--- title: Trump Inauguration: Inaugural Address Sounds Familiar Notes description: President Trump use his first historic moment as commander-in-chief to deliver an uncommonly dark address studded with the same themes. canonical: https://time.com/4641313/trump-inauguration-speech-analysis/ author: Alex Altman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-20T18:48:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:23.595Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Same Trump From the Campaign Spoke at Inauguration og:description: An uncommonly dark address og:url: https://time.com/4641313/trump-inauguration-speech-analysis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d4c2569bf8789b4/6988b672cf40a8a29fc46236/peter-van-agtmael-trump-inauguration-crowd-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: trump-inauguration poy-2017 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Same Trump From the Campaign Spoke at Inauguration twitter:description: An uncommonly dark address twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d4c2569bf8789b4/6988b672cf40a8a29fc46236/peter-van-agtmael-trump-inauguration-crowd-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Same Donald Trump From the Campaign Spoke at Inauguration > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Alex Altman](https://time.com/author/alex-altman/) and [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Jan 20, 2017 6:48 PM UTC  Donald Trump gives his first speech as President following his oath of office at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017. Donald Trump gives his first speech as President following his oath of office at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017. Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME by [Alex Altman](https://time.com/author/alex-altman/) and [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Jan 20, 2017 6:48 PM UTC People do not change, not really, especially not a 70-year-old billionaire who has done things his own way his whole life. No one should have expected that Donald John Trump would start reading from a brand new script because he had just placed his left hand on the Lincoln Bible and [uttered the 35-word oath](http://time.com/4641156/donald-trump-inauguration-oath-swear-in-president/) that inaugurated him as the 45th U.S. President. And yet it was still striking to witness Trump use his first historic moment as President to deliver [an uncommonly dark address](http://time.com/4640707/donald-trump-inauguration-speech-transcript/) studded with the same themes that dominated his campaign. Surrounded by all the pomp and pageantry that American democracy can muster—the ruffles and flourishes, the 21-gun salute, the joint chiefs and the diplomatic corps over his shoulders, the crowd of supporters stretching down the National Mall—he delivered a speech that signaled his intent to [govern in the same key as his campaign](http://time.com/4418398/donald-trump-convention-speech/). In his first words to the American people as President, Trump hewed to the populist message that marked his march to victory. At a time of steady economic growth, he described a nation beset by pain, with “rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape.” A squeezed middle class. Failing schools. Neighborhoods blighted by crime, drugs and gangs. “This American carnage,” President Trump intoned, “stops right here and stops right now.” Standing where Franklin Delano Roosevelt once proclaimed that “the only thing to fear is fear itself,” Trump described a dystopian country with plenty to fret about. This grim assessment of the state of the nation was the heart of his sixteen-and-a-half minute address, just as it always been at the heart of his appeal. You might not recognize the dystopian nation the new President was describing. But if you believe it is [midnight in America](http://time.com/4418398/donald-trump-convention-speech/), you will be more loyal to the leader who promises a new dawn. Trump echoed the father of American populism, Andrew Jackson, another real-estate developer who swept to the presidency by promising to unleash the power of the proletariat. His inaugural address was anchored by the same populist themes. “Today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another–but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American people,” Trump said, standing on the west front of the U.S. Capitol. “You will never be ignored again.” **Read More:** [_Full Transcript of Trump’s Inauguration Speech_](http://time.com/4640707/donald-trump-inauguration-speech-transcript/) If you feel like one of the “forgotten men and women” in Trump’s army, that promise is a powerful one. Sending a message to world capitals, Trump vowed to fulfill his campaign promise to rethink the nation’s foreign policy. “From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, [it’s going to be America First](http://time.com/4273812/america-first-donald-trump-history/),” the new president said. “Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.” Trump, who has pledged to seek a closer relationship with Russia, laid out a high marker for his Administration in the fight against ISIS. “We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones,” he said, “and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.” The address was heavier on religious imagery than a typical Trump speech. And there were conspicuous nods to national solidarity. Twice Trump addressed “all Americans.” He spoke of a unified nation, sharing “one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny,” ready to “rediscover our loyalty to each other.” After a bitter campaign that exposed and deepened America’s racial fault lines, the new President pleaded for harmony. “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice,” Trump said. “Whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.” Yet apart from these grace notes, it was a speech that Trump could have given at a Rust Belt arena before a cheering crowd last September. There were the same promises to bring back wealth and bolster the borders, the same promise to use the ultimate seat of power to do things, not just talk about it. “Now arrives the hour of action,” Trump promised. He concluded with the same peroration that marked almost every campaign speech, capped by the same promise to “Make America Great Again.” It has gotten him this far. Now the nation will find out whether a campaign slogan can translate into a governing agenda. ### 20 Photographs That Show the Essential Donald Trump  1981 Trump talks on a car phone in a limo in New York City. “It looks like he’s running for President in there,” Benson said. “There’s a bit of control there ... People walking about but he’s in the limo.” Harry Benson  1987 Trump and his first wife, Ivana, in their bedroom at Trump Tower in New York City. Benson chose the location—“it tells you a lot about the people”—and wanted them to dance. “She could dance,” he joked, “but he was a bit slow.” Harry Benson  1987 Trump and his father Fred and mother Mary Ann and Ivana, at a dinner in New York City. Harry Benson  1986 Trump celebrates after the completion of repairs to Wollman Rink in Central Park. He got the contract from the city, finishing early and well under budget. Harry Benson  1996 Trump and his second wife, Marla Maples, at Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York City. Harry Benson  1987 Trump reflected in a mirror during a portrait session. Harry Benson  1987 Trump gesticulates during a helicopter ride to Atlantic City. Benson, who prides himself on spontaneity and closeness, said he likes “to get people moving.” Harry Benson  1990 “Donald, I’ve never seen a million dollars in my life,” Benson told Trump at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Harry Benson  1990 Trump and Michael Jackson, his guest, at the grand opening of the Trump Taj Mahal casino resort in Atlantic City. Harry Benson  1987 Trump stands on top of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Harry Benson  2014 Trump and his wife, Melania, in their apartment at Trump Tower in New York City. “Donald was very proud of her,” Benson said. Harry Benson  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his children, from left: Donald John “Don” Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump at Trump Tower in New York City on July 6, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  Eric Trump in his office at Trump Tower in New York City on July 6, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  Donald Trump Jr. in his office at Trump Tower in New York City on July 6, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  Ivanka Trump in her office at Trump Tower in New York City on July 6, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  2016 Trump and his wife, Melania, at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach Florida. Harry Benson  Donald Trump in a conference room, where he's storing his archive of press and memorabilia, on July 11, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his grandson Theodore James in Trump’s office in New York City on July 11, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with his grandson Theodore James in Trump’s office in New York City on July 11, 2016. Harry Benson for TIME  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in his office at Trump Tower in New York City on July 11, 2016. 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