Washington: Donald Trump: The Supreme Court chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath, wife Melaina held the bible and Trump repeated the words “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”.
At the age of 70, He took the oath as the 45th President and the oldest president to take office of the United States on Friday. While taking the oath of office at the US Capitol, hundreds of of jubilant supporters cheered the historic handover of power.
He had succeeded Barack Obama and taking control of a divided country in a shifting of power that he has also declared that he will lead to America First policies at home and abroad.
The 70-year-old placed on his hand on two Bibles – one his own and another used by Abraham Lincoln -- to take the solemn oath, leading in a new political era that has been met with delight and dread in equal measure.
Speaking at Washington, DC, he pledged during his first address as president he would transfer power from Washington back to the people.
Quoted Trump “Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, January 20th, 2017 will 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. Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before."
Missed Donald Trump`s inaugural address? Read full text here
In his address, Trump sought friendship with the nations of the world but made it clear that the US will do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.
"We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example. We will shine for everyone to follow," he said in an optimistic and visionary inaugural speech that lasted for over 16 minutes.
Continuing with one of his election campaign themes, Trump said that for many decades, Americans have enriched foreign industry at the expense of the American one.
"Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We've defended other nation`s borders while refusing to defend our own; and spent trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay," he said.
"We`ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon. One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind," he added.