TIME TO STEP UP
Capital city will echo the split among citizens
World waits on policy as Donald Trump becomes president of the United States today
WASHINGTON // America’s capital city has been turned into a fortress ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration today as it prepares for more than a quarter of a million protesters.
He will be sworn in with record low approval ratings after a bitter election campaign that has divided America.
Police are expecting about 900,000 people at the public events, far fewer than the two million who attended Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and protests are scheduled to climax tomorrow with the Women’s March on Washington – an event forecast to attract a quarter of a million people. But on inauguration eve, Trump administration officials said they were concentrating on getting to work on Day 1.
Mike Pence, who will be sworn in as vice president, said that the day would be “humbling and moving”.
He said the president-elect’s team had drawn up a one-day plan, a 100-day plan and a 200day plan to translate their energy and excitement into action.
“We are all ready to go to work,” he said. “We can’t wait to get to work for the American people to make America great again.”
Mr Trump has promised to roll back much of Mr Obama’s legacy, overturning ObamaCare, ditching environmental regulation and removing what he sees as business red tape.
His bitter campaign rhetoric has sown fear among opponents that basic rights – including freedom of the press and freedom of worship – will be undermined.
So as one part of the country is preparing to welcome an unconventional leader with little political experience, another part is launching a four-year campaign of opposition.
Thirty groups have permits for demonstrations in Washington during the inauguration. About 28,000 security personnel will be deployed around the city. Jeh Johnson, who heads the department of homeland security, said they would try to separate groups to defuse tension – a tactic used at the party conventions last year.
“The concern is some of these groups are pro-Trump, some of them are con-Trump, and they may not play well together in the same space,” he said.
The inauguration will include nods to two Republican presidents. Mr Pence will be sworn in as vice president using Ronald Reagan’s family Bible, while Mr Trump will use one belonging to his own family and one used at the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln.
Analysts said Mr Trump’s address would prove one of the most crucial of recent times, setting the tone for his presidency.
He will have to show that he can offer not just words of healing to a divided nation but also follow through and maintain that spirit in the days, weeks and months to come, said Paul Glastis, a speech writer for former president Bill Clinton.
“If he is magnanimous and says wonderful things about groups he has insulted then two days later insults them again, if he doesn’t carry through with those interesting bipartisan policy ideas he has put forward, then it’s empty rhetoric,” he said. Mr Trump was adding final touches to his speech yesterday, according to his spokesman.
The overall tone of the inauguration has surprised many commentators. Mr Trump – a billionaire known for his lavish lifestyle – has opted for low-key rather than ostentatious.
After being sworn in, his parade is expected to last 90 minutes. Four hours has not been unusual in the past. He also plans to attend three inaugural balls, whereas Bill Clinton managed 14.
Officials said it was in keeping with his businesslike approach to governing the country.
However, inauguration events have also been hit by boycotts, with entertainers turning down invitations to appear.
Elton John, Celine Dion, Kanye West and Charlotte Church were all reportedly among perform- ers who said they would not perform. Instead, Tony Orlando, who had hits in the 1960s and 1970s with songs such as Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will do the honours.
Dozens of Democrat politicians are also staying away, angered by Mr Trump’s verbal abuse of Georgia congressman John Lewis, a veteran of the civil rights movement.
“I will not celebrate a man who preaches a politics of division and hate,” tweeted Keith Ellison, a representative from Minnesota who is touted as a potential leader of Democrat opposition to Mr Trump.
Mr Trump made a flying visit to Washington on Wednesday, appearing at a dinner to honour Mr Pence.
He used the opportunity to return to his theme of overhauling Washington’s political culture and promised to reform the system of political action committees, which can raise unlimited funds for campaigning.
“It’s like the great sinkhole,” he said. “You have no idea who’s doing it, who’s running them.”