President Trump takes office: 'This is your day of celebration'

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th president of the United States of America.

Trump and his Vice President, Mike Pence, took their oath of  office at midday local time (6:00pm CET) outside the domed US Capitol, with US Chief Justice John Roberts presiding.

"It all begins today!" Trump tweeted at about 7:30 am. "I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!"

It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES - THE WORK BEGINS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2017

In his inaugural address, Trump said that a small group in Washington had reaped the rewards while “the people have borne the loss.”

“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. While they celebrated in our nation’s capital, struggling families could not."

“That all changes, right here, starting right now. Because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you... This is your day, this is your celebration, and this, the United States of America, is your country.

He pledged to the nation that every decision he takes will be in the interests of the US and the US alone. “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.”

Trump and his wife Melania spent the night in Washington DC, where they arrived on Thursday and headed to his new hotel, which is just down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.

At a pre-inaugural speech at the Lincoln Memorial he promised to make America “greater than ever” and urged his supporters to “enjoy the fireworks.”

Checkpoints around the National Mall in front of the Capitol opened early to begin admitting guests, some of them wearing red caps bearing Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. They were barred from bringing selfie sticks, coolers for beverages, and long umbrellas, despite the rainy weather.

Most of the area was orderly, but about 100 protesters shouted slogans near one checkpoint and linked arms to block people from entering. Police in riot gear pushed them back into an intersection to allow people attending the inauguration to reach the checkpoints.

Many demonstrators will participate in the "Women's March on Washington" on Saturday. Protests are also planned in other cities in the United States and abroad.

Trump's to-do list has given Republicans hope that, since they also control the US Congress, they can quickly repeal and replace Obama's signature healthcare law, approve sweeping tax reform and roll back many federal regulations they say are stifling the US economy.