Donald Trump is sworn in as president, vows to end ‘American carnage’
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, using his opening address to issue a staunch vow to put “America first”.
Mr Trump, 70, opened his inaugural address by saying power had been returned to the US people.
“January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again,” he said to cheers from the crowd.
In a ceremony that capped a remarkable rise to power, Mr. Trump presented himself as the leader of a populist uprising to restore lost greatness. He outlined a dark vision of an America afflicted by “the ravages” of economic dislocation and foreign exploitation, requiring his can-do approach to turn around.
“I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never, ever let you down,” Mr. Trump told hundreds of thousands of admirers.
“We have defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own, and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay,” he said. “We have made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated… [T]he wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their arms and redistributed all across the world” Trump stated.
More than 200 arrested, police injured at Trump inauguration protests
At least six police officers were injured and 217 protesters arrested Friday after a morning of peaceful protests and coordinated disruptions of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in downtown Washington.
About 500 people, some wearing masks and bandanas over their faces, marched through the city’s downtown, breaking the windows of a Bank of America branch, a McDonald’s outlet and a Starbucks shop – symbols of the American capitalist system.
