By Pamela Engel

Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United
States on Friday. He took the oath of office in front of the Capitol just before
noon. The 70-year-old real-estate magnate beat his Democratic rival
Hillary Clinton in a shocking victory in the 2016 election, and
he will start off his administration with Republicans controlling
both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Washington, DC, for
the big event, and Trump has been promoting
the inauguration festivities on his Twitter account for days. Trump is expected to sign several executive orders shortly after
his swearing in. Immediately after his inauguration, Trump delivered his inaugural
address.

“Today we are not merely transferring power from one
administration to another, or from one party to another, but we
are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to
you, the people,” Trump said. “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped
the rewards of our nation’s government while our people have
borne the cost.”

Trump attacked the Washington establishment throughout his speech
and focused his praise on the American people. “This moment is your moment. It belongs to you,” Trump said. “It
belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all
across America. This is your day. This is your celebration. And
this, the United States of America, is your country.”

Trump said his inauguration would be remembered as the day “the
people became the rulers of this nation again.” “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no
longer,” Trump said. “Everyone is listening to you now.”

Trump also described the poverty, job loss, and crime that he
said plagued the country. “This American carnage stops right here and stops right now,” he
said. He commented on foreign policy and the economy, saying the US’s
military and wealth had been depleted at the expense of other
countries. “We’ve 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,” Trump said. “We’ve made other countries rich while the
wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has dissipated
over the horizon.”

Trump also described American factories shutting down and jobs
moving overseas. “But that is the past,” he said. “And we are now looking to the
future.” He also touted his “America first” motto that seemed to inform
much of his foreign and domestic policy throughout his campaign. “From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first,” he
said. “Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on
foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and
American families.”

Trump also pushed a message of unity at a time when the country
is bitterly divided on partisan lines. “Whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same
red blood of patriots,” he said. Using his campaign slogan, Trump ended his address by saying that
“together, we will make America great again.”