Trump, McKinley and the revival of imperial dreams

The notion of 'manifest destiny' and territorial expansion under the 25th US president find echoes in Trump's views on how America will conduct foreign relations.

- Jonathan Eyal

The inauguration ceremony of US presidents is a perfect example of the invention of tradition, the art of presenting something as an ancient ritual that must be cherished and strictly followed by all future generations.

True, the requirement to be sworn into office is written into the US Constitution, and the text of the oath taken by US presidents has remained unchanged since 1789 when George Washington became the first American leader to recite the famous 35-word formula.

But elements of which we now associate with the US presidential inauguration are often embellishments for dramatic effect.

There is no explicit requirement to swear on the Bible, and certainly not on two or three different Bibles, as has been the case with many subsequent presidents. There is also no need for the incoming president to end his oath with "so help me God"; that was introduced only in 1933.

One ceremony in the past featured elephants marching in Washington. Another event featured people dressed as "Native Americans", complete with "warpaint" on their faces.

There was also the inauguration ceremony of Richard Nixon in 1973 when organisers ordered that the presidential procession route be sprayed with a chemical to repel feral pigeons; the chemical was too strong, and Nixon's convoy had to pass by enormous piles of dead pigeons.

One president fell ill after taking his oath of office in a chilly open-air ceremony and died a month later. On another occasion, the vice-president-elect was so drunk he could not complete his inauguration speech and struggled to stay upright.

Amid all the pomp – and moments of farce – over the years, one genuine tradition is regularly upheld at such events: the new president starts his inauguration speech by politely thanking his predecessor, even if the two are the bitterest political enemies.