Trump inauguration: President vows to end ‘American carnage’
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESPresident Donald Trump has painted a bleak picture of a broken country after being sworn in as US president.
He decried abandoned factories, crime and a failed education system as problems of the past, pledging that his presidency would bring about change.
“This American carnage stops right here and stops right now,” President Trump said on the steps of the Capitol.
Thousands of Trump supporters travelled across the country to witness the occasion from the National Mall.
The moment marks the end of an improbable journey for the property tycoon after a campaign marked by controversy.
Shortly after the ceremony Mr Trump was seen signing his first official actions as the 45th president.
He sent his Cabinet nominations to the Senate as well as a proclamation for a national day of patriotism, according to Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
He also signed into law a waiver allowing retired Marine General James Mattis, his pick for defence secretary, to serve in the post.
In his inaugural address, he promised to be the voice of the “forgotten people”, ignored by Washington politicians.
Today, he said, was “the day the people became rulers of this nation again”.
“I will fight for you with every breath left in my body and I will never ever let you down,” said President Trump after Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath.
“America will start winning again, winning like never before.
“We will bring back our jobs, bring back our borders, bring back our wealth and we will bring back our dreams.”
If Donald Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention was billed as “midnight in America” – a pessimistic view of the current conditions in the US – then his message on inauguration day was that it’s always darkest before the dawn.
In an address that was tonally consistent with candidate Trump’s campaign rhetoric, the president railed against a Washington elite that flourished while the American people suffered.
Early reports were that Mr Trump would offer a non-ideological appeal for national unity – and there were motions in that direction at times toward the end of his speech. This address, however, was very much aimed at his supporters – uniting the people with pitchforks against an out-of-touch establishment.
American voters – at least ones in enough states to form an Electoral College majority – have taken a chance on Mr Trump. His presidency will be a remarkable experiment for American democracy, as it’s clear after this speech that Mr Trump intends to govern as he campaigned.
The new president has set the stage. He has four years to make his supporters proud and prove all the doubters wrong.
The only absences were 92-year-old George Bush Senior, who is in hospital being treated for respiratory problems, and his wife Barbara.
Members of Congress were also in attendance, although more than 50 House Democrats had refused to attend the ceremony.
The 45th president has vowed to roll back many of his predecessor’s policies, including repealing Mr Obama’s signature health care law and building a wall along the US-Mexico border.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESEarlier, about 150 protesters dressed in black marched through Washington, smashing windows and rolling rubbish bins into the street to form blockades.
Some spectators had waited for hours, although crowd numbers seemed to be lower than some other recent inaugurations.
“I’m here for history,” said 24-year-old Kevin Puchalski. “This is the first president that I voted for that won.”
Chris Lehmann, a 55-year-old maintenance supervisor from Belmar, New Jersey, said: “I’m so excited, I’m like, on top of the world.”
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Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESThe Women’s March on Washington on Saturday – for racial and gender equality, and other issues perceived to be under threat from Mr Trump’s administration – is expected to draw about 200,000 people.
Addressing supporters on Thursday night at a pre-inaugural concert, Mr Trump pledged to unify America, bring change and make the country great “for all of our people”.
Meanwhile in New York, thousands of people attended a rally where dozens of celebrities and politicians voiced their concerns about the president-elect.
