President Trump Vows at Inauguration: From This Day Forward, It's Going to Be America First

The administration of President Donald Trump is committed to eliminating former President Barack Obama's Climate Action Plan and other environmental initiatives, according to the recently updated White House website.

"President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule. Lifting these restrictions will greatly help American workers, increasing wages by more than $30 billion over the next 7 years," the website said.

Obama's climate plan proposed cuts to U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, in part by preserving forests and encouraging increased use of cleaner renewable fuels.

Trump's efforts to boost the U.S. oil and gas sector will help increase government revenues to "rebuild our roads, schools, bridges and public infrastructure," the website said.

Trump was sworn into office earlier on Friday. (Reuters)

Donald Trumps inaugural speech as the 45th president of the United States picked up where his election campaign left off: It was populist, anti-globalization, hostile to Washington and its elites, and unapologetically, blatantly nationalist, writes Asher Schechter. Read the full analysis

The Trump administration intends to develop a "state of the art" missile defense system to protect against attacks from Iran and North Korea, the White House said in a policy position posted on its website on Friday.

The statement, posted on the White House website within minutes of Donald Trump's inauguration, did not provide details on whether the system would differ from those already under development, its cost or how it would be paid for. (Reuters)

Trump is joined by the Congressional leadership and his family as he signs his cabinet nominations into law in the President's Room of the Senate.

The full transcript of President Donald Trump's inaugration speech.

Barack and Michelle Obama depart Washington by helicopter, heading to Palm Springs.

Donald Trump made it a point to say America First not once, but twice in his inaugural address, using the slogan of what was once an anti-Semitic organization created in the 1940s aimed at appeasing the Nazi regime and Adolf Hitler, and for which he came under fire during his presidential campaign.

In March, Trump told the New York Times that I like the expression. Im America first, elaborating that he meant the U.S. would not allow other nations to take advantage of America.

The Anti-Defamation League urged Trump in April to reconsider his use of the slogan, citing its anti-Semitic use in the months before Pearl Harbor by a group of prominent Americans seeking to keep the nation out of World War II.

According to the ADL, "the slogan and attitudes were popularized by the America First Committee and pilot Charles Lindburgh, who sympathized with the Nazis and whose rhetoric was characterized by anti-Semitism and offensive stereotypes, including assertions that Jews posed a threat to the U.S. because of their influence in motion pictures, radio, the press, and the government. For many Americans, the term will always be associated with and tainted by this history, the ADL added.

The term found a brief resurgence in the 1990s during Pat Buchanans presidential aspirations. Many Jewish-American groups have charged Buchanan with being an anti-Semite and Holocaust denier. (Allison Kaplan Sommer and Ben Samuels)

After his swearing in as America's 45th president, Donald Trump addressed the inauguration ceremony, saying: "We will confront hardships, but we will get the jobs done."

He thanked President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, saying they "have been magnificent" throughout the transition of power. "We are transferring power from Washington D.C. and giving it to the people," Trump said.

"This, the United States of America, is your country," he continued. "What truly matters is what party controls the government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 17, 2017 will be remembered as the day that the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."

"We made other countries rich while the wealth and strength of our country has dissipated over the horizons."

"A new decree that is to be heard in every city foreign capital and hall of power. From this day forward a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it will be America first," Trump said, vowing to eradicate Islamist terrorism "from the face of the Earth."

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

"Whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same blood of patriots. We all enjoy all glorious freedoms and we all salute the same great American flag."

Trump concluded his speech by saying: "We will make American strong again, we will make America proud again and yes, we will make America great again."

Rabbi Marvin Hier is among clerics leading prayers at Trump's inauguration ceremony.

Hier, head of L.A.'s Simon Wiesenthal Center, is one of six clergy participating in the inauguration. The last time a rabbi led a prayer at a presidential inauguration was in 1985, after Ronald Reagans second election victory.

Senator Chuck Schumers address at the inauguration of Donald Trump was like a rebuttal to a speech that hadnt yet been given.

Anticipating Trumps speech following his oath of office – and probably his entire presidency – Schumer made a point of mentioning members of all of the groups with the most to fear from a Trump presidency.

We Americans have always been a forward-looking, problem-solving, optimistic, patriotic and decent people, said Schumer Whatever our race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity – whether we are immigrant or native-born, whether we live with disabilities or do not, in wealth or in poverty, we are all exceptional in our commonly held yet fierce devotion to our country, and in our willingness to sacrifice our time, energy, and even our lives to making it a more perfect union.

Schumers appearance on the podium at the ceremony, which he opened by noting that we live in challenging and tumultuous times and in which he noted the importance of freedom of the press at a time when Trump regularly attacks the media, was greeted by boos from the crowd. The Senate minority leader, however, looked unperturbed, even energized – energy which will serve him well in the many fights he clearly has ahead. (Allison Kaplan Sommer)

After Clarence Thomas, the associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, administers the oath of office to Mike Pence, the governor of Indiana is sworn in as vice president.

The Washington metro points out on Twitter how small the crowd is at Donald Trump's inauguration compared to past ceremonies: "Metro Ridership: As of 11am, 193k trips taken so far today. (11am 1/20/13 = 317k, 11am 1/20/09 = 513k, 11am 1/20/05 = 197k)"

Trump's inauguration ceremony begins. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, chairman of the congressional inauguration committee, makes an address. A prayer ensues.

The inauguration of Donald Trump, if one wants to be positive, is worthy of the famous Star Trek opener: To explore strange new worlds, to boldly go where no man has gone before. For others, more pessimistic perhaps, the Twilight Zone may be more appropriate. After Trumps inauguration on Friday, the world is headed for a place between light and shadow, between science and superstition. For many it is a one-way journey, as Rod Serling would put it, to the pit of ones fears.

Read full story here

The White House posts its final tweet under President Barack Obama: "Yes we can. Yes we did. Thank you for being a part of the past eight years."

Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden's wife, arrive at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. They are followed by Melania Trump, on the arm of a military escort, and the spouses of the congressional leadership.

Donald Trump's five children, Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric, Tiffany and Barron arrive at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. accompanied by Trump's in-laws Jared Kushner, Vanessa Trump, Lara and others.

Donald Trump and Barack Obama arrive at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. with Paul Ryan walking behind them.

At VIP dinner on the eve of his inauguration, Trump has warm words for son-in-law and soon-to-be senior adviser. 'Ivanka married well,' he declares to crowd of donors at Washington's Union Station.

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Republican and Democratic VIPs have arrived at the inauguration ceremony, including George W. Bush and his wife Laura, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office.

Hillary Clintons attendance in particular is seen as a signal to Democrats that they should respect the democratic transfer of power, despite their fierce opposition to Trump and his policies. Democratic congressional leaders are also in attendance, including Senate minority leader Charles Schumer, who is spearheading the fight against the Trump administration.

One-third of the House of Representatives announced that they will be boycotting the ceremony, many saying that they dont want to normalize a Trump presidency. They were led by civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, who said that I dont see this president-elect as a legitimate president and "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton" and was subsequently slammed by Trump on Twitter. (Allison Kaplan Sommer)

Barack Obama and Donald Trump left the White House for the inauguration ceremony.

A large group of protesters clashed with police near a security checkpoint ahead of president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. The protesters, who chanted "Fuck Donald Trump" and "Whose streets? Our streets," were led by a large banner reading "Make Racists Afraid Again." Police with batons confronted the protesters, who toppled trash cans and shattered a window of a McDonalds restaurant.

A thousand protestors gathered in downtown Washington D.C. carrying signs against Trump, attacking the incoming president on a wide range of issues from his connections to Russia to his immigration policies. Many signs were directed at the allegations of sexual assault that he has been accused of by more than a dozen women. The protesters yelled "not my president," "pussy grabs back" and "no trump, no kkk, no fascist usa," while a number of men marched as Russian soldiers marched by, draped in Russian flags and singing about Trump and Putin.

In the streets around the protest, supporters of the new president - wearing his "Make America Great Again" merchandise - walked by. Most ignored the protestors, but in some occasions verbal confrontations broke out. "You're murdering democracy" one woman in a red MAGA hat yelled at the crowd.

One married couple of Trump supporters who spoke with Haaretz could not agree if the protests were legitimate or not. Preston Kerry, a Virginia native who came to Washington to "show my support for my president," said the protesters were "fools" for not "at least giving the man a chance before they do all this noise." However, he insisted that it was "not against the law" for them to demonstrate, and said Trump himself probably feels the same. His wife Martha thought otherwise. "This should not be happening," she said. "They need to respect the results of the election.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders arrived at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. for president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Casino magnate and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam arrived at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Adelsons are two of the top donors who contributed to Trump in the last stages of his presidential campaign.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner did not hold the book of prayers during the Trump family prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church, Jacob Kornbluh tweeted.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulates president-elect Donald Trump on Twitter: "Congrats to my friend President Trump. Look fwd to working closely with you to make the alliance between Israel&USA stronger than ever."

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa and Tiffany Trump and the youngest Trump, Barron, arrive at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania meet President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the stairs of the White House. The Trumps hand the Obamas a gift and pose for a picture.

President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump left St. John's Episcopal Church. They got into a car and are on their way to the White House.

U.S. President Barack Obama left the Oval Office for the last time as president. He apparently left a letter for president-elect Donald Trump on the Resolute desk.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have received special permission from a rabbi to ride in a car Friday evening to take part in the inauguration festivities, Marc Zell, co-chairman of Republicans Overseas, said Friday.

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President-elect Donald Trump emerged from Blair House to start the Inauguration Day festivities.

Trump and his wife, Melania, stepped out of the government guest house next to the White House just after 8:30 A.M. local time and took a motorcade for the short drive to St. John's Episcopal Church.

After the service, they'll head to the White House to be greeted by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The day the world has been waiting for – some with fear and anxiety, others with excitement and joy – has arrived. Today at noon, Washington time, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Barack Obama, meanwhile, will no longer be officially referred to as "The President," and will instead be address as "President Obama," as he and his family move out of the White House after an eight-year run.

The events of Inauguration Day will be kicked off at 8:30 A.M., Washington time (3:30 P.M. in Israel,) when Trump and his family will pray at St. John's Episcopal Church in central Washington. From there, Trump and his wife Melania will continue to the White House, where they will sit down for coffee with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, as is customary. Then, President Obama and President-elect Trump will ride together to the Capitol to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which will kick off at 11:30 AM.

For the full preview - click here

Thousands of people turned out in New York for a rally, and were treated to Baldwin's famed SNL impersonation of the president-elect.

Read all about it here

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat posted a video on his Facebook page on Thursday welcoming Donald Trump's planned inauguration on Friday as the United States' 45th president. The video is cross-posted from an Israelwelcomestrump.com web site. In his message, translated into English with subtitles, Barkat, who has sought to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership of the right-wing Likud party, lambastes the outgoing Obama administration.

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It was nearly impossible to get out of bed on November 9th. The grief, shock and rage immobilized me. I knew that I was not alone in this feeling, I knew that it was plaguing almost everyone in my life that I hold dear, and millions more. The American election had just ripped the rug out from under us, and ripped our hearts wide open. The prospect we most dreaded had come to pass, and I, for one, did not feel ready to face it.

I did the only thing I know how to do in moments of crisis - I turned to my community.

Read full op-ed here

It's been nine days since the Senate began holding confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's nominees for cabinet positions. One thing that has emerged from the hearings thus far, is that the new Trump administration might find it difficult to speak in one voice on a series of foreign policy issues, including Israel.

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Sean Spicer, President-elect Donald Trump's press secretary, said at a press conference on Thursday that an announcement on moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is "coming soon" and encouraged the journalists to "stay tuned" regarding this issue.

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