Donald Trump sworn in as US president
Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office, becomes 45th United States President
Ismaeel Naar
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Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th United States President in an event that drew nearly 900,000 people to Washington D.C. while millions watched worldwide.
The inauguration saw former presidents Jimmy Carter, George Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama as Trump took his oath of office on Friday.
“This moment is your moment; it belongs to you. We are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it back to you. We’ve spent many years and money defending other countries’ borders, while ignoring our own. From this day forward a new vision will govern our land,” Trump said after taking his oath of office.
Violent protests
Protests near the Capitol building turned violent on as some members of the anti-Trump marchers started vandalizing stores in Washington, forcing police to use pepper spray and other crowd-control measures.
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.
Activists run after being hit by a stun grenade while protesting against Trump on the sidelines of the inauguration in Washington. (Reuters)
They carried black anarchist flags and signs that said, "Join the resistance, fight back now."
“There is no doubt that there so much divide among Americans today but today is a show of democracy as Obama transitions power to Trump,” Vice President for Policy and Research at The Middle East Institute Paul Salem told Al Arabiya.
“This inauguration had a much different feel compared to Obama’s in 2008 and 2012. Back then, we were seeing a lot of celebrations but in the run up to today’s events we are seeing a lot of protests in and around the capital,” Nabeel Khoury, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Al Arabiya
Trump's Middle East policy
While Trump’s inauguration speech focused most on domestics without giving specific policies, he did mention the threat of what he called “radical Islamic terrorism”.
“I pledge to unite world against radical Islam and promise that we will eradicate radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the earth,” Trump said during his speech.
Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office during his inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Reuters)
Trump has said he wants to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, at the risk of angering Arabs. He has yet to sketch out how he plans to carry out a campaign pledge to “knock the hell out of” Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.
“Trump’s policies on the Middle East is more mysterious than it is clear in the run up to his presidency. He has said he would go at ISIS but how he will do it still remains a question,” Khoury said.
