What Trump said at his inaugural speech
Dear reader, Growing up, the United States of America was always an aspirational country. It was the harbinger of good times, wealth, and an ideal version of what democracy should look like. Little wonder then that a slew of mid-2000s Bollywood movies were set around the American Dream — Kal Ho Na Ho immediately springs to mind. That lies in sharp contrast to India, which was portrayed as a country that was lesser than; full of mishaps. In addition, our democratic institutions have always been prone to conspiracies and widespread doubt. Donald Trump's first tenure in office in 2016 changed that view for me, as well as many others worldwide. Watching his speech today to the US Congress (the first of his second stint in the White House) further cemented these thoughts. India was always hailed as a "banana republic"; one wonders if the same can be said for the Western heavyweight now. | The brief highlights - Doubled down on international tariffs against Mexico and Canada
- Called to end the war in Ukraine
- Praised Elon Musk's cost-cutting agenda, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
- Wants to undo Joe Biden's CHIPS Act, which provided funding for local manufacturing of semiconductors
- Requested the Congress for more funding towards deportation campaigns
- The India mentions , on tariffs:
Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India , Mexico and Canada — have you heard of them? And countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair. India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100%.
For a full video of Trump's speech, check out this video . For a choice collection of his quotes, check out these succinct graphics . Best, Shashwat Mohanty Editor, Newsletters and Audiences HT-Mint | Written and produced by Shashwat Mohanty. Proofread by Grammarly. Feel free to send any feedback by replying to this mail, or writing in to shashwat.mohanty@htdigital.in. | | | |
