People make Utah great, not government, says Gov. Cox at inauguration
Jan 8, 2025, 7:03 PM
Gov. Spencer Cox holds his hand on a Bible held by his wife, first lady Abby Cox, as he takes the oath of office during the state of Utah’s public inauguration ceremonies held at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Isaac Hale/Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Governor Spencer Cox was officially inaugurated for his second term on Wednesday. The public ceremony took place at the Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City.
During his inauguration speech, Gov. Cox touted Utah’s accomplishments. At one point he quoted the magazine U.S. News & World Report which, for the second year in a row, ranked the Beehive State number one for economics and government efficiency.
But he didn’t give the Utah government any kudos for the recognition.
“Those number one rankings have absolutely nothing to do with what we have accomplished as your state leaders in these last four years,” Cox said.
Instead, Cox said Utah is number one because of the people and their willingness to support each other.
Cox mentions accomplishments during inauguration
That’s not to say that he’s not proud of the work of his administration during his first term.
Namely, he said he’s proud to have accomplished raises for teachers, tax cuts, and securing the 2034 Winter Olympic Games.
But going back to the Utah people, he gave thanks to his neighbors in Fairview, who he said helped him get to the governor’s office.
“They never asked ‘what can my community do for me,'” he said. “They only asked ‘what can I do for my community?'”
Going forward, Gov. Cox said he plans to focus on energy production, the housing shortage, and public lands in his second term.
Listen to the full address below.
