Trump’s speech lays foundations for far right assault

Donald Trump began his presidency with a flurry of executive orders. 

He declared a “national emergency” at the US border with Mexico and withdrew from the Paris climate agreements and World Health Organisation. 

Another order proclaimed that there are only two sexes in an attack on trans+ people. 

And Trump issued 1,500 unconditional pardons for the fascist and far right thugs who staged the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021. 

He signed many of the executive orders on stage in a show of his determination to push through his far right agenda. 

And at the inauguration, Trump’s billionaire backer Elon Musk gave a Nazi salute. 

On the eve of his inauguration on Monday, Trump had given a sweeping speech outlining what is to come.

He said he had over 100 executive orders prepared to end ‘’every radical and foolish executive order of Joe Biden’s administration’’ within ‘’hours’’ of taking office.

These included a promise to instate the ‘‘most aggressive, sweeping’’ immigration laws in the history of the United States. Trump also promised to end ‘’destructive and divisive’’ diversity, equity and inclusion mandates, to ban trans+ people from single gendered spaces and to reclaim US wealth.

Attacking the Biden presidency, Trump promised to ‘’end the reign of a failed and corrupt political establishment’’ and turn ‘’inherited disaster’’ into a US strong for ‘‘centuries’’ to come.

He blamed the Democrats for the decline of US military imperialism in the Middle East, going as far as accusing them of funding the Taliban and Hamas. He promised to rebuild US military strength in the face of declining power on an increasing number of fronts.

He described the US as being ‘‘invaded’’ and ‘’overrun’’ but that by noon on Monday the US would once again be a “free and proud nation”. By ending birth right citizenship and humanitarian laws that protect migrants, among other measures, he promises to stop countries ‘‘emptying their prisons’’ into the US.

Throughout his victory speech he compared migrants at the Mexican border to fictional character Hannibal Lecter, who is a cannibal. Trump backed this up by claiming that 52 percent of them have killed more than one person and exploited violence against women to back up his racism.

And the far right politician took credit for the ceasefire deal in the Middle East boasting that he’s done more before becoming president than Biden has while in office.

Yet Trump did not emphasise his plans to end the war in Ukraine as much as he has previously, as he choose to not repeat his claim that the war wouldn’t have started had he been in office.

While blaming crime rates on migrants and the Democrats he made allusions to the pardoning and release of 6 January rioters. Though he didn’t specify what he’d do with the nearly 3,000 people charged and convicted, he promised that he’d make people ‘‘very happy’’ as soon as he entered office.

It is too easy to dismiss many of these statements as nothing more than boasts. The left must be prepared for the assaults coming from Trump, and for the ramping up of racist, misogynistic and far right attacks across the world.