If the Romanov family of historical and imperial Russia proposed marriage as part of alliances between the western and eastern parts of Asia in the (subsequently peaceful) centuries following the Russo-Mongol Wars; Then, the Trump family also offers marriage across many constituencies (West and East of Europe; North, South, East and West of the United States; and across certain religions). For some Americans, such polyglot in real-life terms, culturally speaking, is one of the correct answers to the question of how similar and different we are – as individuals and as groups – in a society of immigrants and melting pot with a singular and unified citizenship. The political order of the United States is the answer to standing firm on what we have in common in our own strategic and other “nation-state” (using modern terms). Is the United States the true heir to this tradition of coats of many colors (in the old sense of the word, “nations”) to which Russian leaders have recently appealed? Who is the new Peter the Great?
Trump’s inauguration events lasted no less than 17 hours. It began with no less than six events, services and speeches followed by three balls. Considering only the public ceremony and not the physical move to the White House, the day began at 8:15 a.m. and ended no earlier than 1 a.m. the next morning. Some events or ceremonies consisted of several coherent sub-parts and sub-ceremonies with several speakers. These included an opening church service to offer blessing and a safe path to the Trump administration; a tea ceremony including President Biden, President Trump, their spouses, their vice presidents and the spouses of their vice presidents; the inauguration ceremony itself composed of several parts; a presidential speech at the inauguration; presidential speeches, remarks, and meetings with officials and constituencies following the inauguration, including a presidential luncheon and a signing ceremony at the White House during which presidential acts were established (e.g., executive orders ) ; a parade; a review of military troops; and three bullets.
If nothing else, Trump has demonstrated that he and the First Lady have more staying power than many twenty-somethings. What does this mean in terms of ritual and politics (or ritual politics)? Events like these, which model past eras of coronations, are intended to give the public confidence that their leader is following the right path in religious or secular terms, or both. The dedication events included a religious ceremony, prayer, blessing and/or invocation representing several important religious traditions. Such ceremonies and religious moments literally ask for the blessings of the Divine and give confidence to the people who care about them. The ceremony itself, whether religious or secular, demonstrates at least two dynamics intended to give confidence to the people (and perhaps also to the ruler): the willingness and ability to follow the traditions and conventions important to the given national context; and observable power and ability to design, organize and implement events in the appropriate form.
Seventeen hours, or more, of continuous ceremony reinforces this reliance on repetition (itself an important aspect of ritual), providing the audience with a representation of their leader’s submission to authority; the exercise of authority by the leader; and the implementation of ritual consent from audience participants (presumed to be from the rest of the nation in a quasi-representative symbolic format). The relative majesty of the leader and his wife over the long duration of their journey through these events, in continuity, does not only suggest pomp – which was, in itself, minimal. This implies and demonstrates the dignity of the leader and the family. It depicts an image of both courage and patience, which provides a representation of strength, endurance and vigor. These (if the rituals achieve their objective) in turn suggest that the leader has the courage to do the job at hand.
Balls, which are traditional in the American context, provide an opportunity for elegance presented at an appropriate level and in a taste appropriate to the given era and its range of constituents, cultural norms, and cultural values. Likewise, they provide a symbolic representation of endurance; courage; caliber; above average courage; and a temperament appropriate to the function in forms of politeness presented and practiced. They ritually demonstrate both decency and a capacity for frivolity or joy to an appropriate extent (e.g., dancing with their spouse).
In terms of gender, the symbiotic relationship between the spouses was presented in the duration of the inauguration both in traditional terms (quite felicitously) and in modern terms and contexts. The First Lady provided a significant presence, usually silent, and sometimes with her own voice. Likewise, her engaging and serene presence was dignified, one might even say regal, and demonstrated the same caliber, courage and temperament appropriate for the office of First Lady. In other words, she offered a symbolic and real representation of intelligence, dignity and a discreet, gentle, modern and traditional femininity with which her followers would be likely to identify. In ritual terms, this would reinforce the impression of helping to strengthen the office of the president.
That is, the balls, after a long day of events and inaugural ceremonies, offered a representation of the Trump administration as its own version, or potential promise, of a new (Republican) White House of Camelot. The support of one of the members of the Kennedy family only strengthened this presentation.
The ritual is powerful. It seems to have worked quite well for the supporters. Will this soften the lines between driveways and fences? Hopefully this has reminded us that all of us in the United States – regardless of our political party and including independents – are supposed to be on the same side. Indeed, the use of traditional musical anthems from the American context has been remarkable in creating an atmosphere of traditional, victorious and unified eras; the fusion of this music with modern popular music created a symbolic union between these periods and eras.
Further Reading on International Electronic Relations
