Breaking the tradition of touching the Bible when taking the oath

The event began with Mr. Trump breaking with the tradition of using a Bible when taking the oath. First Lady Melania Trump stood by his side, holding two Bibles - the Trump family Bible and the Lincoln Bible. However, Mr. Trump only raised his right hand to take the oath, skipping the ritual of touching the Bible.

"Blow kiss" goes viral online

The event also captured an unexpected moment when Melania’s wide-brimmed hat got in the way of their attempt to kiss. Trump accidentally touched Melania’s hat with his head, forcing them to blow kisses while holding hands.

The moment quickly went viral on social media with many humorous comments. One user commented: "Melania's hat clearly had a purpose, it prevented Trump from giving the kiss he wanted."

Criticize the old government

In his speech, Mr. Trump attacked the Biden administration for its mismanagement of natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and the Los Angeles wildfires. He said the previous administration failed to deal with domestic crises while also getting caught up in catastrophic events abroad.

"We have a government that cannot handle even a simple domestic crisis," Trump said, referring to its inability to respond to recent disasters.

Former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who attended the ceremony, appeared uncomfortable with Mr Trump's repeated criticism of the former administration.

Mr Trump's attacks on "American decline" and a "corrupt, radical establishment" left Mr Biden only able to smile wryly, while Ms Harris remained stoic.

Mr Trump also recounted surviving an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, claiming it was a sign that he was protected by destiny. "My proudest legacy will be to be a peacemaker and a unifier," Mr Trump declared, confident that he was a special historical figure, chosen by God to "make America great again".

The convergence of the financial elite

The inauguration was a gathering of Silicon Valley billionaires including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook. Their presence highlighted the increasingly clear relationship between money and power.

However, the event also saw notable absences, such as former First Lady Michelle Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who attended Mr Trump's first inauguration in 2017.

Mr Trump ended his speech by pledging to end the “weaponisation” of politics. He asserted that “the scales of justice will be rebalanced” and promised not to use state power to suppress political opponents.

Ngoc Anh (according to AFP, WSJ)