Blue Monday came with an extra sprinkle of depression this year as it coincided with Donald Trump’s inauguration as the president of the United States. If you’re anything like me, this news comes with some very real anxieties, regardless of if you live in the USA or not. Because of this there’s a fair likelihood that you may have missed some of the utter fuckery that took place in Washington DC. Safe to say, we are in for a tough 4 years. To keep you in the loop, here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly (which was in abundance) of what went down on Monday.
1. The Oligarchy was present
Given the fact that America’s legion of morally bankrupt billionaires have all quickly aligned themselves with Trump it is no shock that the who’s who of American oligarchs showed up to offer their support to the incoming president. Elon Musk led the charge with the company of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and plenty more of the wealthiest men in the world. If you’re not clued up on why this is a massive red flag, the short version is that these men could intend to wield their astronomical wealth to further their own political agendas. Top of the agenda for many is supporting the rollbacks on civil liberties already taking place in the US and ensuring America’s businesses can continue to destroy the natural world unchecked. This comes on the heels of a warning from Joe Biden in his closing address that America is rapidly becoming an oligarchy.
2. Speaking of Elon, he may have literally done a Heil Hitler salute
In a move that will shock absolutely nobody, during a speech for the inauguration Elon Musk seemed to perform a Heil Hitler salute. Musk, known for having the personality of a porn-brained 15 year old edgelord, is a prime candidate for making Nazi symbolism en-vogue. While some news outlets have tried to skirt around the gesture as a poorly planned display of excitement, we all know that it isn’t really a reach to associate Musk and Trump with fascism based on their recent behaviour.
3. Carrie Underwood Flopped
Many were shocked and disappointed to find out that the once beloved country star was performing at the inauguration, with many of her former fans taking to social media to express their disappointment. Underwood, who has (or had) a large queer following, was set to perform a rendition of America the Beautiful. The performance began with an incredibly awkward two minutes of silence while technical issues were occuring. It was almost poetic in fact that the two minutes served as a mournful silence for the end of Underwood’s career. What followed was a notably shaky rendition of the American classic song as she had to sing a capella.
4. Protestors filled DC’s streets
Amidst a MAGA infestation in America’s capital city, thousands of protestors took to the streets to share their disgust at the ascension of a rapist and convicted criminal to the highest seat in the land. Protests also cropped up in New York and Seattle. The protestors marched in support of women’s rights, the environment, and support for the trans community amongst a plethroa of other issues. Needless to say, Trump has inherited a divided and disgusted America.
Fun fact: This will be the first presidential inauguration for a long time that will not have an official audience. Many suspect this decision is a way of avoiding a repeat of Trump’s 2017 inauguration which had record breaking low numbers for an inauguration. Trump falsely claimed to break attendance records afterwards.
5. Trump’s gaggle of neo-nazis got pardoned
As one of his very first actions in office Trump used his executive powers to pardon over 1000 rioters involved in the insurrection of the Capitol during the transition of power from his first term to Joe Biden’s term as president. Despite the fact that those involved seeked to murder sitting politicians and override the process of democracy, their commander in chief feels it is fair to let them off without so much as a warning. It cannot be stressed enough that the January 6th insurrection was a direct attack on democracy and the groups involved heavily align with white supremacist ideology. He also pardoned or commuted sentences for several members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers – White Nationalist groups responsible for acts of domestic terrorism. Clearly, Trump does Nazi that as an issue.
6. Melania cosplayed as the Hamburglar
The first lady made an interesting choice to step out in a hat that can only be described as Hamburglar cosplay. It is quite the coincidence that she resembled the cartoon thief while her husband intends to actively steal hard won civil liberties. A clip from the day shows that the hat in question prevented her husband from successfully landing a kiss on her cheek, which makes me think that perhaps it was an effective repellent? Either way, Melania’s choice of headgear has become classic fodder for internet memes.
7. Trump pulled out of various international agreements and reversed Biden policies
Like a bully in a china shop Trump has pulled out of several key agreements and organisations internationally such as the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organisation. He also quickly reversed Biden-era policies such as legal protections for transgender people in the military, measures to make medication more affordable for all Americans and measures to advance educational achievement for Hispanic and Black Americans. Many of these executive orders were signed during the ceremony itself or quickly after.
8. The environment is fucked
In tandem with withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, Trump has declared a national energy crisis and plans to heavily ramp up production of fossil fuels in America, this is despite fossil fuel production already being at a record high. He intends to squeeze every last drop of oil and coal out of America’s land, destroying the natural world and worsening climate change. This is after a year that saw several regions of the US face serious natural disasters including fires and floods which are inherently linked to climate change.
9. There’s only two genders
In a move that will shock nobody, and will be a JK Rowling wet dream, Trump has declared that the US government will only recognise two genders – those determined by biological sex. This move isn’t very clear as the US already only legally recognised two genders, but the ambiguity around this statement is how it will impact transgender Americans – a group already under serious attack from Trump and his brand of ‘gender-critical’ (read: transphobic) politics. This also raises questions about intersex people and how they will fit into American life under Trump’s rule.
10. More celebrities have come out of the woodwork
Alongside Carrie Underwood a litany of D list celebrities have clamoured to show support for the incoming rapist-turned-president including Kim Kardashian. Many of the names who either attended the inauguration or showed their support online haven’t been relevant for at least 10 years. Kim in her ongoing mission to prove she is entirely out of touch with the audience she desperately wants to keep under her thumb showed support to Melania on her Instagram story, confirming what many of us have known for a long time: she’s a morally defunct conservative. It comes as no shock given she was partially raised by infamous conservative and vehicular homicide dabbler Caitlyn Jenner (or should we be calling her Bruce vis a vis the two genders mess?).
11. Hilary Clinton was over his shit
The Clintons, along with all other living presidents and most of their spouses (Michelle Obama dipped, as she should) were in attendance at the inauguration. Footage of Hilary laughing as Trump declared his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America made its way online. Needless to say, we all agree that this plan is not only ridiculous, but an incredibly childish move that reeks of Trump’s own xenophobia. Clearly Trump does not know that the Gulf was actually named for the Mexica people who inhabited the region before European colonialism, and by extension the existence of the United States.
12. False statements about geopolitics
During his inaugural address Trump falsely claimed that the Panama Canal was currently under the control of the Chinese government. The canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, has been under control of Panama since 1999. Prior to this the canal was under first American then joint American-Panamanian control. China has never had control or direct involvement with the Panama Canal – Panama and China have only had formal relations since 2017.
13. Immigration is once again under attack
As expected, Trump has declared a national emergency at America’s southern border and shut down the CBP One app. CBP One was a platform brought into effect by the Biden administration to help migrants appear at a port of entry into the US and offered an easier pathway for asylum seekers. He seeks to restrict birthright citizenship and heavily cut back on immigration reform. Under Trump’s America we can expect a return to a violent, and frankly racist, border policy that seeks to isolate America from its southern neighbours – despite American demand for drugs and historic meddling in the region driving the issues that force millions to flee danger in their home countries to begin with.
This steaming pile of fascist nonsense kicks off what is going to be a bleak four years. During Trump’s second term we can only expect a continuation of more aggressive policies, abuses of the presidential office, and a furthering of alt-right politics in the White House. If this first day, and the litany of awful decisions it has brought, tells us one thing – it’s that the gloves are off.
As always, The New Feminist stands in support of basic human rights and civil liberties for all.
