Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president as his wife, Melania, holds two Bibles. It was the United States’ 58th presidential inauguration. (Andrew Harnik / AP)

Editor’s note: Scroll down to the bottom of the page for our multimedia updates from Washington, D.C.

Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer gives his analysis on Trump’s inauguration (scroll down for more live updates):

The clenched fist is the takeaway photo of the inauguration. It provided the perfect punctuation for the America-first theme, a frightening echo of xenophobic twists in our history. Unfortunately, much of the substance of Trump’s speech co-opted a valid critique of the alienation of the elite that run this country while ignoring the needs of the masses of people of all colors and ethnicities who have suffered greatly despite the illusion of national prosperity.

Trump was created by that failure, and tragically, he is now in a position to exploit it to ends that could prove quite dangerous. Today we caught the first whiff of an American Mussolini in power.

I wonder what Hillary Clinton and the Democratic leadership now think about the wisdom of her Goldman Sachs speeches. Bernie Sanders was right. The Democratic Party and other self-proclaimed progressive forces better break their ties with Wall Street and return to their obligation to the working people of this country, or we will not emerge from this mess.

6:49 PM EST:

Trump and his family finally reached the White House after the inaugural parade. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and their wives will attend three separate balls over the course of the evening.

6:32 PM EST: ABC News reports that at least 217 people have been arrested after Friday’s violent protests.

5:58 PM EST: Truthdig correspondents Donald Kaufman and Clara Romeo were on the streets of Washington during the inauguration, and they sent this statement about their experience:

We found some protesters to be extremely antagonistic. They blocked entrances so that people who came from all across the country couldn’t get into the area to watch the inauguration. Many baited Trump supporters in a way that seemed unnecessary and furthered the divide.

It’s one thing to show discontent with Trump and the political system, but in many instances protesters took it a step further by trying to prohibit the actions of people with different political beliefs. Some protesters insinuated that to support Trump also meant supporting misogyny, racism, homophobia and religious intolerance.

It should be noted, though, that many protesters did stay to the side and were not intrusive.

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this page to see coverage using the Evrybit app, with multimedia provided by Kaufman and Romeo.

5:42 PM EST: Trump and his wife, Melania, have made it to the White House:

Meanwhile, the Senate has voted on the first of Trump’s appointments, approving James Mattis as secretary of defense Friday afternoon.

5:28 PM EST: Destructive protests continue in some parts of Washington:

However, as NPR reports, “many of the protests throughout the city and the country were — and continue to be — peaceful.” Check out the photo series on peaceful demonstrations around the country here.

4:52 PM EST: The Trumps have made it to the White House after parading down Pennsylvania Avenue:

However, the protests in Washington continue to escalate:

“The Metropolitan Police Department said that at least 95 people had been arrested,” The New York Times reports. “A spokesman for the department said it would not release estimates on the number of protesters who were clashing with police.”

4:46 PM EST: Wondering how crowded the National Mall was during Trump’s inauguration vs. Obama’s in 2009?

3:52 PM EST:

Here is the full text of Trump’s inaugural address as prepared for delivery:

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.

We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because 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, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, 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; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.

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.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.

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.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.

These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

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 be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;

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.

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.

The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.

But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.

From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

From this moment on, it’s going to be America First.

Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.

We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.

America will start winning again, winning like never before.

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we 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 for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.

There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.

In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

The time for empty talk is over.

Now arrives the hour of action.

Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:

You will never be ignored again.

Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.

We Will Make America Wealthy Again.

We Will Make America Proud Again.

We Will Make America Safe Again.

And, Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, God Bless You, And God Bless America.

3:38 PM EST:Pete Souza

, the former chief official White House photographer for Obama, shared this emotional photo on Instagram:

Farewell.

A photo posted by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

3:20 PM EST:

It’s not just mentions of climate change that have disappeared from the White House website–the section concerning LGBT rights has vanished as well.

According to Tech Crunch:

It’s just been over an hour since Trump took office and whitehouse.gov/lgbt has now been replaced by a Trump “transitionsplash” page.

The Obama administration introduced the White House LGBT page to highlight major legislative achievements, historic court victories and important policy changes for gay and transgender people. The page also shined a spotlight on certain campaigns for gay rights such as the “It Gets Better” campaign to help those in the LGBT community struggling with thoughts of suicide.

That campaign, as of this writing, still redirects to an archived “Strengthening Civil Rights” page. But, of course, all of that is subject to change. However, any mention of LGBT is now gone.

3:07 PM EST:

Police are continuing to clash with protesters near Trump’s inaugural parade route.

“Police used pepper spray to control the crowd, some of whom were armed with crowbars and hammers, authorities said,” states USA Today. “About 90 people were arrested in what has been the most violent episode of the day involving protesters and police, who quickly swarmed the group while outfitted in heavy riot gear.”

However, police appeared to be directing force toward nonviolent protesters as well, including Washington Post reporter Dalton Bennett:

Manuel Rapalo of RT also provided on-the-ground coverage of some of the protests:

2:30 PM EST:

In other parts of Washington, more optimistic demonstrations are taking place:

2:21 PM EST:

An important reminder from ACLU attorney Joshua Block, as anarchists and police clash in Washington, D.C.:

2:12 PM EST:

Police in downtown Washington, D.C. are reportedly using pepper spray on the crowd, according to NPR.

Twitter users are also sharing footage and reports of heightened tension:

2:07 PM EST:

A worrisome update from Vice:

At 11:59 am eastern, the official White House website had a lengthy information page about the threat of climate change and the steps the federal government had taken to fight it. At noon, at the instant Donald Trump took office, the page was gone, as well as any mention of climate change or global warming.

It’s customary for www.whitehouse.gov to flip over to the new administration exactly at noon, but the only mention of climate on President Trump’s new website is under his “America First Energy Plan” page, in which he vows to destroy President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, which is a government-wide plan to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change. To reiterate: It is normal that the site is completely new; it is notable that climate change is not mentioned on any one of Trump’s new pages.

1:34 PM EST:

Trump’s inauguration was reportedly disrupted by numerous protesters. According to a press release from civil disobedience group Democracy Spring, “six citizen activists stood on their chairs in the middle of the Presidential swearing-in ceremony today, revealing the message ‘RESIST’ across their sweatshirts and reciting the preamble of the Constitution. All six, four women and two men, were detained by police.”

The Washington Post reports that protesters in Washington, D.C., effectively disrupted inauguration proceedings:

Protesters who had promised to shut down the city for the inauguration of President Donald Trump were successful at several security checkpoints Friday morning, as they slowed crowds from entering onto the Mall and, in one spot, stopped them completely. …

The protests downtown at times grew violent. Just before 10:30 a.m., a large group of black-clad protesters — self-described as anti-capitalist and antifascist — made their way south on 13th Street near K Street, throwing newspaper boxes and garbage cans into the street and trying to set them on fire, leaving them smoldering. They also broke glass at bus stops and businesses and smashed the windows of a limousine. Loud bangs sounded out from fireworks they lit. …

It is unclear how many protesters descended on the nation’s capital for the inauguration, but law enforcement officials were bracing for more than 60 demonstration groups, both in support of and against Trump. About two dozen groups have received permits for specific gathering spaces for Friday and Saturday, when the Women’s March will take over the streets. According to their permit requests, some of those groups Friday were anticipating as few as 20 participants; others were planning for tens of thousands.

1:20 PM EST:

Boyarsky gives his analysis of Trump’s inaugural address:

“God bless America,” said President Donald Trump, as he raised his right arm in a clenched fist salute to the thousands outside the Capitol. He could have said “bless this battered, almost-defeated America,” for that was the theme of his dark inaugural address.

“This American carnage stops here and stops right now,” he said, his words reflecting his view of the country and its future under his administration. My Fox News election guides saw the speech as a hopeful rallying cry, appealing to the best in the country and reflecting his unexpected victory. Unsaid was the fact that Clinton won more votes than he did, a circumstance that seems to deeply annoy him.

Rather than hope, however, Trump offered the same unending combat he talked about during his campaign—against Washington, against radical Islam, against the Washington establishment, “which protects itself but not the citizens of the country.”

He said he would “protect our borders from the ravages of other countries.” The “forgotten men and women of our country are forgotten no longer,” he said. And “America will start winning again.” He had said all this during the campaign.

Obama looked bemused. He and Michelle Obama were friendly in saying farewell to the Trumps. Obama, in an email to the country–at least to those on his email list–said, “I’ll be with you every step of the way. And when the arc of progress seems slow, remember, America is not the project of any one person.”

The Obamas boarded their helicopter and flew away. He looked like a man who had completed a job, knew that he had done well and is ready to move on. I know that a lot of our readers won’t agree with me, but I’ll miss him and, more importantly, so will the country. It was a job well done.

1:01 PM EST:

Truthdig columnist Bill Blum gives his review of Trump’s inauguration speech:

Here’s my “favorite” line from the inaugural address:

“At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.”

All that was missing this morning was a mustache and an armband. Paging Joe McCarthy.

12:58 PM EST:

Everyone has something to say about Trump’s speech:

And, according to some viewers, the speech was filled with hypocrisy:

12:49 PM EST:

Missed Trump’s inauguration speech? You can read a full transcript here.

12:29 PM EST: Trump violated his oath to the Constitution in his first act as President, writes Laurel Raymond at Think Progress:

… the minute Trump was sworn in, he violated Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, known as the emoluments clause.

The emoluments clause prohibits any person holding a federal office (such as, for example, the presidency) from accepting “any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.” In other words: People in the federal government aren’t allowed to take anything at all from any foreign government entity.

Trump, however, retains ownership of his international business empire as president. And his business empire is taking in a stream of payments from foreign governments—money that ultimately goes into his pockets.

For example, the Kuwait National Day celebration, thrown by the Kuwaiti embassy, will be held at Trump’s downtown D.C. hotel in February.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (ICBC), which is controlled by the Chinese state, is currently paying rent for tenancy in the Manhattan Trump Tower (according to mortgage documents filed in 2012, it is the Tower’s largest office resident).

And, for some foreign politicians and foreign diplomats in town for the inauguration, Trump’s Washington hotel is the place to be this weekend, according to reporting from the New York Times.

Each of these represents an incident in which the President of the United States will, effectively, be receiving payment from a foreign government.

11:48 AM EST:

Truthdig contributor Bill Boyarsky comments on formal remarks made by Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies:

We keep hearing about how this peaceful transition from president to another is a unique American experience, to be copied and envied through the world. In the UK, the old prime minister quietly moves out of 10 Downing Street and the new one moves in. Always quiet—except for that ugly Charles I execution affair. Other countries manage it in a dignified manner, too. Too much self congratulation here, especially in view of what’s coming in the next few months. Although [it] is heresy in the Trump era, we’re not the only country in the world.

11:30 AM EST:

Watch the ceremony here:

11:08 AM EST: California Rep. Barbara Lee, one of many Democratic legislators who will not attend the inauguration, explains at The Guardian why she “will not be celebrating the swearing-in of a president who rode racism, sexism, xenophobia and bigotry to the White House.”

President-elect Trump ran one of the most divisive and prejudiced campaigns in modern history. He began his campaign by insulting Mexican immigrants, pledging to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and then spent a year and a half denigrating communities of color and normalizing bigotry.

He denigrated women, stoked Islamophobia and attacked a Gold Star family. He mocked a disabled reporter and appealed to people’s worst instincts.

After the election, I hoped the president-elect would turn toward unifying our country. After all, he said it was “time for us to come together”. Despite my unwavering reservations about his candidacy and fitness for office, I encouraged my constituents to have faith that our constitution, our democracy and the voices of the American people would prevail.

Sadly, the president-elect has done nothing of the sort; he has instead shown us that he will utilize the same tools of division he employed on the campaign trail as our nation’s commander-in-chief.

10:34 AM EST:

Truthdig contributor Bill Boyarsky watches the media coverage early in the day:

When the Obamas greeted the Trumps at the White House Friday morning, it was a simple and friendly beginning of a transition of power that will bring great and complex changes to the country. The confirmation hearings on Trump’s cabinet appointments were a clear sign that the new administration intends, as Michael Shear wrote in the New York Times, “to sweep away President Obama’s domestic policy by embracing a deeply conservative approach to government.” That’s the way I saw it whenever I dipped into the hearings on television. So much for those who said it didn’t matter who won, Trump or Hillary Clinton. As the first months pass, I’ll be curious or fascinated or appalled to see what a difference it has made. Meanwhile, I decided to watch the event on Fox News. The Fox guy won so I’ll let them tell the story and record the entries of such Trump luminaries as Newt Gingrich and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and listen to the Fox people heap scorn on the Democratic House members who stayed away. The event unfolded slowly, at the pace of the New Year’s Tournament of Roses parade of Pasadena and was about as interesting. Until, of course, the Clintons showed up. That was something to think about.

10:18 AM EST:

A Texas pastor who calls Islam “evil” and homosexuals “filthy” will administer a private sermon to Donald Trump before the inauguration, reports Chris Sommerfeldt at the New York Daily News.

Rev. Robert Jeffress, who fervently stumped for Trump on the campaign trail, leads the First Baptist Church in Dallas and announced Thursday evening that he will deliver the exclusive prayer session to Trump, President-elect Mike Pence and their respective families.

“Honored to deliver sermon ‘When God Chooses a Leader’ for Trump/Pence private family service,” the pastor said over Twitter. …

Before the campaign, Trump, a Presbyterian, had no apparent contact with the Southern Baptist preacher, who is on the President-elect’s evangelical advisory board.

“I love this guy!” Trump exclaimed as he welcomed Jeffress on stage at a September rally in Dallas.

10:10 AM EST:

The day begins for many with a sobering message from Sen. Bernie Sanders.

* * *

Donald Trump will have a full schedule as he is inaugurated the 45th president of the United States. Follow along with Truthdig for live updates throughout Inauguration Day. We’ll be posting multimedia from Washington, D.C. via Evrybit — scroll to the bottom of the page to see the Evrybit story.

Celebratory rallies and anti-Trump protests are expected in equal measure, and dozens of members of Congress will be absent from Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, at 9 a.m. PST/noon EST; the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue will follow. Check out the full lineup of events here.

Friday night, Trump and Pence will attend three inaugural balls. Meanwhile, protesters gearing up for the Women’s March on Washington will be heading to bed to rest up for a long day of demonstrations Saturday.

How will the tensions between Trump supporters and opponents play out? Which politicians will stay home? Join us for live blog coverage of this historic day.

Check out the Evrybit story, with multimedia from Washington, D.C., below:

—Posted by Emma Niles

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