Conservative columnist George Will delivered a sharp critique of President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address in The Washington Post, describing it as “staggeringly inappropriate.” However, he also offered advice to those who interpret such moments as signaling either the demise or triumph of the nation.
“Donald Trump does not deal in felicities. His second inaugural will be remembered for being worse than 59 others, including his first (about ‘stealing,’ ‘ravages,’ and ‘carnage’). It was memorable for its staggering inappropriateness,” Will wrote. He argued that inaugurations are meant to be “solemn yet celebratory components of America’s civic liturgy.”
Instead, Trump’s address painted a bleak picture, blaming “corrupt” and “horrible” betrayals for society’s disrepair. He added, “The challenges will be ‘annihilated,’ not because God blesses America, but because God chose him.”
Will likened the event to what he called “the tawdriest events on our governmental calendar: State of the Union addresses.” These, he said, are characterized by “self-praise” and exaggerated promises, with partisan supporters leaping to their feet to cheer. “There was much such leaping in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday,” he noted.
Despite his biting critique of the spectacle, Will offered a more nuanced perspective on Trump’s appeal and what it reflects about American culture. Quoting Stephen Kotkin of the Hoover Institution, Will noted: “This is somebody the American people voted for who reflects something deep and abiding about American culture.
Think of all the worlds that he has inhabited and that lifted him up. Pro wrestling. Reality TV. Casinos and gambling… Celebrity culture. Social media. All of that looks to me like America. And yes, so does fraud, and brazen lying, and the P.T. Barnum, carnival barker stuff.”
Will suggested that both Trump’s supporters and detractors often overstate the significance of his presidency. At the end of the day, he argued, Americans tend to “shrug and get on with their lives” despite political disappointments.
“Today, many emotionally dilapidated obsessives experience either despair or euphoria about the inaugurations of presidents, who come and go. Both groups should rethink what they expect from politics, and why they do,” he concluded.
Will’s analysis calls for a broader understanding of Trump’s presidency within the context of American culture, while urging people to temper their emotional responses to political events.