Linda Killian

President Trump’s short inaugural address sounded the same themes he repeated throughout his divisive campaign. While it almost certainly resonated with his supporters, it is unlikely to have reassured many of the 65.8 million voters who did not cast a ballot for him.

The overall tone of the speech seemed almost angry and grim — with Trump announcing that he is taking on Capitol Hill and all of the political leaders who have preceded him as well as much of the rest of the world.

“For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country,” Trump declared.

“That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment; it belongs to you.”

Trump reportedly wrote the 16 minute speech himself, and it was full of the win-at-all costs rhetoric that brought him to national prominence and secured him the presidency. Trump’s message undoubtedly sounded empowering to those who voted for him and who believe their concerns have been ignored by this nation’s political leaders.

“The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer," said Trump. “Everyone is listening to you now.”

But with his Cabinet picks Trump has signaled it is not the concerns of average Americans who will be front and center in his administration. Rather than draining the Washington swamp, he seems to be adding more crocodiles.

Trump’s inaugural address was long on the kind of declarations that were the centerpiece of his campaign.

“America will start winning again, winning like never before. We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.” But how Trump plans to do this is far from clear.

The swing voters who voted for President Obama and then Trump in 2016 are waiting to see what happens. They have heard promises before and are counting on Trump to bring the change they don’t believe they got from the Obama administration.

Trump provided no real information about how he plans to govern and do things differently, how he will work with members of Congress (all of them) or what his economic plan is for restoring American jobs, except to say repeatedly that America comes first.

The U.S. has “spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. We've made other countries rich, while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.”

“The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world,” Trump asserted. But in fact there has also been a great deal of wealth distribution in the USA, thanks to tax and trade policies from which Trump and many members of his Cabinet have benefited.

Trump closed his speech with this declaration: “Together, we will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, together we will make America great again.”

These may be great campaign slogans. But governing a nation is a far more complicated business than holding political rallies and making speeches, and there was nothing in this inaugural address to indicate Trump is up to the challenge. Americans will be watching, and if they are disappointed again the result could be truly disastrous for this nation.

Linda Killian is executive director of Independent Americans United and a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. Her most recent book is The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents. Follow her on Twitter @lindajkillian.

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