Donald John Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States today, ushering in a new and more unpredictable era in which he has vowed to shatter the established order and restore American greatness.
From the West Front of the Capitol, overlooking a crowd of admirers gathered as rain threatened on an overcast day, Mr. Trump used his Inaugural Address to promise that he will use the next four years to rebuild the nation’s economy, reassert control over its borders and regain respect for the United States around the world.
Here are the excerpts of his inaugural speech:
“We the citizens of America are now joined in a great, national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people,” he said. “Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.”
He said the inauguration represented not just the peaceful transfer of power from one part to another. “We are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you the people,” he said.
“For too long,” he added, “a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs.”
He vowed to reverse that trend and make America first. “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.”
Trump lapses into something akin to his stump speech, describing a nation coming apart:
The crime, and the gangs, and the drugs that have stolen so many lives… this American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
We are one nation, and their pain is our pain, their dreams are our dreams, and their success will now be our success.
Trump notes that the peaceful transfer of power happens every four years, which is encouraging. He thanks the Obamas for helping this time.
“They have been magnificent, thank you.” Cheers.
“Today we are not merely transferring power from one party to another… but we are transferring power from Washington and giving it back to you, the people.”
Trump says that a small group in Washington has reaped the rewards while “the people have borne the loss.”
“The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. While they celebrated in our nation’s capital, struggling families could not.”
“That all changes, right here, starting right now. Because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you… This is your day, this is your celebration, and this, the United States of America, is your country.
“January 20th, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers once again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now.”
Mr. Trump, wearing a dark suit with red tie and accompanied by Melania Trump in a powder-blue suit, intends to waste little time after taking the 35-word oath that was administered by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to start unraveling the policies of his departing predecessor, President Obama. Within hours of taking office, the new president could begin signing executive orders freezing regulations put in place in the last weeks of Mr. Obama’s tenure and reversing policies on health care, immigration and other areas.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., said the new president was coming to grips with the gravity of his new position, even if it did not necessarily seem so in public. “He’s been humbled by the whole process,” he said on MSNBC. “And you know, whether he shows that outwardly or not is, you know, is one thing.”
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Source: http://www.newyorktimes.com/