Trump Inaugural Speech Layered with His Familiar B.S.
During his first speech as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump strayed away from the unifying tones that are commonly found in inaugural addresses and instead insulted the government and spoke a multitude of lies and exaggerations while introducing his agenda.
Here are some of his biggest claims debunked.
Panama Canal
During his address, Trump falsely claimed that Panama had violated the terms of their treaty about the canal and its neutrality.
Trump said that “American ships are being severely overcharged” and that “China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn’t give it to China.” He then said that America would be taking the canal back.
Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino rebuked Trump’s claims that China was interfering, saying that “there is no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration.”
Mulino also said that the canal would remain under Panama’s control.
“The Canal is and will continue to be Panama’s and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality,” Mulino said in a statement to CNN.
Weaponization of the Justice Department
Trump said during his speech that “the scales of justice would be rebalanced” and that he will end the "vicious, violent and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and government.”
Trump has often repeated this claim that the Biden administration used the Department of Justice to persecute him and other high-ranking Trump administration officials in a political “witch hunt.”
There has been no evidence of this although multiple cases have been brought against Trump for interfering in the 2020 presidential election, inciting the January 6 insurrection and falsifying business records although the business records one is the only one where he has been convicted.
Protecting Free Speech
Trump said during his speech that he intended to sign an executive order to allegedly “end government censorship” across the country.
“After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will also sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America,” he said.
An executive order for this will not change anything as the First Amendment already covers the right to a free press, freedom of speech and the right to peacefully assemble and protest.
Revoking Electric Vehicle Mandate
During his address, Trump said that he and his administration would begin to roll back Biden’s “mandates” for clean energy vehicle production in order to “save the auto industry” and allow Americans to “buy the car of their choice.”
No mandate exists although the Biden administration has issued several incentives for the production of clean energy vehicles including green lighting California’s ban on new gas car sales by 2035 and a $1.7 billion program aimed at saving at-risk auto production plants by converting them into electric and hybrid vehicle factories.
National Energy Emergency
Trump erroneously claimed that the country was in a “national energy emergency.” and that we would begin to “drill baby drill” in order to bring down prices.
He also said that his administration would open up the nation's oil spigots in order to increase energy production.
However, oil production has reached record-high levels under Joe Biden.
What Do We Do Now
Donald Trump’s inauguration speech signals more of the same from a figure whose political career has been built on misinformation and divisive rhetoric. After years of navigating his falsehoods and inflammatory claims, we know what to expect: a steady stream of misleading statements designed to distract, divide, and dominate the conversation. Our strategy moving forward must be clear—pay close attention to his words, fact-check his lies relentlessly, and call them out without hesitation. Ignoring or dismissing them is not an option. The only way to combat this continued assault on truth is through vigilance, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to the facts.