Donald Trump, inaugurated as the 45th President of the U.S. on Friday, spent only a few minutes in the Oval Office on his first day, but signalled his determination to undo the legacy of his predecessor Barack Obama.
He signed an executive order to roll back certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, a healthcare programme that he has vowed to repeal. The new White House website — that came alive moments after Mr. Trump took oath — has no mention of climate change or civil rights, issues that Mr. Obama championed.
Mr. Trump’s day began with a prayer and ended with a dance, before he returned to the White House close to midnight. The drapes in the Oval Office were crimson when Mr. Obama left it for the last time in the morning; when Mr. Trump entered it for the first time in the evening, they were gold, the favourite colour of the new President.
Churchill’s bust back
A Martin Luther King Jr. bust that Mr. Obama had placed in the room remains, but Mr. Trump has brought back another bust that the former President had removed — of Winston Churchill. Mr. Trump has also added a third one — of Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican President who cracked the whip on America’s buccaneer capitalists in the early 20th Century.
“And, today we had a great day. People that weren’t so nice to me were saying that we did a really good job today. They hated to do it, but they did it. And I respect that,” Mr. Trump said at one of three balls — social gatherings to congratulate the new President — that he attended in the evening. “The crowd was unbelievable today... We finished the speech, went inside, then it poured... It’s like God was looking down on us,” he said.
President Trump signs appointments, attends balls on Day 1
Friday was full of festivities for his supporters, but U.S. President Donald Trump also encountered some protesters during the 40-minute parade from the Capitol to the White House, which he entered at 4.30 p.m.
During the 3-km parade, protesters near the National Art Museum chanted “Not my President!” while elsewhere another man held a sign that said “sad” and yet another one that said “Trump racist.” The President left the car to walk on three different occasions.
Immediately after the inaugural address, Mr. Trump waived off a federal law requiring military officers to wait seven years before serving as Defence Secretary, paving the way for Gen. James Mattis to take over the post. He also signed several other appointments, and exchanged banter with Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Later, at the first ball that they attended, the First Couple danced to Frank Sinatra’s My Way, and they seemed to be chatting. At the third and final ball, which was to honour the military of the U.S, Mr. Trump the military against the media. Talking to U.S soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, he asked: “How’s it going?...Don’t be like these people [pointing to journalists standing nearby]. Don’t be too tough on me.”
Praising the soldiers in Afghanistan, the President said: “The courage that you show is incredible. And it’s going to be appreciated. It’s appreciated now but it’s going to be appreciated more than ever before. You’ll see.”
On Saturday morning, Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence joined religious leaders of multiple faiths for the customary National Prayer Service. Narayanachar L. Digalakota from the popular Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland, represented Hinduism at the event.
