New commander in chief
Personal account of Trump’s first speech as the President
An ocean of people remained outside the National Mall during President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
I was in the security line huddled under my raincoat eagerly listening to the events unfold on my cell phone.
Fortunately, I made it inside the Mall in time to hear the last five minutes of his speech.
After returning to Lynchburg, to see what I missed.
It was simple and focused.
His message included little new material.
It was the same rhetoric we’ve heard a thousand times from his previous campaign rallies.
Presidents in their inaugural addresses rarely repeat campaign rhetoric.
HISTORY — The 58th inaugural address took place Friday, Jan. 20 and gathered support as well as protests.
Photo Credit: Kevin Manguiob
Trump wasn’t looking for votes but was reiterating his promises from the beginning — reassuring America that he hasn’t forgotten the people who put him in office.
According to New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin, the speech was “delivered with the same blunt force that propelled Trump’s insurgent campaign.”
In 16 minutes, Trump repeated his entire campaign message never deterring from his original focus.
His words were given with the same amount of passion as his speech when he entered the race in June 2015.
“We will make America strong again,” “We will make America wealthy again” and “We will make America proud again” were among many of the “great again” phrases repeated in his speech.
Trump also stressed how he would give the power concealed within Washington back to its worthy owners — the American people.
To many, his speech was dark and foreboding.
According to Mark Z. Barabak, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, “the 16-minute inaugural address that Trump delivered was Trumpism distilled to its raw essence: angry, blunt-spoken and deeply aggrieved.”
I disagree.
The essence of Trump’s speeches have never been focused on a dark, decaying America.
Yes, Trump highlighted America’s misfortunes in his inaugural speech, but he certainly never ignited fear in my heart.
He boldly acknowledged the mistakes of America’s former leaders and gave hope by promising a
stronger, greater future.
Trump has never been decorative in his speeches.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard him utter a sentence that a 5-year-old wouldn’t understand.
From the beginning, Trump had the “forgotten men and women” in mind as he shaped his campaign.
He crafted his speeches so the common man could easily understand.
I told Tobi Walsh, a reporter for the Liberty University News Service, that I was refreshed to hear Trump’s speech, and it helped me realize that despite constant ridicule from countless people groups, Trump never deterred from his original message.
Trump’s inaugural speech was everything it should have been.
I expected nothing less. It reassured Trump supporters like myself that America actually can be great again.