For Immediate Release: Monday, January 20, 2025
CONTACT: media@ourrevolution.com
TRUMP’S INAUGURAL SPEECH SIGNALS AN ADMINISTRATION BUILT ON FEAR, CORPORATE LOYALTY, AND A RETURN TO A NEW GILDED AGE
In his inaugural address, Trump outlined an agenda that cements an alliance of state and corporate power, ushering in a new Gilded Age where billionaires and tech CEOs take precedence over working Americans. His promises prioritize fear-mongering and corporate interests over the real crises facing working-class Americans.
Washington, D.C. — Following Donald J. Trump’s inaugural speech, Our Revolution Executive Director, Joseph Geevarghese issued the following statement:
“Trump’s inauguration made it unmistakably clear that there is an unholy alliance between state and corporate power. His presidency is set to openly serve the billionaire class—not working people. The visual of the event says it all. While tech CEOs and oligarchs were given center stage, there was a glaring absence of any working people — gone were the hard hats, sanitation and McDonald’s workers who were used as props on the campaign trail.
As for the substance of his speech, the forgotten men and women of America seemed to be forgotten again. There was no mention of improving wages or expanding protections for workers who keep our economy running every day — but Trump was keen to focus on how he’ll funnel our tax dollars to Elon Musk’s mission to Mars and the oil and gas executives so they can “drill baby drill.” His rhetoric of division and manufactured crises is a dangerous distraction from the true emergencies threatening our nation: skyrocketing inequality, climate change, and the erosion of workers’ rights.
In his inaugural speech, Trump outlined several troubling priorities, including his intent to sign executive orders around the following:
- Environmental Rollbacks and Climate Denial: Trump falsely claimed he would “roll back the Green New Deal,” despite the fact that it was never implemented. This rhetoric is a thinly veiled attack on the historic climate legislation passed under President Biden, which made significant investments in clean energy and environmental protections. Trump’s pledge to declare a “national energy emergency” and expand fossil fuel production prioritizes corporate polluters over working families who face the harshest impacts of climate change.
- Economic Policies That Betray Working Families: While Trump spoke about addressing inflation, his proposals center on deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy, and gutting workplace protections. These measures do nothing to alleviate the economic struggles of working families, including immigrant workers, who continue to bear the brunt of inequality.
- Potential Pardon of January 6th Insurrectionists: While not declared in his speech, Trump has signaled his intent to pardon those convicted for their involvement in the January 6th insurrection. This would set a dangerous precedent, embolden elements of his far-right supporters, and provide a license for political violence and retribution against those fighting for economic justice, racial equality, and inclusion.
Our Revolution is ready to fight back against the worst of the Trump administration—the hypocrisy, the self-dealing, and the attacks on our people and planet. We will also employ a strategy of pressuring Trump to live up to his rhetoric aimed at improving life for working people— such as bringing back manufacturing jobs and cutting the Pentagon budget.
Our Revolution is committed to holding this administration accountable while pushing for real solutions that prioritize the working class over corporate interests. We are not going to allow Trump and the Trump family to privatize our government and plunder our tax dollars to enrich themselves and their cronies in the billionaire class.
To request an interview with Mr. Geevarghese, please contact: media@ourrevolution.com
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Our Revolution is America’s largest grassroots progressive political organizing group, born out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. It focuses on mobilizing communities, electing progressive champions, advocating for progressive policies, and transforming the Democratic Party to serve people, not corporate interests.