On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was sworn into the office and became the 47th President of the United States in a historic, albeit controversial, return to the White House. The first president to enter office in non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland, Trump’s inauguration was met with celebration and deep concern in equal measure. While his supporters filled the National Mall in a wave of red hats and flags, many Americans viewed the day with apprehension, fearing what his leadership could mean for democracy, civil rights, and global stability.
Trump, throughout the inaugural address, continued the same message that had brought him into office – heavy on immigration, deregulation, and what he referred to as “restoration of American greatness.” He pledged to take on a government overreach and promised to dismantle many of the policies dictated by his predecessor. The speech did little in assuaging progressives worried about the fate of policies shielding the most marginalized members of communities around climate change, healthcare, and social justice.
Meanwhile, several thousand protesters hit the streets in Washington, D.C. as Trump began a new term. Demonstrations occurred in multiple major cities, with activists speaking on voting rights, reproductive healthcare, and the erosion of democratic norms. To many, Trump’s second term does not bode well for the safety of the very institutions upholding fairness and accountability, particularly with his claims over election fraud earlier in years.
In his first hours back in office, President Trump inked a series of executive orders, designed to rip through the policies of the past four years. Early reports point to moves to firm up border security, ease regulations on fossil fuels, and pull out of international agreements on climate action. His administration has also seemed to foreshadow taking a much harder stance regarding media regulation and political dissent, raising the alarm among civil rights organizations.
The country is more politically divided than ever as it gears up for another chapter in Trump’s leadership, with his supporters cheering for his return. Meanwhile, millions of Americans prepare to bear the brunt of his policies on healthcare, education, and voting rights. And with control of Congress still within reach in the coming elections, Democrats are already gearing up to mount a counterattack against an agenda they say threatens to send the country hurtling decades backward. It will be the defining test for American democracy over the next four years, as citizens on both sides prepare for the battles ahead.
