New Year, New President
The Trump train makes its final stop at the White House.
Friday, January 20, marked the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States of America, Donald Trump.
Donald Trump gave a 16 minute inaugural speech to end the inaugural ceremony.. There were other events held along the inauguration, including a church service, parade and concert. Although many people like Trump, many also do not; they showed this by protesting outside of ceremonies.
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, along with their wives, all attended Trump’s inauguration. George H.W. and Barbara Bush did not attend because of health reasons, while Bill and Hillary Clinton showed up.
A little before noon, Mike Pence was sworn in as the 48 vice-president of the U.S. After him, Trump said his oath and was sworn in as the 45th president. When the oaths were done, the Marine Band performed the song “Hail to the Chief” and a 21-gun salute was fired off to honor the new president of the United States of America.
To end the inauguration, Trump told his speech to an audience number that has yet to be decided. One of the key points he hit on was that patriotism would treat the “divided” country. “We will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice,” said Trump. Another key point he focused on is to follow through on his “America First” policy, which is the idea of focusing on America’s interests in many aspects of international business. “We assembled here today are issuing a new decree: from this day forward a new vision will rule our land. From this day onward, it’s going to be only America first,” said Trump.
There were many events and ceremonies that went on before and after Trump’s inauguration Friday. An event that occurred on the evening before inauguration day was a concert at the Lincoln Memorial held by Trump. It was named the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration,” in which artists like Lee Greenwood, Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down and DJ Ravidrums performed for Trump and his supporters. Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, accompanied Trump and his wife, Melania, at a church service early Friday morning at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
After the new President and Vice President were sworn in on the afternoon of Friday, the Trumps walked the Obamas to the traditional departure ceremony, where the Obama’s boarded a helicopter that took them to a military base named Joint Base Andrews. Then, Trump, Pence and their wives attended the inaugural luncheon at National Statuary Hall along with other members of congress.
One of the last main events Trump attended was the inaugural parade. The members of Trump’s and Pence’s family also accompanied them. After the parade, Trump visited the Oval Office in the White House to sign his first executive orders as president. Trump topped off his busy day by participating in three balls: The Freedom Ball, Liberty Ball, and the Salute to Our Armed Services Ball.
Many anti-Trump groups gathered this week to protest against Trump. Some of the groups included: “Civil rights march,” “Love-a-thon” and “Women’s March.”
The protests turned violent and created chaos in the streets of the capital were the people who were “anti-fascist” and were protesting their fear of fascism in the country. Storefronts and car windows were smashed while other rioters threw rocks at police. The officers used pepper spray and smoke devices to control the rioting that went on. Six police officers were injured and about 217 protesters were arrested.