Donald John Trump is now the 45th president of the United States.
The inaugural festivities began this morning, with then-President-elect Trump and then-President Barack Obama driving together to the Capitol for the swearing-in. They got into the motorcade for the short ride to the ceremony. Obama left the White House as commander-in-chief for the very last time.
Obama aide Valerie Jarrett even turned out (some) of the lights:
The motorcade is on its way!
The Obamas greeted Trump and his wife, Melania, at the White House to have a little coffee/tea before the main event. Melania also gave Michelle a gift from one of their local neighborhood businesses:
As Washington waited for the Trumps and Obamas to arrive, the inauguration guests arrived at the Capitol. Some were probably thrilled:
Others probably imagined the day a little differently:
As anti-Trump protests rage in D.C., the crowd appears to be pretty sparse in the back of the Mall. Which led to a few visual comparisons to Obama’s historic 2009 inauguration.
The numbers also confirm that the turnout wasn’t as “unbelievable, perhaps record-setting” as Trump had suggested:
Waiting for the ceremony to begin:
Getting closer:
Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden walk out onto the dais:
Cheers of “Trump! Trump! Trump!” boomed briefly from the crowd as the president-elect prepared for his entrance:
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the president-elect of the United States, Donald John Trump.”
Missouri Senator Roy Blunt delivers introductory remarks. New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan prays for us. Senator Chuck Schumer, in his address, reads a letter of Union solider Sullivan Ballou, an acknowledgment of the country’s divisions, and a call to greater unity.
Vice-President-elect Michael Richard Pence becomes Vice-President Pence. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administers the oath of office.
Donald John Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Cheers, trumpets, and the blast of cannons.
And the peaceful transfer of the Twitter account:
Protesters, close to the stage and wearing shirts that spelled out “RESIST,” tried to interrupt the oath. Authorities quickly intervened. They shouted “USA! USA!” as they were pulled away from the area, says the Washington Post.
Here comes the speech. And the rain.
Daily Intelligencer will have more coverage and analysis on Trump’s inaugural address throughout the day. In his speech, he pledged a “new vision” for America. He vowed to make America great again, and safe again, and wealthy again — campaign promises that are now those of the president. His picture of America was also one borrowed from the trail, an ominous one of “rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation;” of “the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives.” “This American carnage,” Trump said, “stops right here and stops right now.”
A salve to a divided nation it was not. Though unity, he said, would make America “unstoppable.”
Trump lambasted a sizable chunk of his guests.
He repeated his campaign promise: America First. “America will start winning again,” Trump vowed. “Winning like never before.”
“Together we will make America great again,” Trump said, signing off.
And then, it was really time to say farewell to the Obamas:
The former president delivered some final remarks at Andrews Air Force Base, before heading out to his California vacation. “Michelle and I, we’ve really been milking this good-bye thing,” he joked. “So it behooves me to be very brief.”
Meanwhile, Trump got his hands back on a phone.
The new president also got to work. One of the first orders of business: Signing the waiver so General James Mattis can serve as the Secretary of Defense. Also, giving America a holiday we totally don’t have already.
He also started learning a little about the Trump administration, which he picked.
Inauguration attendees, lawmakers, and the person who once thought she might be the guest of honor gathered in the Capitol for the inaugural luncheon.
Senator Schumer unveiled Trump’s official inauguration photo. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan toasted Pence. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell toasted Trump. Trump honored and applauded Hillary Clinton. “Honestly, there’s nothing more I can say because I have a lot of respect for those two people,” Trump said about his opponent and former President Bill Clinton.
The Trump era starts.
Now-ish.
This is a breaking-news post, and will be continuously updated.
