Trump takes office, vows to stop ‘American carnage’

WASHINGTON / AP

Pledging emphatically to empower America’s “forgotten men and women,” Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on Friday, taking command of a riven nation facing an unpredictable era under his assertive but untested leadership.
Under cloudy, threatening skies at the West Front of the US Capitol, Trump painted a bleak picture of the America he now leads, declaring as he had throughout the election campaign that it is beset by crime, poverty and a lack of bold action. The billionaire businessman and reality television star — the first president who never held political office or high military rank — promised to stir a “new national pride” and protect America from the “ravages” of countries he says have stolen U.S. jobs.
“This American carnage stops right here,” Trump declared. He issued a warning to the world: “From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America first.”
Eager to demonstrate his readiness to take actions, Trump went directly to the Oval Office, before the Friday evening inaugural balls, and signed his first executive order as president — on “Obamacare.”
The order notes that Trump intends to seek the “prompt repeal” of the law. But in the meantime, it allows federal agencies to delay implementing any piece of the law that might impose a “fiscal burden” on states, health care providers, families or individuals.
Trump brought his signature style to the task of governing, sprinkling his comments at three inaugural balls with references to “phony polls,” campaign victories and social media.
“Let me ask you: should I keep the Twitter going?” he asked a cheering crowd of supporters before dancing with his wife, Melania, to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” at the second ball. “The enemies keep saying, ‘Oh that’s terrible,’ but it’s a way of bypassing dishonest media.’”
Trump also formally approved two former generals confirmed to Cabinet posts earlier by the Senate: James Mattis as secretary of defense and John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security. Vice President Mike Pence swore them in soon after.
Mattis struck a different tone from his new boss in his first statement to his department: “Recognizing that no nation is secure without friends, we will work with the State Department to strengthen our alliances.”
At the inauguration, the crowd that spread out before Trump on the National Mall was notably smaller than at past inaugurals, reflecting both the divisiveness of last year’s campaign and the unpopularity of the incoming
president compared to modern
predecessors.
After the swearing-in, demonstrations unfolded in the streets of Washington. Police in riot gear deployed pepper spray after protesters smashed the windows of downtown businesses while denouncing capitalism and the new president.

Kremlin hopes for rapport with US, but differences will stay 

MOSCOW / AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman voiced hope for a constructive dialogue with President Donald Trump’s administration in comments broadcast on Saturday, but warned that differences will remain.
Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with state Rossiya television that it would be an “illusion” to expect that US-Russian relations would be completely free of disagreements.
“Successful development of bilateral ties will depend on our ability to solve these differences through dialogue,” Peskov said. He added that Putin will call Trump soon to congratulate him.
Trump has promised to mend ties with Moscow badly strained over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the US elections, and his victory has elated Russian political elites.
Peskov, however, pointed at the challenges posed by the intricacy of nuclear arms control, the complexity of the situation in Syria and other issues.
While Russia supports prospective nuclear arms cuts, they should be proportional and not upset the nuclear parity between Russia and the US, which “plays a critical role in ensuring global stability and security,” Peskov said.