20/01/2017 World News Today

I'm Philippa Thomas here with the BBC special programme as Donald

Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. He has now taken

part in the official parade after taking the oath of office. He is now

beginning his journey from Capitol Hill to the White House which has

been vacating by the Obama family. It will be Donald Trump and his new

first Lady Melania Trump taking residence. Cheering crowds there

along Pennsylvania Avenue. They might even go past the new Trump

Hotel. You can see the Capitol Building behind that picture. It was

on the steps of that building that Donald Trump took the oath and

delivered his speech. We will bring you his speech later in the hour but

he was speaking about transferring power from Washington, DC to bring

it back to the people. We can join Laura Trevelyan among the crowd.

Can you give is an idea of what it is like out there. I am joined by a

loyal Donald Trump supporter from Alabama. It's the best day of my

life. I campaigned for him in Alabama. I did not think this day

was going to come. We were so surprised. Why were you so

surprised. We thought that the Democrats... We were doubtful. What

is your hope for the presidency? We want to get America back. We felt

like it was going in the wrong direction under Obama. What did you

think specifically was going wrong that you think Donald Trump can

stop? He is a businessman and he is going to do what he has campaigned

to do. The speech today was very hopeful. In Alabama, what are you

seeing? A state suffering from not having too many jobs? Yes, we are.

We are seeing people not having jobs. Our neighbours not having

jobs. He really campaigned a lot in Alabama. The right behind us, we can

see the parade is making its way towards us. What does it mean to you

to witness this? To see it here is overwhelming. The crowd here are so

happy. It's almost like a religious experience. The people here are

overjoyed. There's really not that many people who are against him. I

know there was going to be a lot of people here against him but there's

not really been that many people here who have been doing bad things

that I've been able to see. There are some protesters here. How'd you

hope that Donald Trump can unite the country after a bruising election

campaign? He seems like he really has the attitude of being able to do

what he says he's going to do. That is the spirit. I think the speech he

gave today was so uplifting. I know the crowd there was just really

excited. That's what I feel. The spirit was overwhelming. Everybody

around kept talking about how excited they were. He did paint

quite a bleak vision of America. He spoke about stopping the carnage.

It's been a bleak picture. Everybody has been really sad about our

country and the flag and the soldiers. A lot of soldiers have

been sad about it. I heard some soldiers that were around us. They

were very excited to have a president that supported them. They

did not feel like Obama supported them.

What about the people who are fearful about what will happen? Do

you feel for them? I think so. We want to support both sides. You

know. We definitely want to support both sides. I want to support both

parties but I don't want anybody to be hurt. So... We want everybody to

unite. And how will you personally judge whether Donald Trump has

succeeded? I think the biggest thing is bringing the jobs back. And the

economy. Phyllis, thank you so much for joining us on BBC News. That is

the view from a loyal Donald Trump supporter. Just as we see the

inaugural parade begins to come here down Pennsylvania Avenue, as

President Trump processes from Capitol Building to his new home,

the White House. We will of course keep watching, especially for that

moment when the crowds hope the car will stop and Donald and Melania

Trump will get out and walk a little down Pennsylvania Avenue which is

really part of the big tradition. It absolutely is. We'll Donald Trump

get out and walk past his hotel which is just behind me? The big

building with the clock tower. Will the showman in him be able to

resist. Or will he wait as presidents normally do. They

normally just walk that final block or two which is passed me, heading

towards the White House. It's fascinating to see the change of

tone with this parade. There's much more of an emphasis with links to

the military. Donald Trump has spoken about rebuilding the

military. There are many more groups from rural America in this parade.

Under Barack Obama, there were many more marching bands from the cities,

less of an emphasis on the military. You can see one of the marching

bands there. That is the United States Army band. So, the crowd here

just loving this. This is the kind of symbolic patriotism that they

associate with Donald Trump. They are thrilled to see it. They can't

wait to see the president himself. I know we were both in Washington for

the Obama inauguration is. It was absolutely packed, especially on

them more. -- the Mall. The crowd is not so

densely packed today. No, the crowds not anything like that Obama

inauguration in 2009. Being an the Mall for the inauguration in 2013,

the crowds seem to be a bit thinner than they were. Certainly, one of

the parade stands next to as wasn't full early on and we were told it

would be opened up to mems of the public. It wasn't a ticketed event.

This was such a brutal and divisive campaign and the opinion polls

suggesting that Donald Trump comes in with a very low approval rating.

There are a number of protesters here. Nevertheless, for those loyal

fans that it is a very special moment indeed. Laura, stay with us.

I know you can't go anywhere. Tell as if Mr Trump publicises his hotel

on Pennsylvania Avenue. You're a professor of Politics

at Birkbeck University, and just this summer you published

a book - it's called After Obama. From the inaugural speech that you

heard, what time does it set for you for American leadership? Really,

really worrying. It's very difficult to think in living memory that we've

seen such a stridently nationalist, parochial, insular and threatening,

frankly, speech, as far as the rest of the world is concerned. He's

really double down on his campaign rhetoric and anybody who thought he

wasn't serious, I think, this is a message, he was serious and the rest

of the world better brace themselves. We heard a young woman

from Alabama talking of it like a religious experience. He's going to

bring jobs back. Absolutely. It was striking, the poses he struck, it

was like a rugby captain at Twickenham rather than a solemn

moment of an American president taking power. He has doubled down.

He even spoke saying protection brings prosperity. That is not what

the historical record suggests at all. For his supposed to as --

supporters this is a huge moment, religious or not, for the rest of as

this is deeply, deeply troubling. Let's bring in Laura again. We are

looking at pictures of crowds, with banners saying make America to gain

-- make America great again. We should say that there have been

protests. Lots of people anguished and angry at what has taken place.

Absolutely. There is a divided America here. There are protesters

who feel that this election was stolen from them that Hillary

Clinton won the popular vote and that somehow the Russians have

intervened in this election and that had an incalculable effect.

Tomorrow, there will be a big protest here in Washington, a

women's march and marches in major cities across America. For many who

have come here, this is a special moment. Elisabeth, welcome to the

BBC. What does it mean to you to be here today? It's the most exciting

event I've been to in my whole life. It's a turning point for this

country and it was really important for me to come today. I did

everything in my power to help him get elected. I did everything in my

power. Where did you campaign for Donald Trump? I did a lot of

blogging for him, phone calling, cold calling. What are you hoping

that America can be changed by Donald Trump? It's important to

unite right now. With a very tough election, we need a healing process

and he's trying to unite this country. He didn't sound very

unifying note in his inaugural address. What did you think he did?

I believe he did. I think he did a really good job. You felt his

showing. You felt his love. I think that is going to do a whole lot of

good. When you talk about the need for him to unite the country, we can

see there are protesters here behind us. What do you want Donald Trump to

attribute to unite the country? Reach out to the Democrats and to

the people that are protesting. I think it might take time but they'll

see his compassion for this country. He has a big compassion. It's Compal

into the point he won. Donald Trump has got out of his car so he is

walking down Pennsylvania Avenue behind us. What kind of moment is

that for you? To know that the 45th president of the United States is

right here now. This is such a huge deal. It is the first elected

president of the United States that has won an election and he has not

held office. He is a citizen like me, like you. He was just weary of

whatever do direction this country... He decided to run and he

was elected. It just amazes me. It is an extraordinary story. Elizabeth

who campaign for Donald Trump. Thank you for joining us. One of many

loyal Donald Trump supporters who are thrilled to learn that he is an

Pennsylvania Avenue behind us and has got out of his car and is

welcoming the crowds. As we look at this picture of Donald and Melania

Trump greeting the crowds walking down the avenue. He looks like he

owns the world. He said, he's a citizen like me and you. She was

pleased he hadn't held elected office and could appear to her like

one of the people. Completely thrilled, Philippa. That's

absolutely something I heard over and over again across this campaign

and across this nation. Because Congress has been so deadlocked for

the last eight years Obama was in the White House. Initially, the

Democrats had control and then they didn't and the two sides were

against each other. Donald Trump's successful appeal is that he is a

successful businessman, someone who hasn't had a political career,

someone who gets things done, as he likes to say, on time and under

budget. That's his mantra. His critics would say that he has gone

bankrupt, writing off big debts, in a sense, that has been so powerful

that people have responded to him and when he says I will bring back

jobs, people in the rust belt where manufacturing jobs have gone feel

like this is someone who knows what he is talking about. He's a

businessman, an employer, he knows how to create jobs. He's talking

about cutting regulation. Even those who had reservations about his and

his experience, it was that simple economic message of, I will bring

back your job and I will protect your job from those countries that

want to undermine it, that was so powerful. That's what people

responded to, Philippa. Laura, thank you. As Donald Trump gets back into

the car, after their short walk. It was Donald and Melania Trump and

their young son Barron Trump. Very difficult for a young boy to know

what to do in the middle of the crowd. I saw Melania Trump put her

arms around him to usher him back into the car. I want to ask Robert

Singh from Birkbeck University, we heard from another support of their

talking about this is going to be a healing president, he can unite is,

because he is one of us. Whatever you think of that, he certainly

played that part really well. That's why he was swept into office? Let's

be careful. He was swept into office. He wasn't swept into office.

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million. The I meant to say

that was the essence of his appeal. He adopted a populist pose of being

a man of the people despite being a sub -- celebrity millionaire. The

speech was clearly targeted at his base. The rhetoric and symbolism is

all about the people. Ordinary folks, I am your voice. Against this

establishment. This is just carrying on. In which case, it is in his

interest to say and his supporters believe it to be true that factories

are scattered like tombstones across America, families trapped in

poverty, crime, American carnage. His vocabulary, trapped, bleeding,

desperate, there's chaos with Obama sitting behind him. Yes. It was

really embarrassing. Far more embarrassing than eight years ago

when Obama was talking about no conflict between our values and

security when George W Bush was sitting behind him. This was a

condemnation of 30 or 40 years of the United States, including other

Republican presidents. The two bushes, Ronald Reagan. It's very

difficult to think of such an inaugural speech that has painted

such a dystopian speech that paints America as in crisis and decline and

only he can save it. We've never seen anything as demagogic as this

from an incoming president before. We'll talk about the facts behind

that. The real economy in America. I just want to remind people that, of

course, this is a historic day, there have been many historic

moments, we want to show you one of those. The moment that Donald Trump

took the oath of office. I Donald John Tromp 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. Congratulations, Mr

President. Let's talk about how Donald Trump might affect the rest

of the world because America first foreign policy is the new heading on

the White House website as of a few hours ago with pledges to rebuild

the American military and destroy Islamic terror groups. The German

vice Chancellor said in a television interview...

The president of Taiwan, Richard at Mr Trump.

Couple of different reactions. To discuss foreign policy and the

impact across the world, we can talk to our correspondent in Mexico City

will grant and Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. He promised to build a wall

and make Mexico pay for it. Do people think this will happen?

People here are furious that the suggestion that they would have to

pay for a wall that they don't want that is designed to keep them out

and stop their families living together, people being able to work

in the United States, this whole foreign policy, that you mention,

America first. If it's going to affect anywhere it will be Mexico

first and foremost. The lines," from here on in, it will be higher

American and buy American". That's going to affect Mexicans. If you

export to the United States, it's going to affect you if you are

working in a car plant for a US car firm based here in Mexico. A lot of

people are very frightened about what this will mean to individual

families. I went to San Luis Potosi which has

been affected by Ford pulling out of a ?1.3 billion investment in a car

assembly plant. People are genuinely frightened about what will be

coming. President Trump made it clearer that he will be focusing on

American jobs at the cost, if need be with his relationship with

Mexico. The inaugural speech was largely domestic. We know that

Donald Trump as a more positive outlook towards Russia. Is this

where we get the Russian reset? I think it's possible. There's been a

very positive reaction here in Russia to Donald Trump's speech. Two

senior Russian senators, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the

upper house, he said that the speech was impressive, not a bad start,

room for discussion. And we heard from another senator who said it was

powerful, a speech of a new age. I think it is a positive reaction

because there was a lot in that speech that would have been music to

Moscow's is. For example, Donald Trump's pledge that the US wouldn't

impose its lifestyle on anyone else. A pledge to defend its own borders

not anywhere else. In other words, his message was that America should

focus now on America. That is what Russia has been saying for a long

time. The Russians have been criticising US administrations for

interfering, or meddling as they put it, in other parts of the world,

including in Russia's backyard, an area that Moscow considers to be its

sphere of influence, countries like Georgia and Ukraine. I think it's

highly likely that if Donald Trump is determined to focus on America,

the Russians will see it as an opportunity to increase their

influence in this post-Soviet space. Thank you. I want to come back to

you to talk about immigration. Donald Trump Mayfield a need to live

up to his pledges to his base because there is a lot of anger at

what is perceived to be for example Mexicans taking jobs. That's right.

What will be happening today is that other countries are looking at

what's happening with Mexico and using that as a litmus test for

themselves. The discussion of the war affects all of the countries in

Central America, particularly Honduras and El Salvador. The vast

majority of Central American migrants from those countries. We

wonder what will happen with the thaw with Cuba that was a key part

of President Obama's legacy. We'll Donald Trump try to unpick that and

change further the rules of engagement with Cuba? Questions of

engagement with Colombia which is an important regional ally. Plenty to

be picked in terms of trade but, as you say, particularly in terms of

immigration. So many Latin Americans have family existing already in the

United States and they see, particularly in Mexico, a seasonal

movement of working in the United States but coming back to Mexico to

use those dollars to prop up their families back here. Thank you very

much. Much more in just a minute's time. Do stay with us.

Good evening. Temperatures are already falling but it has been a

smashing day for many. This was sent in by Alan from a little town in the

foothills of