Donald Trump vows to repair carnage

Donald Trump has been sworn in as America’s 45th president, promising to deliver his country back to the ‘forgotten people’.

Donald John Trump has been sworn in as America’s 45th president, promising to deliver his country back to the forgotten people and to repair the “carnage” that had befallen the world’s superpower.

In a blunt and unconventional inauguration speech, Mr Trump gave a damning assessment of the United States as a paradise lost, describing it as an “American Carnage” in which wealth, strength and confidence had ebbed as power flowed to the elite rather than the people.

He promised that “starting right here, right now,” he would deliver his country back to ordinary families and workers.

“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, to cheers from the huge crowd assembled as far as the eye could see down Washington’s National Mall.

“For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost ... Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed.”

Donald Trump inauguration

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He described his inauguration as “a historic moment” because it would mark a new era of putting America first in all that it does, from trade to defence to immigration.

“We assembled here today are issuing a new decree ... 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!” Trump said.

His speech portrayed the new president as the saviour of the workers and of the Middle Class which he said had been forgotten while the political elite feathered their own nests.

Mr Trump gave no recognition to the achievements of the Obama administration or to his vanquished opponent Hillary Clinton, and he implicitly criticised all previous presidents, Democrat and Republican for neglecting ordinary workers.

He repeated his campaign promise to bring back jobs, control borders and restore middle class wealth.

“We will bring back the American dream,” he said. “Now arrives the hour of action …. you will never be ignored again.”

Earlier the pro-Trump greeted the new president and his wife Melania with enormous roars, offering only polite applause for the outgoing First Family Barack and Michelle Obama and a smattering of boos for Mr Trump’s defeated Democrat opponent Mrs Clinton.

Erik Laykin with his Abe Lincoln hat says he came here from LA here 'to celebrate the greatest nation on earth.' pic.twitter.com/9a8LtjIuo8

— cameron stewart (@camstewarttheoz) January 20, 2017

Among the crowd was Erik Larkin, wearing an Abraham Lincoln top hat, who said he flew from LA ”to witness the peaceful transition of power in the greatest nation on earth celebrating Donald Trump,” he says. “He tells it like it is and he understands the common man which is unusual given that he is a billionaire.”

“But it is time to reunite this country, we are hopelessly divided, more than I have seen in my lifetime.”

Watching on was Vietnam veteran Mike Welsh, 72, from San Diego who said that Donald Trump had his vote from the first day.

”When he came down that golden elevator at Trump Tower for the first press conference I said ‘He doesn’t do political speak and he is going to make decisions while being beholden to no-one else. He is going to make the Supreme Court conservative again and he will get rid of all this political correctness.”

Also watching the inauguration was Daryl Bowler, wearing a cap with the words ’make guns great again’ on it. He said he chose to vote for Trump because he offered America a “change of pace”.

“He is not polished like the politicians, he says the wrong things sometimes but America needs a change of pace and hopefully he will give us something different. Hopefully the world doesn’t.”

The new Vice-President Mike Pence was the first to be inaugurated, being sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

After a performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the presidential oath of office was administered to Mr Trump by Chief Justice John Roberts. Several protesters close to the podium broke out into chants against Mr Trump as he was swearing the oath of allegiance.

After his speech the president attended the traditional inauguration lunch in Congress and is soon due to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House where he and his wife Melania watched the inaugural parade from the presidential viewing stand.

The inauguration ceremony sees one of the largest security operations seen in Washington with 28,000 security personnel, police and soldiers and armoured vehicles patrolling the streets of the city amid concerns about terrorism and potential clashes between pro and anti-Trump supporters.

Despite wet and cold weather hundreds of thousands of people crowded along the National Mall in front of the Congress to witness the inauguration.