Trump’s undergraduate rally speech by Reuters
by James Oliphant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump held a campaign-style rally in chilly Washington to celebrate his victory and his supporters.
Here are some highlights from Trump’s comments on Sunday:
Get out of the door quickly
In a sign for weeks, Trump is expected to sign executive actions on Monday to fulfill his campaign promises.
“The American people have given us their trust, and in return we are giving them the best first day, the greatest first week and the most extraordinary 100 days for a president in American history,” Trump said.
A source familiar with the plan confirmed that Trump is preparing to sign more than 200 executive actions on Monday.
The orders are expected to cover border security, mass deportations, rolling back the government’s diversity initiative, a January 6, 2021 amnesty, US Capitol attack defendants, boosting oil and gas production and replacing thousands of government bureaucrats, among other policy issues.
Within hours of taking office, Trump vowed to rescind “every radical and stupid executive order of the Biden administration.”
Trump and other rally speakers said Trump had been given clear authority to carry out his plan.
Although Trump has criticized past endorsements, he has refrained from naming past endorsements. It was perhaps a preview of the tone Trump will try to strike during his inaugural address on Monday.
Rally with breaking tradition
The presence of the procession itself was unusual.
Typically with a new president, campaign speeches give way to more substantive rhetoric. Transitional language often focuses on handovers between administrations.
But the people in Capital one (NYSE: ) Arena was indistinguishable from any other pre-Trump campaign event: men and women dressed in red MAGA hats, Trump-emblazoned shirts and American flag clothing.
And the speakers who took the stage often spoke at previous events: Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, longtime Trump aide Stephen Miller and two of Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.
Trump also played campaign videos on arena screens, reusing many of his campaign slogans on border security and crime.
As the campaign winds down, Trump laments that his rallies are disappearing. So Sunday’s event was a nostalgic tribute to the fans.
“We all swear together. That’s the way I look at it,” Trump said.
A JUXTAPOSITION
Sunday’s show could stand in for Monday’s rare swearing-in event, with tech stars like Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s (NASDAQ:) Sundar Pichai. Presence. Their companies and others have given millions to Trump’s inaugural fund.
Trump has chosen Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and education nominee Linda McMahon to pack his administration with billionaires, including Musk, who is leading the government’s efficiency efforts.
The official balls where Trump is expected to speak Monday night are invitation-only and likely to be filled with mega-donors and America’s corporate elite.
Tensions between populist MAGA diehards and Trump’s corporate allies have manifested themselves over issues such as H1-B visas, the visa program for foreign tech workers, and TikTok, and may worsen as Trump sorts out his immediate priorities.
Is there room for everyone under Trump’s tent? We’ll find out soon enough.
Co-President Musk?
Musk has sided with Trump since winning the election in November, so it was no surprise when Trump asked him to come to the stage at a rally to cheers from the Maga faithful.
“We’re looking forward to making a lot of changes, and this win is really just the beginning,” said Musk, who chairs Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.
But Musk’s advisory role may extend beyond this mandate.
He could work with Trump White House appointees like Russell Vought and James Sherk to shrink the size of the federal government and replace thousands of career workers with hand-picked Trump political staff.
As befits his position, Mook was called to the stage by Trump to speak, but JD Vance, who will be sworn in as vice president on Monday, was not.
As it was, Trump seemed unsure of where Vance would be on the stage.
Wherever he goes, Trump stares. “He’s here somewhere.”