By Zachary B. Wolf and Curt Merrill, CNN
Published January 20, 2025, fact checked by ” CNN POLITICS “
President Donald Trump completed his incredible comeback by delivering his second inaugural address in the rotunda of the US Capitol. Before closing with a pledge to bind the nation and unify Americans, he borrowed lines from his campaign speeches and he promised broad changes in US government, to guard against an invasion at thesouthern border and to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
Here’s Trump’s second inaugural address with context and with multiple fact checks from CNN’s Fact Check team.
Remarks as delivered
Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. Well, thank you very, very much.
Vice President Vance, Speaker Johnson, Senator Thune, Chief Justice Roberts, justices of the United States Supreme Court, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and my fellow citizens:
The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.
During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.
Trump has a second chance to deliver on his promise to “Make America Great Again.” He argues that him simply taking office is a step in the right direction.
Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced.
This is a clear reference to the US-Mexico border. Trump has promised to quickly address immigration with executive ordersnow that he is in office.
The vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the justice department and our government will end. And our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free. America will soon be greater, stronger, and far more exceptional than ever before.
The speech begins with nods to the previous Biden administration, which Trump accused of using the Justice Department against him. Democrats argue that independent prosecutors and grand juries brought the charges against Trump; those cases have since dismissed.
I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world. And America has the chance to seize this opportunity like never before.
But first, we must be honest about the challenges we face. While they are plentiful, they will be annihilated by this great momentum that the world is now witnessing in the United States of America.
As we gather today, our government confronts a crisis of trust. For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens, while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair.
The drop of confidence and trust of US government institutions is undeniable and evident in polling. This discontent extends across both parties, but is especially true among Republicans.
Trump has promised to completely reform and remake elements of the federal government, with his plan for a Department of Government Efficiency. This message echoes what he said in his first inaugural address. These words sound similar to things Trump might say at a campaign rally, but in the Rotunda, they are being delivered in a strict monotone.
We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad.
It fails to protect our magnificent, law abiding American citizens, but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions, that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.
Congress is currently considering legislation that would provide for the detention of migrants accused of theft of burglary. It could be the first law passed this session.
Trump delivered a softer version of his standard rally claim that foreign governments are deliberately emptying prisons and mental institutions to send people to the US as migrants.
We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders, but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people.
Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina—been treated so badly. And other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago.
Or more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense. They’re raging through the houses and communities, even affecting some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in our country, some of whom are sitting here right now. They don’t have a home any longer. That’s interesting. But we can’t let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change.
Flooding in North Carolina, hurricanes in Florida and wildfires in Los Angeles have led to bipartisan criticism of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
Scientists say climate change has contributed to more frequent natural disasters, but Trump, who does not believe in the climate crisis, does not mention it here.
We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country anywhere in the world.
And we have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves, in many cases to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them.
Frustration with public education and diversity efforts in the public education system have been a motivating factor for Republicans. The federal government does not generally dictate local education curricula, though it does, through the Department of Education, provide funds to schools and districts. Trump has proposed axing the department.
All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly.
My recent election is a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal, and all of these many betrayals, that have taken place, and to give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy, and indeed, their freedom.
From this moment on, America’s decline is over.
Our liberties and our nation’s glorious destiny will no longer be denied, and we will immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America’s government.
Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history. And I’ve learned a lot along the way. The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you.
Trump has certainly faced challenges. But wartime presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln or the multiple presidents who were assassinated might disagree with him.
Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom, and indeed to take my life. Just a few months ago, in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then, and believe even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason: I was saved by God to make America great again.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Trump is equating the American justice system with an attempted assassin, who died at the scene of the attempt and whose motives may never be known.
Trump has never been seen as the most religious of presidents, but he and his followers see divine intervention in the fact that he survived an assassin’s bullet in Pennsylvania last summer.
That is why each day under our administration of American patriots, we will be working to meet every crisis with dignity and power and strength. We will move with purpose and speed to bring back hope, prosperity, safety and peace for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed.
For American citizens, January 20, 2025, is liberation day.
This is wartime language. Trump suggests Americans have been under siege until today.
It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential election in the history of our country.
As our victory showed, the entire nation is rapidly unifying behind our agenda with dramatic increases in support from virtually every element of our society — young and old, men and women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, urban, suburban, rural — and very importantly, we had a powerful win in all seven swing states. And the popular vote we won by millions of people.
In a CNN poll, a majority 55% said they approved of the way he’s handing the transition. That’s a much stronger position than in 2017, but this is also his moment of peak power. History suggests these approval ratings will fall at least somewhat. It’s also worth remembering that while Trump did win the national vote and made inroads across many of the groups he mentioned, he did not win 50% of the vote in November.
To the Black and Hispanic communities, I want to thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love and trust that you have shown me with your vote. We set records and I will not forget it. I’ve heard your voices in the campaign and I look forward to working with you in the years to come.
Today is Martin Luther King Day and his honor — this will be a great honor — but in his honor, we will strive together to make his dream a reality. We will make his dream come true.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech envisioned equality. Trump is also promising to end government programs to promote diversity and inclusion.
Thank you. Thank you.
National unity is now returning to America, and confidence and pride is soaring like never before. In everything we do, my administration will be inspired by a strong pursuit of excellence and unrelenting success.
We will not forget our country. We will not forget our Constitution. And we will not forget our God. We can’t do that.
Trump places the Constitution, which does not mention the word “God,” in the same breath as faith in a higher power.
Related article: How Trump will test the Constitution
Today, I will sign a series of historic executive orders. With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense. It’s all about common sense.
First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted. And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.
This is an action likely to get broad bipartisan agreement.
We will reinstate my remain in Mexico policy. I will end the practice of catch and release. And I will send troops to the southern border to repel the disastrous invasion of our country.
“Catch and release” is the policy by which migrants can be released into the country while they are awaiting an immigration hearing. Where and how the United States could keep detained migrants is not clear. Some Trump aides have talked about the need for mass detention camps.
Does he mean sending active duty troops or the National Guard? These are important distinctions.
Under the orders I sign today, we will also be designating the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to US soil, including our cities and inner cities.
Trump considered this action during his first term. It could add additional strain to the US relationship with Mexico and create difficulties for American companies doing business in Mexico.
Read more about the “ Alien Enemies Act of 1798 “, which is meant to guard against invasion by a foreign nation or government. Trump’s effort is likely to face a court battle.
As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before.
Next, I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation, and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill.
Trump falsely claimed the US experienced “record inflation” during the Biden administration. Trump could fairly say the US inflation rate hit a 40-year high in June 2022, when it was 9.1%, but that was not close to the all-time record of 23.7%, set in 1920. (And the rate has since plummeted. The most recent available inflation rate at the time Trump spoke here was 2.9% in December.)
Objectively speaking, the inflation crisis was also caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which began during Trump’s first term.
There’s little difference between Trump’s second inaugural address and the stump speech he often delivered on the campaign trail.
America will be a manufacturing nation once again, and we have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have: the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth. And we are going to use it.
The United States is already producing more oil than any country in history.
We will bring prices down, fill our strategic reserves up again, right to the top, and export American energy all over the world. We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it.
With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal and we will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American auto workers.
The Green New Deal was never enacted, but Democrats pushed through legislation to address climate change as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. By electric vehicle mandate, Trump is referring to tailpipe rules meant to boost EVs, but not require them.
In other words, you’ll be able to buy the car of your choice. We will build automobiles in America again at a rate that nobody could have dreamt possible just a few years ago. And thank you to the auto workers of our nation for your inspiring vote of confidence. We did tremendously with their vote.
I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families.
Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff, and tax, foreign countries to enrich our citizens.
Tariffs imposed by the US government are paid by US importers, not foreign countries, and it’s easy to find specific examples of companies that passed along the cost of the tariffs to US consumers. Study after study, including one from the federal government’s bipartisan US International Trade Commission, found that Americans bore almost the entire cost of Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products in his first term. — From CNN’s Alicia Wallace and Daniel Dale
For this purpose, we are establishing the External Revenue Service to collect all tariffs, duties and revenues. It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our treasury, coming from foreign sources.
…As opposed to the Internal Revenue Service, which collects income taxes from American citizens.
The American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before. To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government. My administration will establish the brand new Department of Government Efficiency.
This is not an official government agency, created through law, but an advisory panel led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Ohio tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.
Free speech is a main issue for Republicans at the moment. Trump could be referring to social media companies. He could be referring to TikTok, which needs to find a US owner in order to continue operation in this country. It could also be a reference to efforts and perhaps overreach by the Biden administration to control the spread of misinformation online during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents — something I know something about. We will not allow that to happen. It will not happen again. Under my leadership, we will restore fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law. And we are going to bring law and order back to our cities.
During the campaign, Trump had promised to go after his political enemies, naming several Democrats. Many were issued last-minute preemptive pardons by Biden, as were members of his family.
This week I will also end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit based.
As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.
Opposing trans rights, particularly in the area of women’s sports, has been a major promise of Republicans.
This week, I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the Covid vaccine mandate, with full back pay.
This pledge could affect more than 8,000 veterans, but Biden already offered these service members reinstatement as part of a 2024 defense authorization bill.
And I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty. It’s going to end immediately. Our armed forces will be freed to focus on their sole mission: defeating America’s enemies.
Like in 2017, we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.
My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier.
Trump has promised to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, but that could require Ukraine ceding some of the ground Russia claimed with its invasion.
I’m pleased to say that as of yesterday, one day before I assumed office, the hostages in the Middle East are coming back home to their families.
Both the Biden and incoming Trump administrations worked to secure the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Thank you.
America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world.
A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs.
The body of water to the south of the US has been referred to as the Gulf of Mexico for hundreds of years. When Trump said this, former Secretary of State and political opponent Hillary Clinton could be seen laughing in surprise behind him.
It was President Barack Obama, working with Republicans in Alaska, who changed the mountain’s name. Republican senators from Alaska counseled Trump not to change the mountain’s name in 2017.
President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent. He was a natural businessman and gave Teddy Roosevelt the money for many of the great things he did, including the Panama Canal, which has foolishly been given to the country of Panama after the United States—The United States, I mean, think of this—spent more money than ever spent on a project before, and lost 38,000 lives in the building of the Panama Canal.
The McKinley tariffs were imposed when McKinley was a lawmaker in Congress. McKinley later turned against tariffs as a popular president before he was assassinated.
We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should have never been made. And Panama’s promise to us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated.
American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, and that includes the United States Navy. And above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.
Trump’s focus on reclaiming the Panama Canal in recent weeks has come as something of a surprise. He once owned property in Panama. The canal was given to Panama during the Carter administration, decades after the United States completed construction on it.
And above all, my message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization. So as we liberate our nation, we will lead it to new heights of victory and success. We will not be deterred.
Bringing back the idea of American exceptionalism! Trump is already selling his administration as a “Golden Age” in US history.
Together, we will end the chronic disease epidemic and keep our children safe, healthy and disease free.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the vaccine skeptic and advocate for healthier food whom Trump has tapped to lead the Health and Human Services Department, made addressing the “chronic disease epidemic” a major thrust of his presidential campaign before he dropped out and endorsed Trump.
The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation; one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons.
And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars.
Musk, the SpaceX CEO who helped bankroll Trump’s 2024 campaign, could be seen cheering these words and giving a thumbs up near Trump.
Ambition is the lifeblood of a great nation, and right now, our nation is more ambitious than any other. There’s no nation like our nation. Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers.
The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls.
This kind of uplifting prose is more common in an inaugural address.
Our American ancestors turned a small group of colonies on the edge of a vast continent into a mighty republic of the most extraordinary citizens on Earth. No one comes close.
Americans pushed thousands of miles through a rugged land of untamed wilderness. They crossed deserts, scaled mountains, braved untold dangers, won the wild west, ended slavery, rescued millions from tyranny, lifted billions from poverty, harnessed electricity, split the atom, launched mankind into the heavens and put the universe of human knowledge into the palm of the human hand.
If we work together, there is nothing we cannot do and no dream we cannot achieve.
Many people thought it was impossible for me to stage such a historic political comeback. But as you see today, here I am—the American people have spoken.
I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do. In America, the impossible is what we do best.
Trump’s comeback — from twice-impeached and disgraced former president in the wake of January 6, 2021, to assassination survivor and winner of the popular vote in 2024 — is nothing short of miraculous.
From New York to Los Angeles, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, from Chicago to Miami, from Houston to right here in Washington, D.C., our country was forged and built by the generations of patriots who gave everything they had for our rights and for our freedom.
They were farmers and soldiers, cowboys and factory workers, steelworkers and coal miners, police officers and pioneers who pushed onward and marched forward and let no obstacle defeat their spirit or their pride. Together they laid down the railroads, raised up the skyscrapers, built great highways, won two world wars, defeated fascism and communism, and triumphed over every single challenge that they faced.
After all we have been through together, we stand on the verge of the four greatest years in American history. With your help, we will restore America’s promise. And we will rebuild the nation that we love, and we love it so much.
Let’s hope so! Although Trump will claim they are the greatest years no matter what happens.
We are one people, one family, and one glorious nation under God. So to every parent who dreams for their child and every child who dreams for their future: I am with you, I will fight for you and I will win for you. We are going to win like never before.
Here’s the message of unity.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly, but we are going to bring it back and make it great again—greater than ever before. We will be a nation like no other: full of compassion, courage and compassion, courage and exceptionalism. Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable.
This is an interesting argument from a president who has promised a nationalist and America First foreign policy and who has questioned international organizations.
America will be respected again and admired again, including by people of religion, faith, and goodwill.
We will be prosperous. We will be proud. We will be strong and we will win like never before.
We will not be conquered. We will not be intimidated. We will not be broken. And we will not fail.
From this day on, the United States of America will be a free, sovereign and independent nation.
We will stand bravely. We will live proudly. We will dream boldly. And nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans. The future is ours, and our golden age has just begun.
Thank you. God bless America.