At his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, 78-year-old Joe Biden gave a 21-minute speech crafted by a team of speechwriters that included Pulitzer-winning historian Jon Meacham. Biden called for national unity; referenced Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Arlington National Cemetery; quoted St. Augustine and the Bible; and ended by asking God to bless America and our troops.

The address had its eloquent moments, though because inauguration speeches have become largely formulaic, it probably could have been written by the use of artificial intelligence.

Later today, Jan. 20, 2025, 78-year-old Donald Trump will give his Second Inaugural Address. Eight years ago, he gave a 1,433-word speech that lasted 16 minutes. In it, he focused on the “American carnage” that he believed had been caused by “a small group of politicians in the nation’s capital” who had ignored “the forgotten men and women of our country,” failed to prioritize the doctrine of “America first,” and lacked “a total allegiance to the United States of America.” He said his presidency would change all that.

Like Biden and most past presidents, Trump ended by saying he would rely on God in his leadership of the nation and claimed his goal would be to achieve national unity.

As we look back at the last eight years and compare the words in the last two inaugural addresses against the deeds that transpired over the course of the two men’s presidencies, some important questions come to mind.

Will Trump suffer cognitive decline between the ages of 78 and 82 as Biden did?

Will Republicans, with their slim majorities in the House and Senate, be able to achieve Trump’s objectives, or will they be so divided, as congressional Democrats were for much of Biden’s presidency, that they can’t achieve their desired agenda?

Will Trump listen to the advice of others during his second term, or will he be a force only unto himself like he was before?

Does the rest of the world have high hopes, complete dread or something in between for how America’s foreign policy will unfold during Trump’s second term?

Strong, hopeful inaugural messages often become empty promises when a president’s performance fails to hit the mark. Not surprisingly, the best remembered phrases from the prior inaugurations have come from our greatest presidents. Why? Because they had the wherewithal to follow through on their opening-bell aspirations, and their speeches were most definitely not formulaic.

George Washington in 1789, speaking to a fragile new nation that sought to establish a better form of government: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

Thomas Jefferson in 1801, speaking to a polarized country reeling in the aftermath of the recently expired Sedition Act and a narrow election result that had required six days and 36 ballots in the House of Representatives before it was resolved: “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

Abraham Lincoln in 1861, when seven states had already seceded from the union and a civil war loomed: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when touched again, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, speaking at the height of the Great Depression as he planned to implement his New Deal programs: “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

John F. Kennedy in 1961, speaking at the height of the Cold War as he planned to move forward with his creation of the Peace Corps in an effort to build American prestige in developing countries: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

The words from history’s inaugural addresses can only have lasting impact when a president does what it takes to fulfill the promises contained in his opening message, as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy succeeded in doing.

As with his and Biden’s prior addresses, Trump’s speech today will be praised by many and criticized by many soon after he delivers it. But his ultimate legacy will be judged by history solely on the basis of his deeds.

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Cities and organizations throughout the Pittsburgh area are going to be opening warming centers as the region is bracing for the arrival of extremely cold temperatures over the next several days.

The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory that is in place through 1 p.m. on Wednesday.  Temperatures are expected to be below zero degrees at times with extremely cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero being possible. 

Parts of the area may not see temperatures rise above the 10 degree mark for three straight days. 

The extreme cold can have severely harmful effects on the body, including hypothermia and frostbite. The latter can lead to irreversible damage, including losing fingers, ears, and hands. To help avoid that, you should dress to protect yourself when outside in extreme cold temperatures. 

Pittsburgh CitiParks activating warming centers 

Starting Monday, six facilities will be open as warming shelters. The centers will be open Monday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will be open Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

Only the centers in Beechview, Brighton Heights, Greenfield, Homewood, Sheraden, and on the South Side will be open Monday due to the Martin Luther King Day holiday. The remaining centers (Ammon, Arlington, Brookline, Jefferson, Magee, Ormsby, Paulson, Warrington, and West Penn) will be open on Tuesday. 

Shaler North Hills Library opening as a warming center

The Shaler Township Police Department says the library along Mt. Royal Boulevard will be open as a warming center on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

The facility will be open each day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Pitcairn fire station opening as warming shelter

The Pitcairn Police Department says the fire department’s station along South Center Avenue is being opened as a warming shelter starting at 8 a.m. on Monday.  The center will remain open through 12 p.m. on Wednesday.

Free coffee will be provided at the center and the facility will be monitored by the police department and the fire department. 

Charleroi Fire Department opening as warming center

The fire department located along Fallowfield Avenue says it will be open as a warming center starting at 8 a.m. on Monday. 

Anyone needing more information is asked to call 724-483-7311 or message the department on Facebook. 

Washington Salvation Army opening warming center

The Salvation Army in Washington says a warming center will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at the Worship and Service Center along East Maiden Street.

The Salvation Army says they will have hot and cold drinks and snacks along with a place to stay out of the cold.

Several warming centers opening in Beaver County