In many respects, Donald Trump inherited the "golden age" he claims to be ushering in. All he really needs to do is not screw it up. In economic and financial terms, the United States has rarely been in better health.

Proclaiming a new American “Golden Age,” Trump consolidated power hours into his new term, wielding massive executive authority in seeking to obliterate large chunks of Joe Biden’s legacy and showing he plans to learn from his first-term failures to pull off a transformational presidency.

In summoning people to his vision for the future, Donald Trump assembled a dizzying collage of time-honored and time-worn American myths, tropes and ideals.