Trump pledges to rise to the moment

Takes reassuring tone in speech to top aides

WASHINGTON • After a combative start to his presidency, Donald Trump delivered a more unifying message Sunday and sought to reassure Americans he was up to the daunting task ahead.

Speaking at the White House during a swearing-in ceremony for top aides, the president warned his staff of future challenges but said he believed they were ready.

“With the faith in each other and the faith in God, we will get the job done,” the president said. “We will prove worthy of this moment in history. And I think it may very well be a great moment in history.”

Trump’s reassurance came after a day marked by global protests against his presidency and his own complaints about media coverage of his inauguration.

Earlier Sunday, he had offered a scattershot response to the protests, sarcastically denigrating the public opposition and then defending demonstrators’ rights a short time later.

“Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly,” Trump tweeted early Sunday morning. Ninety-five minutes later, he struck a more conciliatory tone.

“Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views,” he tweeted, still using his personal account.

The duelling tweets marked his administration’s first response to the more than one million people who rallied at women’s marches in Washington and cities across the world.

The Washington rally appeared to attract more people than attended Trump’s inauguration on Friday, but there were no completely comparable numbers. Regional transportation officials tweeted on Sunday that 1,001,616 trips were taken on the rail system on Saturday. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel had said that on Friday, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, just over 570,000 trips were taken on the rail system.

On Sunday, Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accepted an invitation to visit the White House in early February.

Trump also announced that he has set up meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The president’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said on Fox News Sunday that Trump would spend his first full week in office undoing some of his predecessor’s agenda and planned to sign executive orders on immigration and trade.

Later in the week, he’ll meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May. U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Gary Cohn, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, during a swearing in ceremony on Sunday.