Donald Trump returns as the 47th President of the United States of America.

Washington DC: Donald Trump returns as US President for a second term today – a historic one on several counts. His inauguration or oath ceremony at the US Capitol will, without a doubt, usher in a new era – whether for better or worse – only time will tell.

1. Donald Trump will become only the second President in US history, after Grover Cleavland in 1893, to return to power after being voted out of the White House. Trump will also make history by replacing Joe Biden as the oldest President the US has ever had. 
2. As a new era dawns upon the United States, the country has plunged into a deep freeze, forcing a triumphant Donald Trump’s inauguration to be moved indoors – dampening the mood of the upbeat 78-year-old and his passionate supporters. The weather forecast has predicted the coldest inauguration day in 40 years. Instead of taking oath on the steps of the magnificent US Capitol in front of tens of thousands of supporters assembled at the sprawling lawns of the National Mall, Donald Trump and his deputy JD Vance will take oath inside – under the domed Rotunda of the US Capitol, as Ronald Reagan had done in 1985. 
3. Donald Trump’s team has declared that “As soon as President Trump places his hand on the Bible and swears the Oath to the United States Constitution, the Golden Age of America will begin.” However millions of Americans are deeply concerned about the future of their country, its democracy, pluralism, and economy, fearing the consequences of Donald Trump’s dark and regressive promises – like vows of retribution against his political opponents and journalists. 
4. Donald Trump has said he will take immediate action by signing a record number of executive orders ushering in sweeping changes and reversing much of what his predecessor Joe Biden has done. This he says is the “need of the hour” and the only way to “Make America Great Again”. 
5. Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office more powerful than ever, capping a journey that saw him defy two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction to win the election in historic fashion, including winning every single swing state in the country. His Republican party has returned to power with a majority in both the House of Representatives, as well as the Senate, giving President Trump unhindered power to push through any and all agendas that he may feel necessary. 
6. Reports suggest that President Trump’s immediate move, in the first few hours of his presidency, will be to sign a staggering over-100 executive orders – including immediate tariff implementation, stringent curbs on immigration, mass deportation of illegal migrants, a national emergency on the southern US border with Mexico, ending birthright citizenship, pardon to all 2021 US Capitol rioters, ban on transgender athletes from women’s sports, ending all gender-affirming care practices, and undoing the Biden administration’s directives on diversity and oil drilling, among others. 
7. Donald Trump’s return as President has resulted in a 180-degree shift in the tech industry’s policies in terms of fact checks, inclusiveness, gender equality, social sensitivity – things that will lead to misinformation, fake news, divisiveness, polarisation, bullying, and targeting of minorities. Big tech has adopted Donald Trump’s outlook, and three of the world’s richest men – all tech tycoons – X and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, and Meta (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, WhatsApp) chief Mark Zuckerberg will be seen alongside Donald Trump at the inauguration. Besides them, the list of tech CEOs attending Trump’s inauguration is a veritable who’s who of industry giants, including ChatGPT-maker OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Alphabet and Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Apple’s Tim Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Chew. These leaders are eager to establish a positive relationship with the incoming administration, particularly given the regulatory challenges they face. 
8. For the rest of the world Donald Trump’s return brings a heightened sense of uncertainty and preparing for the unexpected twists and turns in trade practices and geopolitics. For the Americas, there is a great degree of concern over Trump’s open threats to Greenland, Panama, Mexico, and Canada. There is worry in Ukraine too, with Trump calling for a rethink of US aid to the war-torn country, without which its resistance to Russia’s might will be severely compromised. Promising sweeping changes to its Middle East policy and its funding of NATO, Donald Trump is sure to rattle the global order.
9. Europe faces a huge risk of being dominated, crushed and marginalised if they do nothing to counter the policies of Donald Trump, French prime minister Francois Bayrou has said. “The United States, with the inauguration of the President, has decided on a politics that is incredibly dominating,” the French prime minister said, adding that “If we (European countries) do nothing then our fate will be simple. We will be dominated, we will be crushed, we will be marginalised. It is up to us, French and Europeans, as it is impossible without Europe.” French President Emmanuel Macron had even before Trump’s election for a second term emphasised the importance of Europe gaining a “strategic autonomy” by limiting its dependence on the United States, particularly in defence.
10. The markets, however, have been optimistic about Donald Trump’s return, and his policies on fossil fuels, especially drilling for oil, has sent the US and global markets on an upward spiral. The US Dollar has strengthened too, as has cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin hit a record high above $109,000 today as Donald Trump, who has signalled plans to deregulate the cryptocurrency sector, prepares to be sworn in as US President. Bitcoin surged to an all-time peak of $109,241 ahead of Trump’s inauguration ceremony, before falling back to around $107,500. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency has soared since Trump won the presidential election in November, with bitcoin surpassing $100,000 for the first time in early December.