Trump: Power Belongs to the People, Not the Washington Elite

Trump: Power Belongs to the People, Not the Washington Elite
Published: 20 Jan, 2017
2 min read

January 20, 2017, marked the 58th Inaugural Ceremony and the swearing in of President Donald J. Trump. Trump's speech, though brief, focused on what he asserts his 2016 presidential campaign was about: taking power away from the Washington elite, the political establishment, and returning it to the people.

"Today we are not really transferring power from one administration to another, or one party to another, we are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you, the people. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth." - President Donald J. Trump

Trump set the tone with that quote, and followed it with a rebuke of the political establishment and a promise to put America and its people first. After the inauguration, Trump blasted out several tweets on his personal Twitter account, though the president's official Twitter account, @POTUS, is now officially his.

He tweeted out paraphrases and specific quotes from his inaugural address:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/822502135233384448

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/822502270503972872

Trump's pledge on day one of his presidency was that the men and women who had been forgotten by the Washington elite, the working class Americans ignored by the pollsters, the media, and the political establishment will be forgotten no more under his administration.

Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election can be attributed to rural, working class voters in key battleground states who felt disenchanted and disenfranchised by the current electoral system and the political status quo. These voters flipped from supporting Barack Obama in 2008 under a successful populist message to Donald Trump who ran on his own populist message.

Bottom line, millions of voters are looking for change, and Trump tapped into that both on the campaign trail and his inaugural address. Voters want someone to break down the walls set up by the Washington elite around the nation's capital. They want politicians who will put voters first, not party, donors, or other special interests.

Whether or not Trump can deliver on his promise remains to be seen. What did you think of President Trump's inaugural address?

IVP Donate

Photo Source: Fox News

You Might Also Like

Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Voter ID is treated like a five-alarm fire in American politics. That reaction says more about our dysfunctional political system than it does about voter ID itself. ...
06 Feb, 2026
-
3 min read
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
While much of the U.S. was slammed with severe winter weather over the weekend, volunteers for Oklahoma State Question 836 – which would end the use of taxpayer-funded closed primaries – made a final push to get their campaign to over 200,000 petition signatures....
27 Jan, 2026
-
3 min read
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
A new statewide poll conducted by the Independent Voter Project finds California’s independent voters overwhelmingly support the state’s nonpartisan primary system and express broad dissatisfaction with the direction of state politics....
12 Jan, 2026
-
4 min read