- President-elect Donald Trump has taken the oath of office to become the 45th President of the United States
- In his inaugural address, Mr Trump delivered an elegy to Americans who felt neglected by their government
- 'I will fight for you with every breath in my body,' he pledged. 'And I will never, ever, let you down'
- Trump promised 'America first' would become the central organizing principle of his new government
- Among those in the stands for the ceremony was Hillary Clinton - Trump's rival in the election
DAILY MAIL
Donald Trump delivered a populist rallying call to Americans who felt left behind enough to send a non-politician to do the most powerful job on earth, after he was sworn in Friday as America's 45th president.
'I will fight for you with every breath in my body,' he pledged. 'And I will never, ever let you down.'
Trump promised 'America first' would become the central organizing principle around which his government is organized.
'We will follow two simple rules. Buy American and hire American,' Trump declared.
At 1,453 words, his inaugural address was the shortest since Jimmy Carter's in 1977. His slogans were just as tight.
'America first,' a mantra that he put into common use as he campaigned for the White House, found some flesh on its bone Friday.
'Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration on foreign affairs, will be made to protect American workers and American families,' he said.
Trump's oath of office – which he called 'an oath of allegiance to all Americans' – was marred by a protester blowing a whistle and another handful shouting muffled slogans in the distance.
But the moment passed. Trump spoke his vows. And America had a new leader.
President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
President Donald Trump speaks after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump looks on during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) takes the oath of office from U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (R) with his wife Melania, and children Barron, Donald, Ivanka and Tiffany at his side during inauguration ceremonies at the Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017
President Donald Trump hugs his family after taking the oath of office during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
President Donald Trump escorts former president Barack Obama from the U.S. Capitol as Vice President Mike Pence and former vice president Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States
President Trump and first lady Melania saw the Obamas off Friday afternoon
It's tradition for the new president to watch the outgoing president fly off on Marine One after the inauguration
Former President Obama gave one last wave before boarding Marine One. He and his family are taking a vacation to Palm Springs
Marine One, carrying outgoing President Barack Obama and outgoing First Lady Michelle Obama, takes off from the capitol after Donald J.Trump's inauguration as the 45th President of The United States on Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Karen Pence wave as former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama depart during the 2017 Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S.
Asked if Trump hit the right tones of contrition, Senator John McCain of Arizona told DailyMail.com: 'I just think it was a continuation of his campaign.'
Asked if that was as it should be, McCain shrugged: 'It's his choice; he's the president-elect.'
Other senators and top Trump advisers were more enthusiastic.
'I loved it,' said Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump’s national security advisor.
'I think it was an amazing speech,' Flynn told DailyMail.com. 'I think the American people know that they have a president that stands for them – and I mean for all Americans.'
'And I think the world actually heard a great message today.'
Asked if Trump hit all the right notes, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama – soon to be U.S. attorney general, said: 'Yeah. It was a good day.'
Donald Trump signed his first orders as president surrounded by his children and grandchildren
One of Trump's grandsons hammed it up for the cameras as the president got to work on Friday
Trump hinted at economic decline in America's rust belt and breadbasket during his predecessor's eight years in office.
'The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and redistributed all over the world,' he claimed. 'But that is the past. We are looking only to the future.'
And in a hat-tip to one of his most famous catch-phrases, one that made hundreds of appearances on the campaign trail, the unlikeliest president promised that 'America will start winning again, winning like never before.'
'We will bring back our dreams,' Trump said, and 'determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.'
'We will face challenges, we will confront hardships, but we will get the job done.'
The billionaire's improbable resonance with the middle class and the poor found new voice on Friday, as he framed his election and inauguration as a power-shift from Washington to the rest of America.
'We are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people,' he said to cheers.
'For too long a small group in our nation's capital have reaped the rewards of government while the people bore the costs.'
View of the West Front as President-elect Donald Trump arrives on the platform of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017, during his swearing-in ceremony
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Vice President Mike Pence takes the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as wife Karen Pence holds a bible on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States
The historic National Mall sits half-empty during Trump's inauguration (left). At Obama's 2009 inauguration (right) there was an estimated 1.8million people in attendance despite the below freezing weather��
Vice President Mike Pence is sworn in as this wife Karen holds the bible during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
President-elect Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives for his Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
President-elect Donald Trump flashes a thumbs up during the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
Donald Trump introduced to his inauguration
'The jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself. But not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories,' he said.
'That all changes starting right here and right now, because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you.
'It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. This is your day, this is your celebration, and this, the United States of America, is your country.'
Speaking of the 'American carnage' of inner city blight, crime and failing schools, he vowed that it 'stops right here, and stops right now.'
'We are one nation, and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams, and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home and one glorious destiny.'
Trump pumped a fist in triumph after he finished speaking.
Asked how it felt moments after the ceremony concluded, Eric Trump grinned and flashed a thumbs-up.
Former Trump rival Ohio Governor John Kasich was in no mood to reflect on the change of leadership.
'I'm not doing any interviews right now,' he told DailyMail.com inside the Capitol.
Trump didn't let the threat of Washington, D.C. rain showers spoil his inauguration, the long-time-coming culmination of an improbable political revolution that shows no sign of letting up.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS
Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you.
We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people.
Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.
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.
Today's ceremony, however, has a very special meaning because 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.
For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have bore 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. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. And while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here and right now, because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you.
It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.
This is your day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your country.
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.
January 20th, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.
The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens. Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families and good jobs for themselves.
These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public.
But 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 tombstones across the landscape of our nation.
An education system flush 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 unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
We are one nation, and their pain is our pain.
Their dreams are our dreams, and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home and one glorious destiny.
The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
For many decades we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry, subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.
We've defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own. And we've spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.
One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind.
The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world. But that is the past, and now we are looking only to the future.
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. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our product, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.
Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never ever let you down.
America will start winning again, winning like never before.
We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth, and we will bring back our dreams.
We will build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and tunnels and railways all across our wonderful nation.
We will get our people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.
We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American.
We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.
We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example.
We will shine for everyone to follow.
We will re-enforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.
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.
The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is totally unstoppable. There should be no fear. We are protected and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by God.
Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger. In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving. We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.
The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action.
Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.
We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.
A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights and heal our divisions. It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.
We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms and we all salute the same great American flag.
And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator.
So to all Americans in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, from ocean to ocean, hear these words: You will never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes and your dreams will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
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.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America.
President-elect Donald Trump kisses his wife Melania Trump before the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
Melania Trump arrives for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017
Melania Trump (R) embraces Barron Trump on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States
President Barack Obama, left, arrives with Vice President Joe Biden before the 58th Presidential Inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
The brash billionaire capped off a three-day parade of dinners, speeches, prayers and a concert with pomp and circumstance in front of the U.S. capitol as hundreds of thousands of Americans who he has said were 'forgotten' during the Obama years cheered him on.
The 45th president's hated 'dishonest media' watched as storm clouds threatened, along with four former presidents, most of the U.S. Congress and a sea of 'Make America Great Again' devotees.
The sea of faces on the National Mall was dotted with red caps, Trump's signature campaign items bearing that slogan, itself an artifact from Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign.
When Trump was introduced, he turned and faced the crowd, smiled, and offered a wave.
Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, who headed the inaugural committee in the Congress, told the nation: 'What we do here is both commonplace and miraculous.'
Blunt called it 'not a celebration of victory,' but 'a celebration of democracy.'
Other senators visible on the balcony overlooking reporters included West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who met with Trump at Trump Tower, and Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina. Burr will oversee a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into Russian election-year hacking.
Across the balcony to the south, House Appropriations chair Harold Rogers of Kentucky, who will oversee funding of Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, picked a prominent standing position.
Standing next to Rogers was Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California, who had been a candidate for secretary of state.
Donald Trump's children Ivanka Trump (L), Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump Jr, and Eric Trump arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States.
President Obama and Donald Trump are pictured above leaving the White House Friday morning on their way to the Inauguration
Mrs Obama and future first lady Melania were seen leaving the White House after tea
The President and President-elect make the drive from the White House to Capitol Hill on Friday
US First Lady Michelle Obama (L) and Dr. Jill Biden arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 20, 2017
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton greets Michelle Obama as former President Bill Clinton and former President George W. Bush look on at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States
President-elect Donald Trump's children, from left, Tiffany, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump arrive for the 58th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol for President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
Ivanka Trump arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, for the presidential inauguration of her father Donald Trump
Donald Trump, Jr., and Ivanka Trump arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of their father Donald Trump at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 20, 2017
Tiffany Trump (L) and Eric Trump arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States
Trump children arrive at the inauguration
A U.S. Marine Corps band played Sousa marches. Chants of 'U.S.A.!' broke out. Cheers erupted when the vice-president elect, Mike Pence, was announced, among the standing-room crowd stretching more than a mile to the west.
And as giant TV screens flashed mobs of Americans their first glimpse of the new president behind the scenes, a rock concert-like whoop went up. Before he was introduced, screams of 'Trump! Trump! Trump!' reverberated on a scale even though he has never seen or heard.
Among Trump's living predecessors, only George H.W. Bush failed to make the trip, owing to his hospitalization in Texas. He sent his regrets to Trump, writing that his doctor warned sitting outside in the cold would put him 'six feet under.'
Standing on the dais were his son, George W. Bush; Jimmy Carter; Bill Clinton; and Barack Obama.
Trump's crowd applauded the outgoing chief executive of the U.S., audibly surprising some members of the media whose seats were far to the front.
They were less kind to Sen. Charles Schumer, the newly minted Democratic minority leader. As his speech stretched beyond their patience, they broke into shouts of 'We want Trump!'
Trump children arrive at the inauguration
A U.S. Marine Corps band played Sousa marches. Chants of 'U.S.A.!' broke out. Cheers erupted when the vice-president elect, Mike Pence, was announced, among the standing-room crowd stretching more than a mile to the west.
And as giant TV screens flashed mobs of Americans their first glimpse of the new president behind the scenes, a rock concert-like whoop went up. Before he was introduced, screams of 'Trump! Trump! Trump!' reverberated on a scale even though he has never seen or heard.
Among Trump's living predecessors, only George H.W. Bush failed to make the trip, owing to his hospitalization in Texas. He sent his regrets to Trump, writing that his doctor warned sitting outside in the cold would put him 'six feet under.'
Standing on the dais were his son, George W. Bush; Jimmy Carter; Bill Clinton; and Barack Obama.
Trump's crowd applauded the outgoing chief executive of the U.S., audibly surprising some members of the media whose seats were far to the front.
They were less kind to Sen. Charles Schumer, the newly minted Democratic minority leader. As his speech stretched beyond their patience, they broke into shouts of 'We want Trump!'
Obama and the former first lady released a video message Friday morning, saying they would take a break from public life and 'sit still for a little bit' as they become private citizens again.
The message was an appeal for supporters to weigh in on the future of the Obama Presidential Center on the south side of Chicago.
Clinton's wife, the Democrat whom Trump defeated soundly in the Electoral College more than ten weeks ago, also participated Friday in America's peaceful transition of power.
The Obamas welcomed the Trumps to the White House Friday morning, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony
As is tradition, the current president and first lady welcome the president-elect and his wife to the White House for a pre-Inauguration tea
Mrs Trump brought a large gift from Tiffany's which she then handed over to Mrs Obama. It's unclear what was in the box
President Obama asked how Mr Trump was doing and shook his hand. Their wives then hugged
Before Mr Trump arrived at the White House, the Obama shared a sweet kiss - one of their last moments as president and first lady
Some Democrats, including many in Congress, have questioned that decision, saying it tended to normalize the incoming president when their party should be ostracizing him.
But she gamely attended in a white pantsuit, alongside Bill and their daughter Chelsea, smiling for cameras during an appearance she never thought she would make without hearing 'Hail to the Chief' played in her honor.
Clinton won points from a former adversary for bucking up for the occasion.
'I think it takes a lot to show up in that situation after the kind of campaign that was run against her,' said Tad Devine, a top advisor to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who challenged Clinton in the Democratic primaries. Devine spoke to The Hill newspaper.
Trump castigated Mrs. Clinton repeatedly as 'Crooked Hillary,' interrupting her during debates and projecting a generally belligerent attitude as he unseated the would-be first female president.
Even in victory, he has thrown a few shoulders.
Jared Kushner and a guest attend the inauguration ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017
epa05735079 Donald Trump, Jr. (C) and his wife Vanessa Trump (2-L) arrive on the West Front of the US Capitol for the inauguration ceremony of Donald J. Trump taking the oath of office to be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2017. Trump won the 08 November 2016 election to become the next US President. Others are not identified
Donald Trump Jr and his wife are seen with two of their children heading to the Inauguration Friday morning
Hillary Clinton, Trump's rival in the election, is attending today's ceremony as the wife of former President Bill CLinton. As is tradition, all living presidents attend the Inauguration of a new president
Clinton's all-white outfit may have been a subtle nod to the Suffragettes. If she had won the election, she would have been the first female president
Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura arrive at the Capitol Building on Friday. President Bush told reporters that his parents, former President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush, are doing better at the hospital
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn arrive for the 58th Presidential Inauguration for President-elect Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017
Senator Bernie Sanders, left, who lost the Democratic nomination arrives at the Capitol on Friday. He's pictured next to Arizona Senator John McCain, who ran a failed campaign against President Obama in 2008. McCain has now become a main opponent of Trump, despite being a senior member of the president's party
Senator Elizabeth Warren (in a pink scarf) arrives at the Capitol Building. Warren is a liberal voice in the Democratic party and a front runner for the 2020 ticket
L-R(FRONT) US Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Anthony Kennedy and Justice Clarence Thomas, Back L-R: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Stephen Bryer on the platform of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2017, before the swearing-in ceremony of US President-elect Donald Trump.
Thursday night during a candlelight dinner at Washington's Union Station, Trump jabbed at the Clinton campaign for planning a fireworks display in New York City when they thought they had the presidency locked up.
Ultimately, Team Clinton canceled its fireworks permit as Election Day closed in.
'They spent $7 million on fireworks. And they canceled it – and that's because history has proven that if you're going to lose, you don't want fireworks, right?' Trump joked.
Trump's sprawling family, the most visible sign of his softer side as he stumped for the White House, were out in force Friday.
Wife Melania, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, and sons Don Jr., Eric and Barron beamed, along with three spouses and assorted Trump grandchildren.
Ivanka Trump's power-husband, real estate investor Jared Kushner, will soon move into a White House office to become a 'senior adviser' to the president.
The wealthy and well-connected Orthodox Jew (Ivanka converted before their wedding) is expected to have a broad foreign-policy portfolio that includes a Middle-East peace mission to reconcile Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Trump relied heavily on Kushner's counsel during the campaign. He said Thursday night at the dinner that 'all my life I've been hearing that's the toughest deal in the world to make. And I've seen it.'
'But I have a feeling Jared's going to do a great job,' Trump said, addressing his son-in-law. 'If you can't produce peace in the Middle East, nobody can.'
Donald Trump and Melania attend church Friday morning to kick off Inauguration Day. Melania channeled Jackie Kennedy in a matching dress, jacket and gloves in powder blue
A view inside St John's Episcopal Church Friday morning
Mr Trump, his wife, Vice President-elect Mike pence and his wife sat in the front row of the church
Rev Luis Leon greets President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania as they arrive for a church service at St. JohnÃs Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, on Donald Trump's inauguration day
All of Trump's children were with him, except youngest son Barron, age 10. Pictured above from left to right: Vanessa Trump with daughter Kai, Donald Trump Jr with one of his sons and Eric Trump holds hands with his wife Lara
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner pictured left. Tiffany Trump, Trump's daughter with second wife Marla Maples, pictured attending church with her boyfriend
Rev Luis Leon greets Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife Karen upon their arrival for church service at St. JohnÃs Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, on Donald Trump's inauguration day
Kellyanne Conway, advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, departs for a church service before the 58th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017
Washington, DC was bathed in red light this morning, hours before President-elect Donald Trump was set to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States
Trump will take the oath of office around 11:30am outside the Capitol Building (pictured Friday morning), before giving his Inaugural Address
As is tradition, Donald Trump stayed at the president's guest house, Blair House (white townhouse above), Thursday night
Soon-to-be President Donald Trump left Blair House Friday morning to kick off Inauguration Day in Washington, DC. His wife Melania wore a chic blue jacket and skirt
Trump's sister Maryanne, a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, made the trip. Trump noted her presence Thursday night.
Nearly 70 Democrats from the House of Representatives said they would skip Trump's swearing-in, however. Trump allies decried them as politically motivated crybabies.
The U.S. hasn't seen as large an inaugural boycott since southern Democrats stayed away from the Capitol when Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in 1861.
At that time, seven southern states had already declared war on the Union.
New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone was one Democrat who decided to attend on Friday. But he told DailyMail.com that the new president's remarks were 'not at all' sufficiently unifying.
'I think that it was very contemptuous of the previous administration,' Pallone said.
'I think in many ways he was suggesting that, you know, President Obama and the previous administration were not looking out for the needs of the people. And I would say just the opposite. I would say that the Trump policies are going to hurt the average American, not help.'
Trump seemed to brush off the partisan rancor over what some Democrats called his 'illegitimate' victory, tweeting positive messages in the run-up to the most consequential day of his 70-year life.
'It all begins today!' he wrote on Twitter, his preferred method of mass communication.
'I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!' he added.
Crowds began pouring into the National Mall as the sun rose, and steady lines stretched behind security checkpoints
Kellyanne Conway, the pollster-turned-campaign manager who will be among the new president's closest counselors in the West Wing, promised Friday morning that Trump would show himself throughout the day as 'a man of action, a man of resolve.'
Conway, who celebrated her 50th birthday as the inauguration unfolded, arrived in a red, white and blue Gucci outfit with buttons that resembled snarling cats. The dress was a cross between continental soldier and Christmas nutcracker.
She told San Francisco-based NBC reporters that it was 'Trump revolutionary wear.'
Conway said during a morning CBS interview that as the Obama era ends, America was 'a divided country' – but Trump 'will lay down an important marker to try to unify' Americans.
Some of that division was on display early in the morning, as so-called 'J20' protesters tried to interfere with inaugural ticket-holders entering security-screening north of the Capitol building.
Some held signs reading 'Let freedom ring.' Others hoisted 'Free Palestine' messages, blurring the protesters' more pointed anti-Trump theme.
A few wore orange jumpsuits in protest of the continued operation of a U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Police held the agitators at bay, standing between them and the steady river of ticket-holders streaming onto the heavily secured Capitol grounds.
A few black clad protesters 20 blocks away, including some in black masks, drew pepper spray from police as they smashed a window of a Starbucks coffee shop.
Far larger protests are planned for Saturday – a 'women's march' that could draw up to 200,000 feminists who rejected Trump from the beginning.
As is tradition, President Obama was seen leaving a letter for the incoming president on the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office
As he left the West Wing one last time, President Obama told reporters he was feeling nostalgic
Vice President Joe Biden, and wife Dr Jill Biden, are seen walking out of the Oval Office Friday morning
Trump kicked off Friday as usual - with a tweet. He said: 'It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!'
This view taken January 20, 2017 shows people gathering on the mall to witness President-elect Donald Trump take the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States
The event's organizers have framed it as a wholesale repudiation of Trump's long-past comments about women that surfaced as he ran for the White House, including an 11-year-old tape in which he describes the ease with which famous men can get away with sexual assault.
The march's leaders attracted unwanted attention this week when they decided to exclude a contingent of women who oppose abortion rights. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, is among the event's sponsors.
As is usually the case when single-issue protesters gather in the nation's capital, hangers-on representing other interest groups will march on the margins.
Some will shout against the darkness of Trump's loud condemnation of Mexican illegal immigrants, whose numbers he claimed – in his campaign's first speech – include drug dealers and rapists.
Gay-rights demonstrators will also attend, although Trump has broken with the evangelical wing of the Republican Party by embracing and defending the LGBT community.
Trump will likely be a far more disruptive agitator in his own way, bringing to the White House his take-no-prisoners business instincts and an internal bias toward action that at times seems hard-wired into his DNA.
Insiders told DailyMail.com to expect a flurry of executive orders on Monday including a few high-impact pen strokes affecting healthcare policy, taxes and diplomatic missions.
In particular, one senior aide said Wednesday that Trump is mulling an order that would give his State Department a clear path to immediately move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the nation's 'eternal capital.'
Trump in many ways is expected to be the yin to President Barack Obama's yang, executing one 180-degree turn after another in ways that will dismiss the federal government's tendency to move in slow, stepwise motion.
Another senior aide said Thursday that Trump plans to institute some form of a federal hiring freeze for non-essential personnel in departments not linked to national security.
Such a move would, as bureaucrats retire or quit, give the new president a quick route to budget savings that would not be subject to congressional review or interference from government workers' unions.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: People gather on the National Mall prior to Donald Trump's Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump is being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States
Thousands of people were out in the streets before sunrise to get their spot for the Inauguration and parade
This view taken January 20, 2017 shows people in their seats at the US Capitol where President-elect Donald Trump will be taking the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States
People gather on the National Mall prior to Donald Trump's Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump is being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States
A worker cleans steps on the inaugural stand on January 20, 2017, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump
Spectators wait in line to pass through security checkpoints for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington
The newly sworn-in President Trump will watch his Inagural Parade from this covered structure outside of the White House. It's pictured above before dawn on Friday
Military personnel man a security checkpoint ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday, January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC
In addition, Trump may use an executive order to rescind Obama's 'DACA' and 'DAPA' programs, a collective promise that the federal government won't deport illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, or their parents.
A Trump aide speculated Thursday that the president-elect is not planning a mass-deportation, but sees the programs as an impediment to ejecting 'criminal aliens' from the United States if they fall into one of those two groups.
Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, told DailyMail.com on Friday that he has no idea what kind of executive orders Trump is cooking up for his first days in office.
'All I've heard is that Monday he's going to sign a lot of what he can sign,' Grassley said.
'I haven't heard anything specific about what that would be. Since I haven't talked to anybody in the new administration I don't have any basis for saying what they might do or might not do.'
Sessions offered no opinion about reports that the FBI is part of a multi-agency task force examining whether wire intercepts and financial records might show Russian interference in the 2016 election.
'I'm not commenting on any of that, and I haven’t seen it either,' he told DailyMail.com.
America's political soothsayers never saw Friday's inauguration coming 18 months ago, when Trump descended a lobby escalator in his Trump Tower skyscraper to announce his candidacy.
Newspaper editorials mocked him as a 'carnival barker' and a 'charlatan.' His fellow Republican White House hopefuls snickered as they plotted to undermine him, even as his star power seemed to monopolize the national media landscape.
Journalists and the pundit class, however, missed a groundswell of support from disaffected Republicans and independent voters who were ready for Trump's message of economic populism.
As they pummeled him with bombshell accusations of misogyny and questioned the degree to which Russia-directed computer hacking gave him a decisive edge over Democrat Hillary Clinton, he never batted an eye.
Reporters and their employers became the enemy. Some were banned from campaign events. Others found themselves called out by name as thousands of chanting Trump fans egged him on.
Those same scribes will have to make their peace with covering 'The Donald' as he brings what actor Matthew McConaughey conceded to the Associated Press would be 'a dynamic four years.'
Unlike most of institutional Hollywood, which supported Clinton almost unanimously, McConaughey said Americans should 'embrace' their new leader and 'shake hands with the fact that this is happening and it's going down.'
Filmmaker Robert Redford, too, seemed resigned to reality on Thursday at his Sundance Film Festival.
'Presidents come and go, the pendulum swings back and forth,' he mused during the festival's opening press conference.
Barbara Streisand, however, vented her spleen Trump-ward with a Huffington Post essay titled 'Clueless, Reckless, Graceless, Mindless and Heartless: Our President Elect.'
'He has demonstrated he is both dangerous and unfit for office,' the aging actress and singer wrote.
A Rasmussen daily tracking poll released Friday showed that 56 per cent of Americans who were 'likely voters,' including 85 per cent of Republicans, have a positive view of Trump's job performance as he takes over the Oval Office.
More than half – 55 per cent – of independent voters, those unaffiliated with either major political party, give Trump a thumbs-up. But 70 per cent of Democrats disagree.
Obama entered office with a 67 per cent approval rating in the same poll, as the nation's first black president.
But he and the outgoing first lady embraced Friday's transition, warmly greeting Donald and Melania Trump to the White House for the traditional pre-inauguration coffee and tea reception in the Blue Room.
The Trumps presented Michelle Obama with a gift, wrapped in an unmistakable Tiffany box.
Trump Tower adjoins the luxury jeweler's New York City flagship store in, which this week reported a sales decline since airtight security began disrupting foot traffic on Fifth Avenue.
Donald and Melania Trump attended a black-tie dinner in Washington D.C. on Thursday night, their final engagement before he is sworn in as the 45th president
The dinner came after a busy day of inaugural events for the future First Family. At around 7pm, they waved goodbye to crowds at Lincoln Memorial after a concert
Following the tradition of previous presidents, Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery with Mike Pence to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier later
A presidential inauguration is a day of sometimes awkward adjustments, including one as the Trumps arrived following a prayer service at nearby St. John's church.
Melania approached Michelle Obama for a handshake. Mrs. Obama went in for a hug. They ended up embracing – a hopeful gesture on display for the world to see, and to ponder.
The staff who oversees the White House residence presented the Obamas with a token of respect: the flag that flew over the presidential mansion Friday morning, and one that flew on the first day of his presidency.
After his inauguration, Trump is scheduled to attend a traditional luncheon with members of Congress, before participating in a parade that ends at the White House – where he will get used to sitting behind the Resolute Desk as he begins to shift from campaigning poetry to governing prose.
The first thing he will see is a letter from Obama, another tradition meant as a warm welcome as the baton is passed.
Obama aides wouldn't say on Friday morning what the outgoing president wrote.
Trump's inauguration didn't set an attendance record – that honor belongs to Obama's historic 2009 swearing-in.
But he did distinguish himself as the incoming president accompanied by the most prayers and invocations.
Three separate invocations at the beginning, and three benedictions after Trump's speech, bookended the ceremonies as a rabbi, a Catholic bishop, and several protestant leaders bowed their heads along with the nation.
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