The Trump show is back in Washington, with familiar set pieces. The new U.S. president held court for hours with the press, trolled bankers at Davos, feuded with a bishop and danced with a sword, all with cameras rolling. He signed decree after decree, pulling presidential Sharpies from the wooden cradle on his desk.

The executive order signings showed Donald Trump’s penchant for pageantry — and a leader more familiar with the levers of power, emboldened and gleeful to pull them beyond previous limits. He moved to deny birthright citizenship to some children born in the U.S., including some whose parents are in the country legally. He freed or cleared 1,500 Jan. 6, 2021, rioters, even those who assaulted police officers, and began dismantling parts of the federal government.

Republicans are jubilant and Democrats are despondent. "It was rolling thunder. It was core issues. It was deep, it wasn’t performative,” said Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump ally and occasional constructive critic. "This shows years of preparation paying off. This is what victory feels like.”