Washington: Donald Trump was on Friday sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
The US Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath to Trump, 70, who has never before held any public office. Trump used two bibles when he took his oath of office – Abraham Lincoln’s Bible and a childhood Bible given to him by his mother. Present at the podium were Trump’s children and his wife Melania.
Before Trump took the oath, Mike Pence took the oath of Vice President.
As many as 900,000 people had gathered to witness the swearing in. Among those in attendance were former US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Also present was the winner of the popular vote in the November 8 US Presidential elections, Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s swearing-in was the culmination of a dizzying political ride that began about two years ago. From a rank outsider, Trump managed to win not just the Republican Party primary but also the November 8 elections even as opinion polls put his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton far ahead of him. Critics said his campaign was highly divisive, racist and sexist. And to be sure, he didn’t win the popular vote. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly three million votes.
Even as the former host of the TV show ‘The Apprentice’ was being sworn in, in another area of Washington DC, masked activists ran through the streets smashing store and car windows, Reuters reported. They carried black anarchist flags and signs that said, “Join the resistance, fight back now.” Police used pepper spray and chased them down a major avenue.