By Robin Itzler
Editor's Note: This is one of the commentaries selected from Robin's weekly newsletter Patriot Neighbors. Any cartoons appearing will have been added by me. If you wish to get the full edition, E-mail her at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com to get on her list, it's free. RK
President Donald Trump – from his inaugural address: "I return to the presidency, confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country. Sunlight is pouring over the entire world."
What others said:
Bill O’Reilly; NewsNation’s On Balance “That was a brutal speech. It’s a unique moment in American history. I can’t find any other inaugural address that humiliated an outgoing president as much as this one did.”
Sean Collins, “Trump’s Inauguration Revealed the Exhaustion of the Democrats;” Spiked “This time around, the mood could not have been more different. Trump’s second inauguration found Americans in a hopeful frame of mind, with many celebrating his return. The protests this week in Washington were desultory; the Resistance has become the Resignation. Indeed, the quiet, defeatist response to Trump reveals the Democrats as an exhausted party – as politically frail and confused as Joe Biden is physically frail and confused. … This exhaustion comes because Biden and the Democrats did not just lose an election in November – their worldview was rejected, too. It was as much a moral as a political defeat.”
Disney’s Star Wars star Mark Hamill (who many would not recognize today); Bluesky “From midnight tonight until next Saturday morning, there’s no TV, no Internet, no Social Media, no nothing for me.”
Mark Penn, commentator, former Democrat pollster to Bill Clinton; X
“The last straw. Last minute pardons for Biden’s political accomplices were the plan all along. The pardons for drug dealers and commutations for murderers were just cover for the main act of these pardons and his son — all done after elections have passed. The only administration to try to jail political opponents was not Trump’s but Biden’s, and it was the voters who rejected it with their votes. There were legitimate questions on whether Fauci lied about his funding of gain of function research, whether Milley broke the chain of command and had unauthorized communications with the Chinese and whether the Jan 6th committee coached witnesses.
They may have all been right and truthful but there were questions, and they will all go unresolved now. But Biden was elected lying to the public about his son’s business (which was eventually uncovered), sought to win reelection hiding his infirmities, (which was also eventually uncovered), and genuinely abused his office in the closing days of his presidency as his low ratings sink even lower.”
Rachel Vindman, wife of Alexander Vindman; X
Her husband was on Trump’s first administration's national security council and allegedly leaked classified information to a “whistle-blower.” allegations eventually led to Trump's first impeachment. “Whatever happens to my family, know this: No pardons were offered or discussed. I cannot begin to describe the level of betrayal and hurt I feel.”
National Review editors
“Donald Trump’s inaugural address was functionally indistinguishable from one of his rally speeches. It wasn’t as long or discursive but was just as plain-spoken and pointed and made exactly the same promises. The address was another sign that Trump intends to govern the way he ran.”
Hayes Brown; MSNBC live blog
“Look, I get it. It’s hard to be the pro-democracy party if you’re going to pitch a fit and boycott any of the events that get thrown in honor of the person who won. But watching congressional Democrats take part in the traditional luncheon at the Capitol has been a master class in the disconnect between the pre-election rhetoric and the rush to pretend things are normal in Washington.
“Nothing has changed to make Trump less of a threat to democracy today than he was before the ballots were counted. He hasn’t made any moves to shore up his commitments to civil rights or the rule of law. Seeing the smiles on elected Democrats' faces at today’s events and hearing the at best gently chiding tone of their speeches feels out of place on what should be a somber day for them.”
David Axelrod, former Obama senior advisor; CNN
"When you think about how he left Washington four years ago, there is no way you could have imagined the set of circumstances. He left in disgrace, he's come back as kind of a conqueror, that is the feel of this. ...Whatever you think about Donald Trump, you have to acknowledge this was probably the most astonishing political comeback in American history."
Thomas Buckley; Substack
“Out with the old, in with the gold. That was the essence of Donald Trump’s inauguration speech.”
Click here to read Thomas Buckley’s full column.
Click here to watch what happens inside the White House as one administration moves out and another moves in.
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