President Trump gave a powerful and honest inauguration speech.  He spoke plainly and directly.  He did not say any phony, useless John McCain “let’s reach across the aisle” blather.  Nor the usual drivel that we will make the world safe for democracy, which makes for stirring sound bites but results in American military casualties as in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

He reinforced the points of his agenda.  Defend our borders, strengthen our military, make our allies pay their fair share of their defense costs, bring jobs back, keep jobs in America, reduce taxes, education reform, defeat radical Muslim terrorism, and make our cities safe.  The premise underlying the agenda is to do what is best for America, not what is best for foreign countries.

This is not isolationism, but a welcome departure from the Wilsonian belief that it is our job to intervene in the affairs of other nations to impose democratic government.

President Trump said:

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry. Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We’ve defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own, and spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

The best part of the speech is:

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished -- but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered -- but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. That all changes -- starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is a direct shot at the career politicians who have enriched themselves at the public’s expense.  Many of those politicians were on the dais behind Trump.  For example, the Clintons who were so broke in 2000 they had to sell pardons and steal White House silverware, but today have a net worth of over 125 million.

Barack Obama now has a net worth of over 12 million.

Michelle Obama also has a net worth of about 12 million.

They represent the elites who passed NAFTA and put the interests of climate change/global warming ahead of the economic welfare of American workers.  They put the interests of illegal immigrants ahead of the interests of the safety and jobs of Americans.

President Trump was not afraid to name our enemy and our friends:

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

The old alliances means Israel, which was betrayed by Obama at the U.N. vote that condemned Israeli settlements.  New alliances may include Russia and Turkey, which have also been attacked by radical Muslim terrorists.  This does not mean they are our friends; it means they may be useful to defeat the terrorists.

Trump said the focus is on America First.

Trump will do what is best for America.