12:01 p.m.
At 12:01 p.m. on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. President Trump joins Grover Cleveland as the only presidents in U.S. history to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. The carefully timed transfer of power marks the culmination of a process that began back on Election Day, November 5, 2024, when now-President Trump defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris 312-226 in the electoral college.
After taking the oath of office, President Trump announced a wave of executive orders (46 orders were formally posted on the White House website) spanning a wide range of issues including immigration and border security, government efficiency, government posture on gender, and pardons. Additional executive orders are expected, as well as debate on Capitol Hill on legislation to make changes in statutory law.
Analysis and eternal perspective: If you are an American citizen, every Inauguration Day is an opportunity to give thanks for the democratic republic in which you live, and for the opportunity to witness another peaceful transfer of power. World history, including American history, provides us countless reminders that the written guarantees of self-governance and limited power we find in our founding documents are only as strong as the personal restraint embraced by both the citizenry and its leaders. Human beings occupy the constitutional roles of leadership in our government, and in order for our way of government to continue, human beings must be willing to both step into public service and graciously out of it.
The Twentieth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution sets “noon on the 20th day of January” as the official end of the expiring presidential term, paving the way for the incoming term to begin at 12:01 p.m. In modern times, this transfer of power is often followed by swift changes in a number of policies and priorities within the purview of the executive branch (the limits of which are often debated and even litigated). Changes in statutory law must wait for legislative approval by Congress.
As Jesus followers, the changes that occur on Inauguration Day will sometimes bring joy and other times heartache (and often a mix of the two). No matter whether your party or preferred candidate is leaving or entering the White House, you can set a firm course for your own personal civic engagement by setting your eyes toward your eternal home (Philip. 3:20), and choosing the power, love, and sound mind given to you by God (2 Tim. 1:7). Within this framework, you would also do well to embrace the practice of personally engaging with source material (i.e., the actual language and text of the newly issued executive orders—linked above) for news items.
We end where we began: What a blessing from God to live in a land with the possibility of liberty and self-governance.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal. 5:1).
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.