Peter Baker

But you wouldn't have heard it a lot in the rest of the speech, right? He didn't say anything nice about his outgoing predecessor, Joe Biden, even though that's the tradition when a new president comes in to at least thank you for your service. Didn't do that. Didn't talk about bipartisanship.

But you wouldn't have heard it a lot in the rest of the speech, right? He didn't say anything nice about his outgoing predecessor, Joe Biden, even though that's the tradition when a new president comes in to at least thank you for your service. Didn't do that. Didn't talk about bipartisanship.

And he even said that he would reinstate military service members who were discharged for refusing to have a vaccine during the COVID pandemic, even pay them back pay.

And he even said that he would reinstate military service members who were discharged for refusing to have a vaccine during the COVID pandemic, even pay them back pay.

This is my seventh presidential inauguration. And this is not the way inauguration speeches are supposed to go, right? They're supposed to be the lofty speech. They're supposed to be the large theme speech, broad strokes. And here he makes this more like a State of the Union address. And he outlines one idea, one proposal after another, many of them divisive.

This is my seventh presidential inauguration. And this is not the way inauguration speeches are supposed to go, right? They're supposed to be the lofty speech. They're supposed to be the large theme speech, broad strokes. And here he makes this more like a State of the Union address. And he outlines one idea, one proposal after another, many of them divisive.

It felt very different than a normal inaugural.

It felt very different than a normal inaugural.

Rather than pulling back, it's about America expanding in a way, not in a new war in the Middle East, not Iraq, Afghanistan kind of way, but in a territorial way, a very 19th century way of looking at the world.

Rather than pulling back, it's about America expanding in a way, not in a new war in the Middle East, not Iraq, Afghanistan kind of way, but in a territorial way, a very 19th century way of looking at the world.

He did talk about the Panama Canal, which is an issue that nobody had been thinking about for 40-some years. And he said it was a mistake to give it away. And we're taking it back. And we're taking it back. Not just we're going to renegotiate this or that. We're taking it back. Right.

He did talk about the Panama Canal, which is an issue that nobody had been thinking about for 40-some years. And he said it was a mistake to give it away. And we're taking it back. And we're taking it back. Not just we're going to renegotiate this or that. We're taking it back. Right.

Well, that's right. He hasn't ruled it out. And the other one, of course, was saying he had signed or was signing a proclamation.

Well, that's right. He hasn't ruled it out. And the other one, of course, was saying he had signed or was signing a proclamation.

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, which again is a very nationalist thing to do. And you're forgetting something, Peter.

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, which again is a very nationalist thing to do. And you're forgetting something, Peter.

And there in the back row was Elon Musk pumping his fists in the air and giving thumbs up. He loves that, of course, because SpaceX is his company and he was always talking about going to Mars. Right.

And there in the back row was Elon Musk pumping his fists in the air and giving thumbs up. He loves that, of course, because SpaceX is his company and he was always talking about going to Mars. Right.

and what it means. Well, it's an aggressive speech, right? And it presages an aggressive term. This is not a president coming into office for the first time having never spent a day in public office with the military. Remember, in 2017, he was the only president. Who is that inexperienced? And he didn't know what he was doing by his own later admission. Right. This time he knows what he's doing.

and what it means. Well, it's an aggressive speech, right? And it presages an aggressive term. This is not a president coming into office for the first time having never spent a day in public office with the military. Remember, in 2017, he was the only president. Who is that inexperienced? And he didn't know what he was doing by his own later admission. Right. This time he knows what he's doing.