CNN presidential historian Timothy Naftali expressed concerns regarding President Trump's actions and pronouncements on his inauguration day. Naftali pointed to the unprecedented number of executive orders Trump pledged to sign, exceeding 200, recalling a prior statement by Trump during a 2023 town hall with Fox News' Sean Hannity where he jokingly referred to himself as a "dictator for a day."

Naftali also took issue with the presence of international leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei at the inauguration, characterizing them as "far-right." He linked this to Trump's past ambitions regarding Greenland and the Panama Canal, interpreting these actions as aligning with a far-right agenda. Naftali argued that this signaled a shift in American foreign policy towards an imperialist stance, a departure from its traditional role.

In contrast, Trump's inaugural address emphasized reclaiming U.S. sovereignty, restoring safety, rebalancing justice, and ending the weaponization of the Justice Department. He pledged to prioritize building a proud, prosperous, and free nation.

Naftali countered this by suggesting that the rhetoric employed by Trump echoed that of imperial powers.