Global News Podcast - Donald Trump begins second term as US president

Episode Date: January 20, 2025

We assess President Trump's promises on his first day back in office and what it means for the rest of the world. Also: who will govern Gaza after ceasefire and first study into how weight loss drugs affect the body.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart, from the movements of money and markets to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Edmonton, step up your shoe game. The all-new Skechers store is now open at West Edmonton Mall.

Don't miss our grand opening event with great deals, 30% off all Skechers footwear and 50% off apparel. Spend $100 or more and get a free performance water bottle while supplies last. From performance shoes to stylish sneakers, we've got it all for the entire family. Your perfect pair of Skechers awaits at West Edmonton Mall. Skechers at West Edmonton Mall. Grand opening week happening now. Come in today. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Tuesday the 21st of January these are our main stories.

Donald Trump has been inaugurated as US President for the second time, completing an extraordinary political comeback. He said he'd immediately start signing orders to prevent illegal migration, encourage oil exploitation, and scrap government diversity programs. In other news, a Palestinian minister says he and his colleagues are ready to go back and run Gaza. If we are looking for rebuilding Gaza or rehabilitating Gaza,

then the Palestinian Authority should be there. There are reports that fighting between the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels has forced tens of thousands of people to flee the east of the country. And American researchers have published the results of their first study into how weight loss drugs affect the body. He's back. The second Trump era has begun in America. With a mixture of the usual formalities

modified for Washington's current sub-zero temperatures and a flurry of last minute pardons and first day executive orders by the two presidents to hold office on the same day. Those formalities are still taking place but it was an inaugural address by the new president that attracted much of the attention. It was given not as usual on the steps of the Capitol building but inside in the rotunda. The first time an inauguration has been held there since the second time Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in 1985. James Kumarasami looks back at the day's events. Inside the rotunda a choir performed for the arriving guests as the president-elect

was popping into the White House for the briefest of handovers. Welcome home. Welcome home, the greeting from Joe Biden to the man he replaced and who was about to replace him. After a short meeting, the two presidents drove to the Capitol building in the same limousine, oh to be a fly on the wall. A show of unity far removed from what happened four years ago when Donald Trump snubbed the Biden inauguration.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 42nd president of the United States, the Honorable William J. Clinton, accompanied by the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton. The 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, accompanied by Mrs. Laura Bush. The 44th President of the United States, Barack H. Obama. Once inside, a roll call of presidents and first ladies, with the notable exception of Michelle Obama, took their seats alongside friends, supporters and titans of tech to watch the change of power.

I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will, of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States.

So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations, Mr. President. United States. So help me God. So help me God. Congratulations. And then came the inaugural address. For the millions watching around the world and the 600 or so in the room with the golden tickets, this was his message. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first.

America first, the theme that ran through a speech light on foreign policy and underpinned his priorities, from his pledge to drill baby drill, to his plan to deport what he called millions and millions of illegal immigrants. First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. He said he wants illegal immigrants out, but he wants the Panama Canal back. Panama's promise to us has been broken.

The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated. American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form and that includes the United States Navy. And above all China is operating the Panama Canal and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama and we're taking it back. Joe Biden sat stony-faced, heads sometimes bowed as his presidency was roundly repudiated by a politician who equated America's powers of survival with his own.

Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life. Just a few months ago in a beautiful Pennsylvania field an assassin's bullet ripped through my ear. But I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again. And that greatness, he added, wasn't confined to this planet. We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars. That certainly pleased a beaming Elon Musk, whose SpaceX company also wants to put life

on Mars. The promise then of a new space age, the golden age which Donald Trump insists has just begun. That report was compiled by James Kumarasamy. So how has President Trump's inauguration speech been going down with voters? Eric Bolling is a long time friend and supporter of Donald Trump and is also a conservative commentator and author. He welcomed the policies the new president says he'll pursue. First thing that he said he was going to do is fix the border situation. He's been promising to do that since he was elected president in 2016.

He's been talking about that for the better part of the last two years running for president. This time energy was going to be atop of his list. That was second. And the cultural war that's going on in America that so many independent voters, not Republican Democrat, so many independent voters felt was proceeding too quickly. Our correspondent Neda Taufik, who was at the Capitol building in Washington, told me how she thought Mr Trump's speech compared to his first broken America inaugural address back in 2017. That tone was all about American carnage. This time the tone was American decline is over. But look, I still think this wasn't a speech full of unity meant to bring the nation together.

It still really did touch on some darker themes and some divisive issues. It almost sounded more of a campaign rally speech than something you would expect to hear for a state of the union. But he did say that he was returning more confident, more optimistic, that it was the start of a thrilling new era. But with Joe Biden just a few feet away with his hand on his face, he criticized that administration, saying they can't even handle a simple crisis at home. He vowed to kind of end what he saw as the radical corrupt establishment. So it was very much on brand for Donald Trump in terms of his talking points, but he is trying

to signal to his base that he is moving full steam ahead on the pledges he made, whether that be on immigration, some of those very touchy culture war issues in this country. He said, for example, on transgender issues, that there's only two genders in America, male and female. There was one moment, though, where I thought he was trying to be more inclusive, particularly with regards to African Americans and voters in the United States of Latin American origin who voted for him in larger numbers than they had before. He was saying, I want to bring peace for every race, colour and creed in the United States.

It's Liberation Day for everybody. Did that wash, do you think, with many people? I think that and also mentioning Martin Luther King Jr. Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Donald Trump made gains with these voters in the election. He got numbers that no Republican president ever before got with the Latino male voters. Black voters trended toward Donald Trump, again, in impressive numbers. So he very much considers them now a part of his

base. He sees that his message is resonating with them. But there was another line, if you caught in the speech, where he said he wanted his administration to be color-bind and a merit-based society. Now, on on the surface that sounds great but to some of his critics they point out that he is trying to get rid of diversity and inclusion policies across the government and in corporations we've already seen corporations roll those back with Donald Trump coming to office and so many see that as paying lip service to something while actually attacking see that as paying lip service to something while actually attacking diversity and other things for example that protects minorities in the workplace.

Ned Ataufik in Washington. As we heard there, one of President Trump's priorities is to reduce immigration. In the coming hours he's set to declare a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. He said the armed forces would be sent there to combat illegal immigration and he talked about millions of illegal immigrants being deported. In light of this hundreds of demonstrators have been on the streets in Chicago protesting about his plans to deport undocumented people. Cristobal Cabazas from the group Immigrants Solidarity DuPage said many of the people there felt insulted by Donald Trump's plans. There's people around here, people in the march today that have been here for 30 years,

for 40 years, for 25 years and not just twiddling their thumbs. People in Chicago, we have a lot of food manufacturing, people who have been doing essential work during COVID, essential work, sweeping the floors, cleaning, chopping the vegetables. The majority of workers, undocumented workers. So we know our value here and that's why we're out here fighting because if we don't fight there's not going to be any respect. Donald Trump has put a lot of insults to our community because we have a great self-respect here

and we're not going to let anybody be a bully to us. Will Grant is our Central America correspondent. He's currently in the US city of San Diego, near the Mexican border, and he told me what this emergency border might look like in practice. In the short term it means that Donald Trump can access federal funds and deploy the military to the southern border and I think we will see elements of that really quite quickly. In the broader sense it just sends out a message to his base. I mean, I was watching the speech alongside Republicans from the San Diego area who are watching at

a convention center, and the cheer that went up when he announced that decision to declare an emergency at the border was perhaps the biggest one of the night. So, you know, that was interesting. And of course, that's one of a series of measures. He's also going to return to building the border wall, we believe. He's going to attempt to reinstate the remain in Mexico rule, where people who are waiting for the right to apply for asylum in the United States would have to stay in Mexico while they wait for those court dates to come up. And we've already seen that something called CBP1,

an app introduced by the Biden administration by which asylum seekers could get a date to meet the US authorities and put their cases before them, has already closed, leaving around 30,000 people waiting on those coveted appointments, very, very disappointed today. Well, just with regards to one of the things Mr Trump said, he said that all illegal entry will be immediately halted.

You know that border very well, several thousand kilometres long. That's just not practical, is it? It's not really. I mean, in essence, what he seems to suggest is that there's a legal entry taking place at the ports of entry. Well, obviously, those who are coming through and presenting themselves to the authorities with a view to getting a court date and for applying for asylum are not doing anything illegal in that act.

The illegal entry is taking place outside ports of entry and taking place through holes in the fence, big parts of open desert where, of course, illegal gangs and people smugglers are running people through. That, as you say, is an extremely difficult thing to clamp down on. And I believe that is where, of course, the idea of bringing the military into all this comes in. Will Grant. Another theme Donald Trump spoke passionately about was trade, doubling down on his plans

to create what he calls an external revenue service, namely the business of imposing tariffs on imports. Michelle Fleury, our North America business correspondent in New York, told me more about the tariffs and their possible timeline. Donald Trump was known as Tariff Man and so there's been lots of speculation as to kind of how quickly we would see tariffs introduced. It appears he's holding off for now when it comes to the introduction of tariffs. The question is for how long. Instead what he's doing is directing federal agencies to kind of study

trade agreements, tariffs and to review existing agreements. So for example, you've got the US, Mexico, Canada trade agreement. That's under review next year. That could become quite contentious. He also, as you pointed out, directed or suggested this proposal of creating the external revenue service. The idea is that it would collect the revenue from tariffs. What's interesting there is that there are already agencies that exist that essentially do that job. And so for a president who's vowed to kind of try and eliminate any excess in government, this seems sort of a bit at odds with that particular goal. But we do know that he's very keen to try and find ways to

raise revenue, particularly because he wants to renew his tax cuts. And so he views tariffs as a way of doing that. But the fact that we haven't seen an announcement today suggests that there are still divisions to be worked out within his economic team as to sort of how fast and what scale should the administration take when it comes to tariffs. Briefly Michelle, that is because tariffs don't necessarily have a positive effect on the US economy, far from it. So the US importer is meant to pay them, but most economists say actually what ends up happening is that you start to see some of these passed on to consumers and that in turn could push up inflation. Remember this was one of the key issues Donald Trump was elected on was to fight inflation.

Our New York Business correspondent Michelle Flurry. So what could the next four years hold under a second Trump presidency? Our North America editor Sarah Smith has this assessment. Donald Trump certainly has ambitious plans for his second term and he appears confident even buoyant as he returns to office. He has Congress on his side, appliance, Supreme Court and a significant electoral mandate. There appears to be little that could stand in the way of him enacting his bold and radical agenda. He's been making very big promises, saying he'll reshape America to make it more prosperous and successful, while bringing peace and stability on the world

stage. It was these ambitious pledges that won him the election. Now he is in office, he has to start to deliver. His supporters want him to lower prices pretty quickly, as well as tackling illegal immigration and expanding oil production in the United States, Joe Biden warned that Donald Trump posed a threat to American democracy, but he failed to prevent him from being re-elected. His legacy is tainted by that attempt to run a second time when voters believed he was far too old to serve another four years in office. Now President Trump has performed the greatest comeback in American politics, surviving criminal indictments and assassination

attempts to win in November. His time in the White House will doubtless be both dramatic and eventful, with consequences felt around the world. He wants to change America in fundamental and lasting ways. Our North America editor Sarah Smith with her analysis. And before the end of the podcast, we'll hear from our international editor Jeremy Bowen on the likely global implications of a second Trump term. Still to come. The drugs appeared to be a boon to heart health. There were also lower levels of Alzheimer's disease. On the flip side, people were more likely to have a range of bone and joint problems, including arthritis.

The first results from a new US study into the effects of weight loss drugs on the human body. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart. From the movements of money and markets to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to the Global Story wherever you

get your BBC podcasts. Monday was the first full day of the ceasefire in Gaza. Three hostages are out, 90 Palestinian prisoners are free and aid trucks are moving more rapidly into the territory. More than 90% of Gaza's population, most of whom are displaced, lack adequate shelter and are struggling to feed themselves. This Palestinian mother of nine children has been living with her family for months in a makeshift tent in the city of Deir al-Bala in Gaza.

It was the first night we spent reassured, at ease, without the sound of drones or artillery or even ambulances. Even our children slept without any fear. Our children used to sleep and wake up in the middle of the night, frightened by the sound of bombardment. Well, the ceasefire doesn't address who runs Gaza in the future. Israel had made it clear it doesn't want Hamas doing that. President Biden had pressed for a reformed version of the Palestinian authority in the

West Bank to take over. But the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is widely seen as corrupt among many Palestinians. There's an Egyptian proposal for a technocratic government made up of Palestinians who are not affiliated to any party. Since March, many of the Palestinian Authority's ministers have been technocrats, among them the Justice Minister Sharabil Al Zaym. He's optimistic that the Palestinian Authority can take over running the Gaza Strip. We hope and expect that the Palestinian government here

will be allowed to take over Gaza and to function as normal. The plan is ready. Yesterday evening, the Palestinian government here had a very long meeting in regard to going back to the Gaza Strip. That includes all ministries such as education, transportation, housing, health, social affairs. Everybody has his own plan ready to go back to Gaza.

Our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucet, is in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Sarah Montagu asked her for her assessment of where Gaza's future lies. Israel still really hasn't come to grips with what kind of day after. The kind of statements that we hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu, even as this ceasefire deal and hostage and prisoner release was starting, was that he had basically gotten the green light from the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration to resume the war if Hamas did not bargain in good faith. And he has repeatedly said, along with members of his cabinet,

that there will be absolutely no role for Hamas and also no role for the Palestinian authority, who he also accused of being in cahoots with Hamas. But what will make the difference is that if this will be in discussion with the major Arab nations who are involved in this process, the Qataris and the Egyptian, other neighbors of Israel, and also the United States, Anthony Blinken, the last Secretary of State, said that they believe the Palestinian authority should have a role. It was unprecedented that there were two American administrations at the table in

the last very, very difficult rounds, which pushed the deal over the line. President Trump is known as a man of big gestures. We saw that in his very high-stakes summit with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. He loves the symbolism. He loves the glitz of it and the kind of accolades he gets. The man he's appointed as the Mideast envoy is a real estate mogul. He doesn't know much about the Middle East. Will he be prepared to sit at the table and keep this going? Because it is possible, in fact it's likely that the Americans can make

a difference, but they will have to really, really pay attention to it. Well, there you are sitting in Riyadh and they want a wider deal with Saudi Arabia. So perhaps it will be pressure from Saudi Arabia that could lead back to the two-state solution and what the Palestinians want. The Saudis could absolutely make the difference. You'll remember that Riyadh was the destination for President Trump's first trip in his first term in office. I was here for the Riyadh summit. The message from Arab leaders who attended is they wanted the American president to join them in confronting Iran. This time round, President Trump faces a new Middle East.

There has been a kind of a rapprochement between Iran and Arab states. And the message to President Trump will be to avoid a confrontation with Iran. President Trump has made it clear he wants to expand what are known as the Abraham Accords normalization within the past several Arab countries. The prize is for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel and do a deal as well as strategic partnership with the United States. The Saudis, including the de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, have made it absolutely clear they're interested, but there has to be a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Lise Doucet. Reports from eastern Congo say tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing fighting between the army and M23 rebels. The army with its allied militias has been trying to retake the town of Massisi which was recently captured by the Rwandan-backed rebels. Will Ross reports. The fighting between the Congolese army with its allied militias and the M23 rebels has been relentless. As they battle over the towns and villages, civilians are trying to stay safe,

usually by packing up whatever they can carry and fleeing. The medical charity Doctors Without Borders says gunshots have just hit the hospital in Masisi town. The Rwandan-backed rebels appear determined to expand the area they control in this mineral-rich part of eastern Congo. Nearly a quarter of a million people have been displaced since the beginning of the year and as the fighting moves fast, civilians are in constant danger. Will Ross. American researchers say the first study into how weight loss drugs affect the body has found both positive and negative impacts.

The analysis of two million people discovered improvements including better heart health, but downsides including severe joint pain. More details from our health and science correspondent, James Gallagher. The study used data on US veterans who'd been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Some were treated with azempig or wegovi and the researchers tracked what difference they made to 175 other illnesses. The drugs appeared to be a boon to heart health, reducing heart attacks, stroke and high blood pressure. In the brain they reduced substance abuse as well as schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts and seizures. There were also lower levels of Alzheimer's disease. On the flip side, people were more likely to have problems in their digestive system as well as fainting from low blood pressure,

headaches, disturbed sleep and a range of bone and joint problems including arthritis. There are two explanations for why the drugs have such significant effects. Losing excess weight would transform people's health. The drugs seem to directly affect some cells and tissues in the body. Lower levels of substance abuse seem to be down to the drugs changing the reward circuitry in the brain. There are drawbacks to the study which limit its findings, so rigorous clinical trials are now needed. James Gallagher. Let's return now to our main story, the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the

United States. Mr Trump has pledged to put America first and said he wouldn't let the country be taken advantage of ever again. What this means for future relations with the rest of the world remains unclear. From the conflict in Ukraine to the potential impact of tariffs on Europe, his presidency could have far-reaching implications for international security and global trade. Our international editor Jeremy Bowen has been considering the potential impact of Mr Trump's second term in office, both for the United States and the rest of the world. Donald Trump starts his second term in the White House at a time of global

uncertainty and upheaval. US presidents always face the challenges of war and economic fluctuation. Rightly he knows he also needs a strategy to harness artificial intelligence. Wrongly he is skeptical about climate change. In the next four years and beyond, the US will need to strain every sinew to face up to China's rise to global power. Insisting that America's NATO allies spend more on defense to enjoy US protection could strengthen the alliance. He'll only weaken it if he pulls back

from America's obligations on mutual defense if the alliance is challenged. How will he end the war in Ukraine without imposing a defeat on Kiev? Would he want to risk war if Russia tried to take a slice of one of the Baltic states? How would he respond if China pushed harder against Taiwan? In the Middle East, Trump's America will remain deeply committed to Israel. He wants to transform the region by pushing Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize their relations. Will he try to force the Israelis to pay the Saudi price for cooperation, which is to allow Palestinian independence in their own state. As president,

he will revel in his reputation as a disrupter. But the range of challenges the US faces means his foreign policy needs to be measured and coherent, or he will weaken America rather than making it great again. Our international editor, Jeremy Bowen. And that is all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll. The producer was Nikki Variko. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles.

And until next time, goodbye. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the BBC. Each weekday we break down one big new story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart. From the movements of money and markets to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from

across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.