On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America (USA) inside the central Rotunda of the Capitol.
Donald Trump began his inaugural address with a loud promise that “America’s Golden Age begins right now” with his return to power. He also immediately declared a state of emergency on the US-Mexico border and announced that he was sending troops there.
What the world media wrote about Donald Trump’s inauguration – we analyze below.
Pessimistic moods: American media
Journalists from The Washington Post have published many articles on the topic of Donald Trump’s inauguration. In particular, they have analyzed all the guests in a separate article (“Who was at Trump’s inauguration? A guide to the notable guests”), published photos from the inauguration (“See photos from Donald Trump’s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol”), analyzed the appearance of the wife of the 47th president, Melania Trump (“Melania Trump’s armored-up approach to a Washington comeback”), etc.
Article “6 takeaways from Trump’s inaugural address” collects 6 conclusions from Donald Trump’s speech. In particular, the journalists say that:
- he portrayed himself as an avenging hero;
- attacked his political opponents;
- “referred to this phrase (clear destiny, – ed.), which has historically been used to justify the expansion of the United States”;
- made more false and dubious claims (e.g., that many undocumented immigrants come “from prisons and mental institutions”);
- included only brief mentions of tariffs (a major campaign promise);
- claimed that “the violent and unjust use of guns by the Department of Justice and our government will end.”
Article “Diminished Democrats grit their teeth through second Trump inauguration” argues that when Trump returns to power, “Democrats lack a clear leader or a visible path for their party.” And suddenly “Republicans control every branch of government.”
Another article “Neither euphoric nor despairing be. Trump too shall pass” argues that “He (Trump, ed.) will be remembered for his stunning ineptitude.” The author says that inaugurations should be solemn and celebratory. Instead, Donald Trump spoke of “total decline” due to “corrupt and terrible betrayal,” and that all challenges will be destroyed “because God has chosen him.” Also, one of the priests “declared Trump’s election a “miracle”.
Fear of escalation: Danish media
After his election victory, Donald Trump repeatedly said that he wanted to annex Greenland, the largest island on Earth, which is an autonomous territory belonging to Denmark, to the United States.
The Danish media outlet Politikan also wrote a lot of news about Donald Trump’s inauguration. In particular, this news item (“Gæsteliste til Trumps indsættelse bryder med tradition”) analyzes the list of invited guests, this one (“Fra en feminist på en hvid hest til Donald Trump: 11 mindeværdige præsidentindsættelser”) analyzes other memorable inaugurations, and the journalists also published photos from the event (“Se billeder fra indsættelsen: Donald Trump glemte en vigtig detalje, da han blev taget i ed”).
A separate news item “Trump vil udvide USA’s territorier, men nævner ikke Grønland i tale” says that “the newly appointed president of the United States said in his inaugural speech that he would make the United States greater,” but did not mention Greenland. Publication “Live: Robert F. Kennedy Junior kan forvente hårde spørgsmål i Senatet” states that such statements are an escalation and put pressure on the Danish government.
News item “Så sælg dog Grønland, og tjen nogle penge, siger Trump-støtte i køen og får vennerne til at grine” says that Trump supporters are coming from all over the United States to celebrate Trump’s inauguration as president and are talking about selling Greenland.
Analysis of more than just the event itself: British media
The British media BBC also wrote a lot of news on the topic of Donald Trump’s inauguration. In particular, news item “Thousands protest in Washington DC ahead of Trump inauguration” says that “thousands of people are protesting in Washington on the eve of Trump’s inauguration against the newly elected president”. This one “Trump fans still buzzing despite cold and indoors inauguration” says that “Trump supporters stood in lines for hours in the cold to get a seat in the arena where the new president is holding an event after the oath-taking”.
A separate article “Melania’s hat, shorts in winter and other eye-catching looks” analyzed the clothing of those present, including Melania Trump, Joe Biden, Tech executives, their partners and others. It also analyzed the “stars” who attended the inauguration (“Bezos, Zuckerberg, Pichai attend Trump’s inauguration”).
A separate news item “Watch: Key moments from President Trump’s inauguration day” published a video with the main moments from Donald Trump’s inauguration. A separate news item “Who is China sending to Trump’s inauguration?” also analyzed who China sent to this event.
“The Dictator’s Wife”: German media
(“Bezos, Zuckerberg, Pichai attend Trump’s inauguration Journalists from Der Spiegel wrote a news story “So reagieren Staats- und Regierungschefs auf Trumps Amtsantritt”) with a general analysis of Donald Trump’s speech. There was also a large publication “So läuft Trumps zweite Amtseinführung ab” with an analysis of the inauguration itself – how the day went, what will happen next.
A separate news story “Das Erste, was mir dazu einfällt, ist ›Diktatorengattin” analyzes Melania Trump’s appearance: “The first thing that comes to mind is “the dictator’s wife”. Journalists also analyzed how heads of state and government are reacting to Trump’s inauguration (“So reagieren Staats- und Regierungschefs auf Trumps Amtsantritt”) and noted that “bitcoin reached a record high before the inauguration” (“Bitcoin vor Trumps Amtseinführung auf Rekordhoch”).
Der Spiegel also published an article “Darum fasziniert Trump die US-Bürger” analyzing why Donald Trump so fascinates Americans and why “many consider the new president to be the Messiah”.
And here is Viktor Orban: Hungarian media
Journalists from the Hungarian media outlet Magyar Nemzet wrote a general news story “Ma iktatják be Donald Trumpot” about how the inauguration itself is going to happen – what events will happen and what will happen after it.
Later, they wrote that the inauguration has already taken place and Donald Trump is officially president (“Donald Trump az Egyesült Államok elnöke”). The news item analyzes Trump’s life path, his election campaign, and the main points from his inauguration speech (in particular, about peace and the fact that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is his ally).
Captivating the Trump Way: African Media
South African media outlet Africanews wrote a story “Trump sworn in as America’s 47th president” about Donald Trump’s inauguration. It noted that he took the oath “having survived impeachments, criminal charges, and two assassination attempts.”
The same story also briefly analyzed the main points of Trump’s speech – “returning the golden age for the US,” “ending birthright citizenship, increasing oil production in the country,” and so on.
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Donald Trump’s inauguration was a high-profile event that attracted the attention of all the world’s media. Journalists covered both official moments and resorted to less official things – fashion analysis, reactions of heads of other countries, etc.
American media focused on the discrepancies in Trump’s speech, his aggressive rhetoric and ambiguous statements. European publications such as Politikan, BBC and Der Spiegel focused on the reaction of the international community, the features of the inauguration day and geopolitical aspects, such as US attempts to influence other countries. African media paid attention to Trump’s difficult path to the presidency and the key statements of his speech.
Donald Trump’s inauguration reflected the polarization of public opinion and emphasized the importance of the international reaction to political changes in the United States. Trump’s inauguration became not only a domestic but also a global topic, showing both the expectations and fears of the world community.
Anya Ostymchuk
