Live coverage of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration
ROUNDING off an historical day, the brand new President and First Lady of the United States took to the stage for their first dance—and it was incredibly awkward.
DONALD Trump has been inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States.
Mr Trump was officially sworn in as president by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, promising to “faithfully execute the office of the president” and “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” to rapturous applause from his supporters gathered below.
He was joined on the balcony of the US Capitol building by his family, the Obamas and, awkwardly, the Clintons, among other political leaders.
The ceremony went off without a hitch, but Mr Trump’s ego might have to endure some unflattering comparisons to Mr Obama’s first inauguration eight years ago.
The New York Times compiled these two contrasting images. On the left is the crowd about 45 minutes before the 2009 inauguration. On the right is the crowd 45 minutes before today’s ceremony.
It’s been estimated that Mr Trump only managed to draw about a third of Mr Obama’s 1.8 million-strong crowd.
President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania have danced at three inaugural balls, rounding off an historical day in which Mr Trump was officially sworn in as US President.
At the first ball they danced to the Frank Sinatra’s hit My Way, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Susan, as well as Trump family members.
Trump said his first day as commander-in-chief was great.
“People that weren’t so nice to me were saying that we did a really good job today.” He adds, “It’s like God was looking down on us.”
Trump asked the crowd at the second of the three inaugural balls he’s attending whether he should “keep the Twitter going?” The crowd roared in apparent approval.
Trump said his all-hours tweeting to his more than 20 million followers is “a way of bypassing dishonest media.”
He spoke with first lady Melania Trump by his side. She wore an ivory off-the shoulder column gown.
At the third ball the couple danced to I Will Always Love You with members of the armed services.
Mr Trump’s stiff dancing style was lampooned on social media, with one tweet comparing to him to “a dog circling around looking for somewhere to poop” and another post saying “Donald Trump dances the way I walked around the hospital after my hernia surgery”.
This is the most awkward slow dance in the history of the universe. #InauguralBall
— Kevin Eggleston (@JBFletcher88) January 21, 2017
Have you ever watched an inappropriate movie with your parents and felt super uncomfortable? That's how I feel watching Trump dance.
— Naomi (@NaomiBelay01) January 21, 2017
Model and TV host Chrissy Teigen rarely shys away from expressing her opinions on Twitter and the Inauguration Ball was no different.
The guy you voted for who said he would work FOR YOU is dancing to "my way" - YA GOT SCAMMED.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 21, 2017
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SPEECH
Mr Trump’s first act as the new president was to deliver the traditional inaugural address. He started by thanking all the living former presidents, including Barack Obama, who had just joined their ranks.
“President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world, thank you,” Mr Trump said.
“Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you.”
Mr Trump said his inauguration held “special meaning” as the moment the American people had regained control of their government.
“Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you, the people,” he said.
“For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.
“That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you.
“January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.”
The president reeled off a list of the problems he believed were afflicting the United States, and promised to solve them.
“At the centre of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens,” he said.
“For too many of our citizens, a different reality exists. Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories, scattered like too many stones across the landscape, tombstones of our nation; an education system flushed with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealised potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”
Turning to foreign policy, Mr Trump issued a “new decree” to the world, making it clear his administration would put “America first”.
“We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first,” he said.
“At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.”
Mr Trump finished his speech with a reprise of his famous slogan from the election campaign.
“Together we will make America strong again, we will make America wealthy again, we will make America proud again, we will make America safe again and, yes, together, we will make America great again.”
REACTION TO THE SPEECH
The consensus appears to be that Mr Trump delivered a curtailed version of his campaign stump speech. CNN’s Jake Tapper summed it up pretty succinctly.
“It was pure populism,” he said. “I think it will go down in history as one of the most radical speeches ever given by a president.”
Here are some other snap reactions.
So, that was a giant middle finger to the Washington establishment. Populist to the core. His core supporters had to love this speech.
— Matthew Dickinson (@MattDickinson44) January 20, 2017
it was a slightly more subdued version of campaign speech, including combative tone & grand promises, w/ stab toward grace notes at end
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) January 20, 2017
I am unabashedly ideological. The country is not. His message is populist & popular. His opponents dismiss that at their political peril.
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) January 20, 2017
This Trump speech is going to the heart of why he won. People felt forgotten and angry. Crowd cheering loudly on the mall.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) January 20, 2017
Carter's malaise speech seems *extremely* optimistic compared to this nightmarish vision of America
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) January 20, 2017
God bless everybody. pic.twitter.com/3jOPJTOxYl
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 20, 2017
PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT
Just one mile away from where Donald Trump was being sworn in as the nation’s 45th president, thousands of protesters stormed various checkpoints close to the police blockades. The crowd had been assembling since the crack of dawn in downtown Washington, hauling signs that read, “Putin’s orange puppet,” “Reject, Resist,” and “Send Pence back to Azkaban”, among others. Some even held signs with President Trump’s face obscured by a swastika.
Buoyed by leaders wearing all black and screaming chants of “Not my president!”, “Black lives matter!”, “This is our right!” and “F*ck that wall!” into megaphones, the protesters tore through the streets, attempting to get as close to the Capitol as possible.
Thousands protesting in the streets right now while the #Inauguration takes place just a few blocks away. @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/TToK4MxjLg
— Charlotte Willis (@lottiewillis) January 20, 2017
By late morning, many of the peaceful protests had descended into chaos, with the windows of several parked cars and shopfronts being smashed in and officers in riot gear deploying pepper spray. Some were carrying hammers and other tools used to shatter the glass.
A number of protesters appeared to have been sprayed in the face and looked visibly distressed, their eyes burning red. Some were dragged away from access points by multiple police. Several have been arrested, according to police.
The contrast between the disarray on the streets and the calm of the formal ceremony taking place just a few blocks away is evident in the extraordinary and dramatic images that have emerged on social media throughout the day.
"Not my president!" cries as #Trump is sworn in. #InaugurationDay @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/uhkufexJOP
— Charlotte Willis (@lottiewillis) January 20, 2017
D.C Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham said officers have arrested more than 200 people in connection with the protests, many of which turned violent, causing “significant damage to a number of blocks in our city.”
He said it was “a very small percentage” of the thousands who descended upon the nation’s capital to have their voice heard today.
A Washington Post reporter was thrown to the ground by riot police in the mayhem while attempting to video the arrest of a number of anti-Trump protesters, The Intercept reports.
Mr Newsham confirmed some protesters threw rocks and overturned rubbish bins, smashed windows at a bank, cafes, and car windscreens. Those arrested have been charged with rioting, police said.
One officer was injured as he was struck by an object during a protest, Doug Buchanan, spokesman for the D.C Fire and Emergency Medical Services said. Authorities said two other officers were injured, one by pepper spray and another falling off a bicycle.
HILLARY’S AWKWARD TV MOMENT
Before the ceremony, Mr Obama and Mr Trump made the short trip from the White House to the Capitol in the same limousine, joining a motorcade that also carried their wives, Michelle and Melania, along with Vice President Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
Everything went smoothly, but there was an awkward coincidence as Mr Obama and Mr Trump left the White House. Simultaneous footage from the Capitol, displayed on a splitscreen by several US TV networks, showed the arrival of Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump’s vanquished rival from last year’s election.
Mr Trump and Ms Clinton’s contrasting fortunes did not go unnoticed.
“It must be very difficult for Hillary Clinton to be here, having worked so hard to be here under completely different circumstances,” CNN anchor Anderson Cooper noted.
“That moment, it gave me the chills,” added co-host Dana Bash. “It’s just a reminder that no one ever knows what their fate is going to be. And just to literally see Donald Trump walk out the door with President Obama, get into his car to go to his inauguration, and Hillary Clinton walking with her husband, who was president, knowing she never will be, at the very same time? Wow.”
“The two men who denied her the presidency in one car,” Cooper said.
As they took their places for the inaugural ceremony, Ms Clinton and her husband Bill received warm applause from the crowd.
President Obama and President-elect Trump leave the White House for inaugural swearing-in ceremony #InaugurationDay https://t.co/HCPOTHFYMB pic.twitter.com/jg1fo8V5Yj
— CNN (@CNN) January 20, 2017
OBAMAS’ LAST WHITE HOUSE MEETING
Earlier, Mr and Mrs Trump were greeted warmly by the Obamas and taken inside the White House for an hour-long private meeting.
“Mr President-elect, how are you?” Obama asked, having deposited a letter to Mr Trump in the Oval Office and departed it for the last time. Mrs Trump handed Mrs Obama a gift in a Tiffany’s box.
ASIO boss gives update after caravan plot
ASIO chief Mike Burgess noted a “disturbing escalation” in anti-Semitic hate acts, after a caravan packed full of explosives was discovered in a Sydney suburb.
Fury over Shorten’s staggering new salary
Aussies have reacted after Bill Shorten’s staggering new salary – more than double his base salary as a cabinet minister – was revealed.
Why you shouldn’t apply for a job in January
Australians are choosing the worst time of the year to try and find their next job, according to new research.