Donald Trump Says 'Golden Age of America Begins Right Now' in Inaugural Address: All His Major Claims and Pledges

Donald Trump addressed the American people on Monday, Jan. 20, after being sworn into office for a second term as president of the United States.

“From this moment on, America's decline is over," Trump, 78, declared in the U.S. Capitol rotunda early in his inaugural speech, shifting away from the civil tone that he and President Joe Biden managed to strike throughout the morning.

"Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history," he said before referencing his assassination attempts. "My life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to Make America Great Again."

In a speech lasting more than 30 minutes, the newly inaugurated 47th president discussed a range of topics, previewing his day one goals and wading into some of the culture wars that propelled him to the White House once again.

The remarks — which teetered between a campaign rally speech and a partisan State of the Union-like address — focused less on a unification message and more on rebuking Biden's administration while his predecessor sat feet away.

Trump said that under his leadership, he would end what he views as censorship on free speech; direct the government to only recognize two genders; make it so that school kids don't "feel ashamed" by their curriculum; and "drill, baby drill."

He also reiterated his goal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and added that he would change the name of Mount Denali in Alaska back to its former nickname, Mount McKinley. Eliciting a thumbs up from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Trump also announced his intent to "plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars."

He concluded his speech with the idea that a new era is coming, saying, "Our golden age has just begun."

Among the notable figures in attendance at the U.S. Capitol were now-former President Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris — who lost to Trump in the 2024 election — and their spouses, former first lady Jill Biden and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Other prominent guests included former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, alongside the latter's wife, Laura Bush. Additionally, several of Trump’s well-known colleagues were present, including tech moguls Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.

Notably absent from the event were former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former first lady Michelle Obama.

"There's no overstating her feelings about [Trump]. She's not one to plaster on a pleasant face and pretend for protocol's sake," a source previously told PEOPLE, explaining why Obama chose not to attend the inauguration.

Trump’s 2017 inaugural speech was highly contested, with many comparing one line to a quote from a Batman supervillain.

“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 people,” Trump said in his first inauguration address, eight years ago.

The line was likened to a famous moment in The Dark Knight Rises, when the villain Bane declares to Gotham City: “We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and we give it back to you, the people.”

Leaving office in 2021 amid a global pandemic and political unrest, Trump became the first elected president in 150 years not to stand behind his successor, Biden, during his inauguration and was absent from the ceremonies. 

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Now reentering office, Trump has a higher popularity rating than his historically low one in 2017, according to a CNN poll. There is a close split between favorable (46%) and unfavorable (48%) opinions of Trump, personally.