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President Donald Trump

UPDATE: 4:25 p.m.

President Donald Trump quickly assumed the mantle of the White House and began setting up his new administration on Friday, signing a bill that allows retired Gen. James Mattis to serve as his defence secretary, as well as the nomination papers for his other Cabinet choices.

Less than an hour after delivering a stinging rebuke of the political status quo in his inaugural address, Trump sat in an ornate room steps from the Senate floor to officially assemble his core team. Flanked by Vice-President Mike Pence and congressional leaders, he praised each of his nominees as he signed the papers and handed out the pens he was using. He also engaged in banter with his new congressional rivals, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

Trump also signed a proclamation declaring a national day of patriotism, according to a tweet from White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Although Trump campaigned on promises to get to work immediately, he has since backed off some of his promised speed, downplaying the importance of a rapid-fire approach to complex issues that may involve negotiations with Congress or foreign leaders. Trump has said that he expects Monday to be the first big workday, his effective Day One.

Far fewer people attended Trump's inauguration Friday than his predecessor's swearing-in eight years ago.

Photos of the National Mall from President Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009 show a teeming crowd stretching from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument. Photos taken from the same position on Friday show large swaths of empty space on the Mall.

Thin crowds and semi-empty bleachers also dotted the inaugural parade route. Hotels across the District of Columbia reported vacancies, a rarity for an event as large as a presidential inauguration. And ridership on the Washington's Metro system didn't match that of recent inaugurations.

Meanwhile, hundreds were arrested after rioting broke out at a protest in Washington.


UPDATED: 9 a.m.

President Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.

"Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many many years to come," he said.

"We are transferring power from Washington, D.C., to the people. This moment is your moment, it belongs to you. This is your day, this is your celebration, and this – the United States of America – is your country."

He said that foreign industry and military has been enriched at the cost of U.S. industry and military. He said America has defended other countries' borders, and not its own.

"That is the past and now we are looking only to the future," he said.

Trump said he had a message for other countries: "From this day forward it's only going to be America first, America first. Every decision will be made to benefit American workers and American families."

Mike Pence has been sworn in as vice-president.

Capping a morning of inaugural pomp and pageantry, Trump became president at the U.S. Capitol Friday. His ascent puts Republicans in control of the White House for the first time in eight years.

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Trump and his wife, Melania, were greeted at the White House by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama for the traditional private meeting of outgoing and incoming presidents and their spouses. Posing for photos on the North Portico, the couples exchanged hugs as Barack Obama chatted about the demands of protocol.

Trump has pledged to upend many of Obama's major domestic and national security policies, including repealing his signature health care law and building a wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. But he's offered few details of how he plans to accomplish his agenda, often sending contradictory signals.

People flocked to the nation's capital for the inaugural festivities, some wearing red hats emblazoned with Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan. But in a sign of the deep divisions Trump sowed during his combative campaign, dozens of Democratic lawmakers were boycotting the swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill.

One Democrat who did attend was Hillary Clinton, Trump's vanquished campaign rival, who smiled tightly as she took her seat among the dignitaries alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

All of the living American presidents were attending the swearing in ceremony, except for 92-year-old George H.W. Bush, who was hospitalized this week with pneumonia. His wife, Barbara, was also admitted to the hospital after falling ill.

People were lined up at security checkpoints before dawn to take their places in this quadrennial rite of democracy.

"I'm here for history," said Kevin Puchalski, a 24-year-old construction worker who drove from Philadelphia. "This is the first president that I voted for that won." His big hope: Trump builds that promised wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. "Keep the illegals out," he said.

Protesters, too, were out in force, in some cases slowing the progress of visitors passing through checkpoints. Police in riot gear were deployed around the city to keep the peace in the peaceful transfer of power.



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