Donald Trump Sworn In As U.S. President
MEP: Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States in Washington DC on Friday as hundreds of thousands of people from across the US and around the world had gathered to witness the inauguration.
On a grey and rainy day in the US capital, crowds began filing into the National Mall in front of the Capitol Building from the crack of dawn Friday, as they have done every four years for decades to watch new presidents be sworn in. But it was clear from the start that this was no ordinary inauguration, for no ordinary president.
“Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come,” Trump said in his inaugural speech.
“We will face challenges, we will confront hardships, but we will get the job done.”
The billionaire businessman placed his hand on two copies of the Bible — his own and one used by Abraham Lincoln — to take the solemn oath.
“I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God,” he declared, before pumping his fist in the air several times.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump danced to Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ at the inaugural ball.
Trump thanked the crowd, and asked them if he should continue tweeting. “The enemies keep saying, ‘oh, that’s terrible,’ but you know it’s a way of bypassing dishonest media, right?”
About 28,000 security personnel, kilometres of fencing, street barricades, and trucks laden with sand were part of the security cordon around eight square kilometres of central Washington for the ceremony.
Thousands of protesters still converged on the capital. While the vast majority of the demonstrations passed peacefully, some protesters resorted to violence to express their dislike for the new president and his policies.
At least 217 people were arrested in a series of clashes, police said.
He sent his Cabinet nominations to the Senate as well as a signed a proclamation for a national day of patriotism, according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
He also signed his first executive order as president, ordering federal agencies to ease the regulatory burdens associated with Barack Obama’s health care laws, known as Obamacare, as the US Congress determines how to repeal and replace them.
