Promises, protests and subdued pomp
TRUMP SWORN IN AS 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Pledging to empower America’s “forgotten men and women,” Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States Friday, taking command of a deeply divided nation and ushering in an unpredictable era in Washington.
Looking out over the crowd sprawled across the National Mall, Trump painted a bleak picture of the nation he now leads, lamenting “American carnage,” shuttered factories and depleted U.S. leadership. President Barack Obama, the man he replaced, sat behind him stoically.
Trump’s first words as commander in chief were an unapologetic reprisal of the economic populism and nationalism that fuelled his improbable campaign. He vowed to stir “new national pride,” bring jobs back to the United States and “eradicate completely” Islamic terrorism.
“From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only, ‘America First,’ ” Trump said.
His address, which he wrote himself, lasted just 16 minutes, and the response from the crowd, though positive, was hardly exuberant. While Trump’s inauguration did draw crowds, the numbers appeared smaller than for past celebrations.
Demonstrations unfolded at various security checkpoints near the Capitol as police helped ticket-holders get through. After the swearing-in, more protesters registered their rage in the streets of Washington. Police in riot gear deployed pepper spray and made at least 200 arrests after protest- ers spray-painted buildings and smashed the windows of downtown businesses, denouncing capitalism and Trump.
The inauguration capped a campaign that galvanized millions of Americans who were eager to embrace a Washington outsider willing to say, or tweet, whatever is on his mind
In his speech, the former real estate mogul with no political experience ripped into Washington’s longtime leaders as he stood among them at the U.S. Capitol. For too long, Trump said, “a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.”
For Republicans, who control both houses of Congress and are eager to be back in the White House, there was little mention of the party’s bedrock principles: small government, social conservatism and robust American leadership around the world. Trump, who is taking office as one of the most unpopular incoming presidents in recent history, made only oblique references to those who may be infuriated and fearful of his presidency.
“To all Americans in every city near and far, small and large from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words: You will never be ignored again,” he said.
The new president was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, reciting the 35-word oath with his hand placed upon two Bibles, one used by his family and another during Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration.
Trump and wife, Melania, bid Obama and outgoing first lady Michelle Obama farewell as they departed the Capitol grounds in a government helicopter.
Obama addressed a staff gathering at Joint Base Andrews before departing for a vacation in California. “You proved the power of hope,” he said.
Trump’s journey to the inauguration was as unlikely as any in recent American history. He defied his party’s establishment, befuddled the media and toppled two political dynasties on his way to victory. His message, calling for a resurgence of white, working-class corners of America, was packaged in defiant stump speeches railing against political correctness. He used social media to dominate the national conversation and challenge conventions about political discourse. After years of Democratic control of the White House and deadlock in Washington, his was a blast of fresh air for millions.
But Trump’s call for restrictive immigration measures and his caustic campaign rhetoric about women and minorities angered millions. And Trump’s swearingin was shadowed by questions about his ties to Russia, which U.S. intelligence agencies have determined worked to tip the 2016 election in his favour.
More than 60 House Democrats refused to attend his swearing-in ceremony. One Democrat who did sit among the dignitaries was Hillary Clinton, Trump’s vanquished campaign rival who was widely expected by both parties to be the one taking the oath of office.
In a show of solidarity, all of the living American presidents attended the inaugural, except for 92- year- old George H.W. Bush, who was hospitalized this week with pneumonia.
At 70, Trump is the oldest person to be sworn in as president, marking a generational step backward after two terms for Obama, one of the youngest presidents to serve as commander in chief.
Trump takes charge of an economy that has recovered from the Great Recession but has nonetheless left millions of Americans feeling left behind. The nation’s longest war is still being waged in Afghanistan and U.S. troops are battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The American health care system was expanded to reach millions more Americans during Obama’s tenure, but at considerable financial costs. Trump has vowed to dismantle and rebuild it.
In his first moments as president he signed an order to freeze a program that shielded roughly 800,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation and made them eligible for work permits. He approved the formal nominations for each of his cabinet picks, publicly criticized as overwhelmingly white and male, and he signed legislation that clears the way for retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to run the Pentagon, if confirmed by the Senate.
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, IT’S GOING TO BE ONLY, ‘AMERICA FIRST’