years of leadership. The transfer of power in this country is meant to be peaceful and composed. I can confidently say neither of these sentiments apply to this year’s presidential inauguration.
For starters, the ceremony was moved indoors due to “inclement weather”, leaving attendees who paid and traveled from all over the country to wait outside and freeze. This is a rarity in our nation’s history, not even when President Carter was inaugurated and the weather was no more than a degree higher than that of Trump’s inauguration day. It was bone chilling to watch the live videos of the monumentally small grouping of wealthy elites gathered warmly inside while the people who put their very futures in their hands were not even given the promise of meager viewership and heat.
Then there was the inaugural address by the newly sworn-in President himself. The United States of America has faced a challenging and divisive past few years, with many issues arising that voters wished to see at least an attempt to eliminate. 1 in 5 children in this country face food insecurity. Many feel as though they can’t make enough money to make rent, let alone live securely even with trade education and diplomas alike. Gun violence and crime has been on the rise for God knows how long. Our environment has been thrashed by big corporations. The two party system threatens to tear itself apart. Yet, in Donald Trump’s first official message to the nation, none of these topics were addressed and no hope of reprieve for the American people was given.
Instead, we were given the news that there will be enforcements around gender and told that this country will continue to pursue “manifest destiny” by renaming the Gulf of Mexico and forcibly annexing our closest allies. The former President Joe Biden’s campaign was ripped to shreds throughout the speech in acts of childish, egotistical rambling that was devoid of both class or compassion. Donald Trump promised to censor talk of race or gender from the country’s institutions as a whole and to purge the nation of all illegal immigrants seeking asylum, even going so far as to explain his plans to end birthright citizenship. He also spoke of rescinding all climate protection programs, exclaiming, “Drill baby, drill!” in regards to oil retrieval. These promises were not hopeful. They were, however, riddled with hate speech and a fearful insight into what too may be stripped away in the coming years.
Then there was Elon Musk. A man no one voted for. A man who couldn’t even run a social media app efficiently and is now tasked with running a supposed, newfound government-funded department, proving to all of us that the power in this nation lies not in the democracy of the people, but in the pockets of the exuberantly wealthy. As if Trump’s speech wasn’t frightening enough, Musk decided to end his own address with not one, but two Fourth Reich salutes. No matter who you voted for or where your loyalties lie, Musk’s quick rise to power through payment and his actions in front of millions of live onlookers should be cause for concern, not dismissal.
The people are frightened, tired, and defeated. However, it is important to not lose hope and to turn this frustration into action. Be active in your local community. Volunteer. Vote in local state campaigns. Make your voice heard. Be kind to one another, no matter your political affiliation. Our government officials would much rather stoke the flames of our infighting than help us reach common ground. It has been made abundantly clear that our best interest is not their main concern. It is up to us to come together. We cannot let hate win.
Kara Montagano can be contacted at
kmontagano@kscequinox.com
