Donald Trump, 45th President Of United States, Ushers In New Era

Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on Friday, ushering in a new era that is hard to predict, with Mr. Trump promising the American people and the world, to bring back an American greatness that he contends has been diminished.

The weather in the nation’s capital was cold and overcast all day, and rain began falling just as Mr. Trump presented his vision for the future, chastising seemingly every president on the stand at the West Front of the Capitol today — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — for allegedly allowing a group of elite politicians to overrun Capitol Hill with special interests and decisions that have only benefited those in power, while neglecting everyday Americans, leaving some dislocated and isolated.

“We are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you the people,” Mr. Trump said.

Those themes propelled Mr. Trump to the highest office of the most powerful nation in the world, and the president did not shy away from repeating them during his speech.

“This American carnage stops right here and stops right now,” Mr. Trump said, adding, “The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour for action. Do not allow anyone to tell you it cannot be done.”

Forcefully, Mr. Trump vowed to give power back to the people and diminish the maneuvering of special interests on Capitol Hill. “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. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs,” Mr. Trump said during his 16-minute long speech.

“The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,” he added.

Mr. Trump, flanked by his family, took the oath of office, administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, in less than a minute as he swore to uphold the nation’s constitution. As president, Mr. Trump has vowed to dismantle a lot of Mr. Obama’s policies, beginning with those Mr. Obama established through executive orders, among them climate change and immigration. On healthcare, Mr. Trump will have to wait on the Republican-controlled House and Senate to first dismantle the Affordable Care Act, known to many as Obamacare, a goal already well underway.

Mr. Trump’s inauguration, though in keeping with certain traditions of the transfer of power, was in stark contrast to that of Mr. Obama’s in tone and style — from the performances and even down to the choice of music. The contrast represented, in a sense, the diverse nation that America has become over decades of change.

Yet for all its differences, and the opposition that Mr. Trump faced from both Republicans and Democrats, as well as the dissent his election has caused, the swift manner in which power was transferred today, represented a hallmark of the American democracy, as one president recedes from power peacefully and with little fanfare, if not happily, and another administration — one that may represent vastly different ideas and views on America’s way forward — takes hold.

An improbable journey

From the onset of his bid to the presidency, Mr. Trump was treated by the left and mainstream media as a joke; a cartoon character of sorts whose attempt was a big show to promote Mr. Trump’s own brand and embellish his ego. The scorning of Mr. Trump was so evident that Huffington Post made a decision not to cover the Trump campaign in its political segment, choosing instead to label the candidate as entertainment.

And with every victory, the media grew more cynical, clinging to the belief that Americans would not vote for Mr. Trump; a miscalculation that embarrassed almost every mainstream media outlet — from The New York Times to CNN — when Mr. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in a stunning victory last November that saw the then-candidate flipping states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, from blue to red — blocking every path that Mrs. Clinton had to the presidency.

Now, with a relentless and no-holds-barred Trump — he has insulted huge swaths of the American public and agitated leaders around the world — the unpredictable is set to become the norm. Mr. Trump has derided leaders of Europe such as Angela Merkel of Germany, describing her decision to open Europe’s borders to refugees as a “catastrophic mistake”. And he has irritated China by his interactions and statements on Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province, while Taiwan considers mainland China to be controlled by illegitimate Communist rebels. In Britain, Mr. Trump has sided with Prime Minister Theresa May, who is charting Britain’s course toward a clean break from the European Union.

All of this while Mr. Trump continues to express his fondness for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, whose government has been accused of hacking the U.S. election in an effort to tilt the results in Mr. Trump’s favor.

Meanwhile, Mr. Obama, whose era quietly ended, vowed to remain politically active, telling his 13.6 million twitter followers that he would not just fade away, all while soliciting their suggestions.

“I won’t stop; I’ll be right there with you as a citizen, inspired by your voices of truth and justice, good humor, and love,” Mr. Obama said, directing people to a video message on a new website for his foundation, Obama.org, in which Mr. Obama, joined by Mrs. Obama, pledged to make the foundation a “living, working center for citizenship” around the world.