Trump takes oath of office and gives first speech as US president
Jill Abramson, Steven W Thrasher
Friday 20 January 2017 18.11 GMT Last modified on Friday 20 January 2017 20.59 GMT
Jill Abramson: The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous
His inaugural address sounded like any speech at a Trump rally. The scene was a campaign event writ large, with a massive cheering crowd of white people wearing “Make America Great Again†red caps. Like his tone as a candidate, the new president’s voice was angry and dripping with pessimism. Like his speech at the Republican convention, President Trump drew a dark picture of a country under siege from foreign trade competitors, Muslim terrorists and Washington insiders. There were no grace notes.
His base no doubt loved it. But there was no reassurance or olive branch extended to the majority of Americans who did not vote for him. While he named President Bill Clinton, there was no mention of his wife, the vanquished opponent. There were no good wishes extended to President George HW Bush or his wife, who were hospitalized, but did not endorse him. The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous.
Indeed, after calling the Obamas “magnificent,†he was then overtly rude to them, portraying a do-nothing Washington that had betrayed the people and enriched itself. Meanwhile, the unprepared billionaires who displayed their ignorance at hearings last week await confirmation to his cabinet. In a gratuitous slap that echoed his wild and crazy insult to Rep John Lewis on Twitter, he lambasted politicians, presumably all the Democrats on the reviewing stand behind him, who “complain†but fail to get things done.
And the biggest lie of all when the narcissist proclaimed, “I will never let you down.â€
He already has.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...ump-speech
Jill Abramson, Steven W Thrasher
Friday 20 January 2017 18.11 GMT Last modified on Friday 20 January 2017 20.59 GMT
Jill Abramson: The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous
His inaugural address sounded like any speech at a Trump rally. The scene was a campaign event writ large, with a massive cheering crowd of white people wearing “Make America Great Again†red caps. Like his tone as a candidate, the new president’s voice was angry and dripping with pessimism. Like his speech at the Republican convention, President Trump drew a dark picture of a country under siege from foreign trade competitors, Muslim terrorists and Washington insiders. There were no grace notes.
His base no doubt loved it. But there was no reassurance or olive branch extended to the majority of Americans who did not vote for him. While he named President Bill Clinton, there was no mention of his wife, the vanquished opponent. There were no good wishes extended to President George HW Bush or his wife, who were hospitalized, but did not endorse him. The man does not seem capable of being magnanimous.
Indeed, after calling the Obamas “magnificent,†he was then overtly rude to them, portraying a do-nothing Washington that had betrayed the people and enriched itself. Meanwhile, the unprepared billionaires who displayed their ignorance at hearings last week await confirmation to his cabinet. In a gratuitous slap that echoed his wild and crazy insult to Rep John Lewis on Twitter, he lambasted politicians, presumably all the Democrats on the reviewing stand behind him, who “complain†but fail to get things done.
And the biggest lie of all when the narcissist proclaimed, “I will never let you down.â€
He already has.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...ump-speech
