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# Trump's inauguration | National emergency
- URL: https://craft-politics.ghost.io/episodes/trumps-inauguration/
- Published: 2025-01-22T14:57:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-05T20:43:03.000Z
- Author: Joseph Lavoie
- Tags: #episode, #no-guest, #scan, #ai-5, 22 min

Donald Trump just declared a national emergency, promised to defeat inflation, and spent his inauguration speech listing eight executive orders before getting to gender policy. Joseph Lavoie and Andrew Percy crack open a Great Lakes Brewery Octopus Wants to Fight IPA and try to make sense of what just happened.

We discuss:

**The Reagan test.** Andrew grew up in the 80s watching American presidents project Western values and power. Trump's inauguration felt like a mishmash pulled from the new right — clear on what it's against, less clear on what it's for.

**Why this isn't just American.** Immigration, economic anxiety, young men feeling left behind — the undertones of Trump's message will resonate far beyond US borders. Canada, the UK, and much of the West are dealing with the same pressures.

**The speed of response.** Canadian provinces came together faster on tariffs than they ever did on interprovincial trade. It took Trump to force action on fentanyl enforcement and immigration. Joseph's question: should it really require a crisis to get governments moving?

**Is there a deal to be done?** Trump talks like a dealmaker. No tariffs today could mean room to negotiate. Andrew's pitch: buy Trump into Canadian energy, meet the NATO spending commitment, and use the Arctic threat to force action on sovereignty.

**Are we overreacting?** Last time people lost their minds, and four years later democracy was still standing. But the Hillbilly Elegy question lingers — the communities that put Trump in power in 2016 aren't much better off today. So where does this movement end?

Also discussed: why Christia Freeland's launch protest annoyed Andrew, why Air Canada needs competition, and whether Andrew's resting bitch face has improved. (Spoiler: the jury's still out.)

Beer of the week: Octopus Wants to Fight IPA, Great Lakes Brewery. Piney, resinous, very hoppy. Four out of five stars. Dank.

00:00 Welcome from Toronto — Cheeky half and Octopus Wants to Fight IPA  
01:55 Trump's inauguration speech — National emergency and the policy blitz  
03:24 Reagan versus Trump — The projection problem  
05:06 Not just Trumpism — Why this message resonates across the West  
07:33 The hyper-responsive requirement — How allies must adapt to Trump  
11:18 The deal-maker optimism — Three wins Canada could extract from Trump  
13:27 Lame duck or long movement? — The Hillbilly Elegy lesson  
16:49 Beer review — Great Lakes Octopus Wants to Fight IPA  
18:30 Rant of the week — Christia Freeland protests and Air Canada monopoly  
20:34 Wrap and what's next — Back to Vancouver for the liberal leadership race