I appreciated Monday's unexpected call for unity in the Capitol Rotunda, where MAGA insurrectionists launched a deadly attack on Congress four years ago.
Unfortunately, it didn't come from the testy, vengeful President Trump, who sat on a podium crowded with members of the Trump family, former presidents and first ladies, and members of America's new oligarchy: tech billionaires who have bent the knee and their opened wallets to the man who threatened to make their lives very, very difficult.
Rather, the call for unity came from Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, whose stirring words should not be forgotten amid Trump's subsequent barrage of lies, threats and bravado. And even though she was addressing the American people, I would like to think she was speaking directly to Trump.
“What makes this moment more than a passing ceremony is everyone watching it across the country — the people of this nation, the ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” said Klobuchar, who chairs the bipartisan Opening Ceremony Committee Congress held. “President Kennedy, who once served as a senator in this building and often walked through this very rotunda, once said, 'In a democracy, every citizen holds office, regardless of his political interests.' Each of us has a responsibility.” With this civic responsibility comes the obligation not to seek malice, as President Lincoln once reminded us, but to treat others with generosity despite our differences.”
Great opportunity.
For those of us who enjoy reading about how entomologists study insect behavior, the inauguration ceremony offered a wealth of decipherable body language and fashion choices.
There was First Lady Melania Trump, wearing some sort of personal protective equipment: a wide-brimmed hat that practically screamed, “Get away from my face.” (Trump once tried to give her a kiss, but couldn't get within kissing distance of her cheek.)
Vice President Kamala Harris, who would visit the devastated residents of fire-scorched Altadena later in the day, wore a black power suit – to better mourn our democracy – with some badass silver zippers. (Trump, who is expected to visit Los Angeles later this week, claimed with gratuitous cruelty that the fires burned “without even a sign of defense.”)
First Lady Jill Biden smiled tensely.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, inexplicably decided to do so a Victoria's Secret runway atmosphereShe wears a white bustier that reveals her cleavage under a white jacket.
Former President George W. Bush wore his trademark grin. winks at people as if he were in on some cosmic joke. The same goes for former President Obama, who entered the room with his usual swagger.
The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, later appeared to admit that Nazi greetings (twice) at a post-inauguration rally, bowed his head from side to side as if he had ingested a very pleasant, mind-altering substance. Some on social media joked that he appeared to be “malfunctioning.”
Conveniently poor Kimberly Guilfoyle exiled to Greece After her longtime partner Donald Trump Jr. received an ambassadorship, she sat scowling in the audience rather than at the VIP-filled podium. .
Trump's speech was a reference to his first “American carnage” inaugural speech, only with more detail. Humility, a hallmark of most inaugural speeches, was predictably absent.
“I was saved by God to make America great again,” said Trump, who survived an assassination attempt in July.
If the president gets his way, he will make life difficult for many people: people of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants looking for a better life, the poor. In one of his first official acts he reversed dozens of the Biden administration's executive orders aimed at promoting justice, protecting public health and combating climate change, among other things.
“We will create a society that is colorblind and meritocratic,” he said, a worthy goal undermined by his history of racist behavior and speech.
My 14-year-old niece actually gasped when he announced, “Starting today, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.” Even an American teenager knows that The world has moved beyond this limited view of gender, and nothing will change that – not even a command from a man who believes his presidency is divinely ordained.
Later Monday, Trump took a massive step toward undermining American democracy and the rule of law. He pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,500 rioters who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Capitol Police and desecrated the halls of Congress as they attempted to stage a coup in his name on January 6, 2021.
It is difficult for many of us to accept that the man who incited this violence has just become our 47th president. Trump's flurry of executive orders showed that he had learned something from his mistakes – even if it was the opposite of what many of us might hope. The American people? Not so much.
blue sky: @rabcarian.bsky.social. Topics: @rabcarian