Donald Trump is preparing to become president of the United States again on Monday, marking a controversial and unprecedented return for a second term at age 78.
For the first official portrait of his second term, he poses as an outlaw. On Monday, Donald Trump returns to the White House.
It is a very close shot of the face of the 78-year-old billionaire, vengeful chin and stubborn forehead, that his team revealed three days before the inauguration. The cliché looks exactly like the “mugshot”the now famous photo of the Republican taken at the end of August in an Atlanta prison.
Neither the criminal proceedings – one of which earned him a historic conviction – nor the controversies over his racist or sexist remarks, nor the threats against the press and his opponents have hindered the most astonishing of “comeback” policies.
At exactly 12:00 p.m. on Monday US East Coast time, the nuclear codes will change hands. Donald Trump will formally become the 47th president of the United States and succeed Democrat Joe Biden as commander in chief of the world’s most powerful military.
Unless the freezing temperatures predicted in Washington disrupt the well-regulated ceremony of the inauguration, a day which begins with a religious service and concludes with balls, the Republican will advance, at the same time, on the steps of the Capitol.
Hand on the Bible
With his hand on a Bible, he will swear to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution”. In the same place, on January 6, 2021, his supporters stormed the headquarters of Congress to try to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, heated by a speech from their champion on a stolen election.
Donald Trump’s victory on November 5 against Vice-President Kamala Harris gave rise to no dispute. The outgoing Democratic president orchestrated a transition of perfect civility with this man he hates, who has humiliated him repeatedly for years, and whose return inflicts immense political disavowal on him.
The security system will be exceptional, after two assassination attempts on the Republican this summer: 48 kilometers of high barriers, 25,000 police officers deployed.
The first mandate (2017-2021) of the former real estate developer and reality TV host was chaotic. This time, Donald Trump is completely ideologically uninhibited, obsessed with the idea of “vengeance”and better armed politically.
Flags
He has a narrow majority in Congress. The Supreme Court is anchored to the right. He chose his ministers and advisors with loyalty as his main criterion. His influence over his party is immense.
To give Donald Trump a perfect image on Monday, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives decided to hoist the flags of the Capitol, instead of leaving them at half-mast as a sign of tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who recently died.
The billionaire’s first election created an international commotion. His return takes place in a form of resignation.
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Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Washington the day after his inauguration in 2017. This year, the organizers of a demonstration on Saturday in the American capital hope for 25,000 people.
According to CNN, 56% of Americans think this second term will be successful.
Leaders from around the world have already spoken with him, representatives of the far right from around the world will be in the stands on Monday, money from entrepreneurs and tech barons has flowed in to finance the festivities.
Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk
According to the press, Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta) and Tim Cook (Apple) will be present on Monday, with the richest man in the world, Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, X), fervent ally of Donald Trump whose influence now extends beyond borders.
From day one, the future president promised shock decisions: launching a migrant expulsion program, all-out customs taxes, pardons for his supporters convicted for the assault on the Capitol and measures targeting transgender people.
But very quickly the question of the credibility of its most resounding promises will arise, even more acutely than in 2017. For example, abolish land rights, guaranteed by the Constitution. Or end the war in Ukraine.
Donald Trump will also come up against his own limits. Age, first: he becomes the oldest president ever inaugurated. The prospect of his political exit, then. Unless there is a push against the constitutional two-term limit, Donald Trump will never again be a candidate, his favorite role. Will he resolve to not be “what” president, in this country in perpetual campaign?
Already nostalgic, the Republican will hold a final meeting in Washington on Sunday, a few hours before taking the oath.
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