WASHINGTON: Donald Trump was sworn in Friday as the 45th president of the United States, taking the oath of office at the US Capitol as hundreds of thousands of ecstatic supporters cheered the historic handover of power.
The 70-year-old Republican placed his hand on two Bibles — his own and one used by Abraham Lincoln — to take the solemn oath, ushering in a new political era that has been met with delight and dread in equal measure.
‘I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help me God,’ he declared, before pumping his fist in the air several times.
Trump, Obama arrive at Capitol for swearing-in ceremony Barack Obama and Donald Trump arrived at the US Capitol on Friday where the president-elect will be sworn in as the United States’ 45th head of state.
Obama and his wife Michelle left the White House for the last time after hosting Trump and the incoming first lady Melania for a traditional tea and coffee. The two couples travelled in a joint motorcade for the 2.5 miles (four kilometers) down Pennsylvania Avenue to the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol.
As scattered protests erupted elsewhere in Washington, Trump raised his right hand and put his left on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln and repeated a 35-word oath of office from the U.S. Constitution, with U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts presiding.
At Trump’s side was his wife, Melania Trump. The transition from a Democratic president to a Republican took place on the West Front of the domed U.S. Capitol before a crowd of former presidents, dignitaries and hundreds of thousands of people on the grounds of the National Mall. The crowd stretched westward on a cool day of occasional light rain.
Trump, 70, takes over a country divided after a bitter election campaign. A wealthy New York businessman and former reality TV star, he will set the country on a new, uncertain path at home and abroad.
Away from the Capitol, masked activists ran through the streets smashing windows with hammers at a McDonald’s restaurant, a Starbucks coffee shop and Bobby Van’s Grill steakhouse several blocks from the White House. In another location not far from the White House, protesters also scuffled with police, at one point throwing aluminum chairs at them at outdoor cafe. INP/Agencies
