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Trump Arrives in Washington for Inaugural Festivities, Praises I.Q. of Cabinet Trump Calls for Unity at Opening Concert as Inaugural Festivities Begin
(about 4 hours later)
■ President-elect Donald J. Trump arrived in Washington for his inauguration, declaring his chosen cabinet has the highest collective I.Q. ever. ■ President-elect Donald J. Trump soaked in the cheers at the opening concert as the inaugural festivities began.
■ Mr. Trump told a conservative Israeli newspaper he is serious about moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. ■ But in downtown Washington, D.C., pro-Trump revelers had to share the streets with adamant anti-Trump protesters.
■ A lot of Obama administration officials will greet Mr. Trump on his first day of work as president. ■ Never fear, though. Mr. Trump says his high I.Q. cabinet will unify the nation.
With cameras filming his every move, even his airplane, Mr. Trump arrived in Washington a day before he is sworn in, appearing at a luncheon with supporters at the Trump International Hotel, where he praised the collective I.Q. of his cabinet members. The opening concert of the long inaugural week-to-weekend was the stuff of legend — acts came, followed by protests, followed by withdrawals. Names were floated, like Elton John and Charlotte Church, only to have the artists publicly rebuke the invitation.
But when it all finally came together, a beaming Mr. Trump stood at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday night, basking in the applause from thousands of concertgoers and vowing to “unify our country.”
“But we’re going to make America great for all of our people,” the president-elect told the crowd. “That includes the inner cities, that includes everybody.”
Just hours before he was to be sworn in, Mr. Trump still recalled grievances from the campaign. “The polls started going up, up, up, but they didn’t want to give us credit,” he said. But he also turned his attention to the future, promising to work hard and saying he was looking forward to Friday.
A tableau of Trumps — including the incoming first lady, Melania Trump, Mr. Trump’s grown children and their spouses, and his grandchildren — then stood triumphantly at the top of the steps, framed by marble and under the gaze of the nation’s 16th president.
Fireworks concluded the “Make America Great Again” concert, which featured Toby Keith and 3 Doors Down.
The inaugural kickoff celebration on the National Mall had been a subdued affair without protests, but at least one of the inaugural balls organized by Mr. Trump’s supporters has drawn protesters.
The DeploraBall, a cocktail party organized by supporters of Mr. Trump and held at the National Press Club, drew several hundred protesters crowded into a city block, chanting and waving signs denouncing the incoming Trump administration.
Sarko Sarkodie, a 26-year-old Washington resident, was part of the crowd.
“I’m just part of the resistance efforts that have been happening this week,” Ms. Sarkodie said. “And they’ll be happening over the next four years.”
Trump supporters seemed to be staying away from the event, but several people watched the scene from inside a nearby bar, where a man wearing a Trump flag and Trump sweatpants could be seen embracing friends.
”That’s a brave dude, right there,” a bystander said of the man.
Several people wandered through the area in gowns, seemingly dismayed when they turned the corner to encounter the protests.
But perennial presidential candidate and kid favorite Vermin Supreme made it to the show.
At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, a throng of people in floor-length ball gowns, dashikis, tuxedos and silk headscarves flocked to the sold-out Peace Ball: Voices of Hope and Resistance.
“I guess I was just looking for something to put my energy into and to give Obama a really good send-off,” said Pavy Bacon, a 34-year-old Maryland resident, about why she bought a ticket to the ball. “If you really appreciate what Obama has done, you can’t help but be fearful of the next administration.”
The event, which was in the works before Election Day, was not envisioned as an anti-Trump affair. Anas “Andy” Shallal, an Iraqi-American artist and activist who owns the popular D.C.-based bookstore cafe chain Busboys and Poets, dreamed up the party as the ultimate celebration of the progress made under President Obama.
But as inauguration day drew closer, Peace Ball became a place for liberals to converge and comfort themselves.
John Osborne, a 55-year-old lawyer from Washington, D.C., perused the fourth-floor exhibits with his wife and said he came because — on the eve of the inauguration — he wanted to surround himself with people from all races, religions and backgrounds.
“I wanted to be in a place that reflects the America that I see and live everyday,” he said. “I’m hopeful that our country will remain that way.”
Expected guests included the actor Danny Glover, the Grammy-nominated artist Solange Knowles, four-time Grammy winning jazz musician Esperanza Spalding, the award-winning author Alice Walker and CNN pundit Van Jones.
Before the official festivities began, Mr. Trump appeared at a luncheon with supporters at the Trump International Hotel, where he praised the collective intelligence quotient of his cabinet members.
“We have by far the highest I.Q. of any cabinet ever assembled,” Mr. Trump said in the remarks, which reporters heard only the first several minutes of before being escorted out.“We have by far the highest I.Q. of any cabinet ever assembled,” Mr. Trump said in the remarks, which reporters heard only the first several minutes of before being escorted out.
Of course, he put himself into the high I.Q. category when he boasted, “This is a gorgeous room. A total genius must have built this place.”Of course, he put himself into the high I.Q. category when he boasted, “This is a gorgeous room. A total genius must have built this place.”
(As an aside, it is impossible to do the math, but President Obama’s starters did include a Nobel Laureate in physics at the Energy Department, a former president of Harvard heading the National Economic Council and the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank as Treasury secretary.) (As an aside, it is impossible to do the math, but President Obama’s starters did include a Nobel laureate in physics at the Energy Department, a former president of Harvard heading the National Economic Council and the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank as Treasury secretary.)
Mr. Trump also singled out specific supporters, including Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets football team, and his pick for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin. Mr. Mnuchin, Mr. Trump noted, wasn’t at the lunch because he was being “grilled” at his Senate confirmation hearing several blocks away.Mr. Trump also singled out specific supporters, including Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets football team, and his pick for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin. Mr. Mnuchin, Mr. Trump noted, wasn’t at the lunch because he was being “grilled” at his Senate confirmation hearing several blocks away.
Mr. Trump also faulted senators for not being “nice” to Representative Tom Price of Georgia, his pick for health and human services secretary. Mr. Trump also faulted senators for not being “nice” to Representative Tom Price of Georgia, his pick to be the health and human services secretary.
And speaking of Mr. Johnson, the Jets owner is expected to get one of the plum jobs in diplomacy, United States ambassador to Britain, or as the Brits call it, ambassador of the United States to the Court of St. James’s. And speaking of Mr. Johnson, the Jets owner is expected to get one of the plum jobs in diplomacy, the United States ambassador to Britain, or as the Brits call it, ambassador of the United States to the Court of St. James’s.
Mr. Johnson is only the fourth ambassador to be announced by Mr. Trump, after Nikki Haley as ambassador to the United Nations, David Friedman, his longtime attorney, as ambassador to Israel, and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as ambassador to China. Given that both Mr. Trump and his British counterpart, Prime Minister Theresa May, are relatively new in their roles, Mr. Johnson’s ability to get Mr. Trump on the phone quickly could be helpful. Mr. Johnson is only the fourth ambassador to be announced by Mr. Trump, after Nikki Haley as ambassador to the United Nations; David Friedman, his longtime attorney, as ambassador to Israel; and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as ambassador to China. Given that both Mr. Trump and his British counterpart, Prime Minister Theresa May, are relatively new in their roles, Mr. Johnson’s ability to get Mr. Trump on the phone quickly could be helpful.
At 5-11 this year, the Jets weren’t the best.At 5-11 this year, the Jets weren’t the best.
The president-elect and vice president-elect laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.The president-elect and vice president-elect laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
Then it was on to the Lincoln Memorial for the concert that opens the Inaugural festivities.Then it was on to the Lincoln Memorial for the concert that opens the Inaugural festivities.
Eric Huppert, the leader of Defenders of Liberty Motorcycle Club and local organizer of Bikers for Trump, stood beside a row of hulking V-twin Harley Davidsons and said he was not looking for violence.Eric Huppert, the leader of Defenders of Liberty Motorcycle Club and local organizer of Bikers for Trump, stood beside a row of hulking V-twin Harley Davidsons and said he was not looking for violence.
Sure, Chris Cox, the founder of Bikers for Trump, had pledged that his members would act as a “wall of meat” to block anti-Trump protesters, but Mr. Huppert downplayed all that.Sure, Chris Cox, the founder of Bikers for Trump, had pledged that his members would act as a “wall of meat” to block anti-Trump protesters, but Mr. Huppert downplayed all that.
“I don’t anticipate any skirmishes — at least I hope not,” he said. But if the safety of Mr. Trump’s supporters — or even the president-elect himself — is jeopardized, he added, “I think these folks will be willing to jump in if necessary.”“I don’t anticipate any skirmishes — at least I hope not,” he said. But if the safety of Mr. Trump’s supporters — or even the president-elect himself — is jeopardized, he added, “I think these folks will be willing to jump in if necessary.”
A security force beholden to no one with no rules of engagement and no real marching orders is, well, not a great idea. But Bikers for Trump stand by their man.A security force beholden to no one with no rules of engagement and no real marching orders is, well, not a great idea. But Bikers for Trump stand by their man.
David Nichols traveled from Texarkana, Texas, with seven others to attend the Bikers for Trump rally on Inauguration Day. The group drove for 22 hours straight, towing eight bikes on a 20-foot trailer. David Nichols traveled from Texarkana, Tex., with seven others to attend the Bikers for Trump rally on Inauguration Day. The group drove for 22 hours straight, towing eight bikes on a 20-foot trailer.
“He’ll be a fine president — he just has to calm down his words,” Mr. Nichols said. “Just don’t bash people’s name too much.”“He’ll be a fine president — he just has to calm down his words,” Mr. Nichols said. “Just don’t bash people’s name too much.”
Mr. Trump assured Israelis in comments posted online on Thursday that he planned to follow through on his campaign promise to move the American embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv soon after taking office.
“Of course I remember what I told you about Jerusalem,” Mr. Trump told Boaz Bismuth of the newspaper Israel Hayom when he encountered him at a preinaugural event on Wednesday. “Of course I didn’t forget. And you know I’m not a person who breaks promises.”
Israel Hayom is owned by Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate and Republican donor who is a powerful supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Mr. Trump has nominated David M. Friedman, a New York bankruptcy lawyer and strong advocate of moving the embassy, as his next ambassador to Israel.
Mr. Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer, suggested at a briefing on Thursday that the incoming president would make the embassy move one of his first acts after taking office on Friday. “There will be a further announcement on that,” he said. “The president has made clear that Israel has not gotten the respect it deserves.”
But implementation of such an announcement could still take months, given that the United States consulate facilities currently in Jerusalem are not considered adequate for an embassy. President Obama and other veterans of Middle East politics have warned against such a move because it would prejudge final status negotiations with the Palestinians and potentially provoke a violent backlash.
Without a single cabinet or subcabinet official confirmed yet by the Senate, President-elect Trump has asked 50 officials from President Obama’s expiring administration to stay on temporarily after Friday’s inauguration to ensure the smooth operation of government, Mr. Trump’s transition team announced on Thursday.
Among those requested to stick around are senior figures in the battle against terrorism and other security officials. Mr. Obama similarly kept around officials in such positions when he took over from President George W. Bush eight years ago, including some of those now being asked to remain in place by Mr. Trump.
“Make no mistake, we’re ready to go on day one,” Mr. Spicer told a briefing shortly before Mr. Trump was scheduled to depart New York for Washington. But the new president, he added, wanted to make sure that the United States was ready to handle any unforeseen events. “Right now our focus was on continuity of government.”
Among those asked to stay were Brett McGurk, the special envoy overseeing the war against the Islamic State; Nick Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center; Adam J. Szubin, the acting under secretary of Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence; Robert O. Work, the deputy defense secretary; and Thomas A. Shannon Jr., the under secretary of state for political affairs.
With his selection of an agriculture secretary, Mr. Trump has now named nominees for all 21 cabinet and cabinet-rank jobs, but it remained unclear how many would be confirmed by the Senate by Monday, the first full work day of the new administration. A few sub-cabinet jobs have been filled.
The incoming administration also has tapped 536 members of what it calls a “beachhead team” to show up at agencies across the government on Monday morning to serve as a first wave of appointees to begin operations while confirmations proceed.
The federal government’s top ethics monitor has played a surprisingly prominent role in the transition, and that is likely to continue into the new administration.
Next week, Walter M. Shaub Jr., the director of the Office of Government Ethics, is scheduled to make an appearance on Capitol Hill to meet with Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who accused Mr. Shaub of dabbling in politics by publicly criticizing Mr. Trump’s ethics plan.
Mr. Chaffetz has backed down from demanding a transcribed interview and lobbing a subpoena threat at Mr. Shaub, agreeing instead to a private meeting on Jan. 23 that includes Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee.
Mr. Cummings, in a letter to Mr. Chaffetz on Thursday, called his ratcheting down “a positive step in the right direction,” but said that if Mr. Chaffetz will not open the meeting to the public, he should at least include other members of the committee “to hear firsthand what Mr. Shaub has to say.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Chaffetz did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
A day before Mr. Trump is to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, he took to Twitter to assert that he is not responsible for the nation’s divisions. His champion? The Rev. Franklin Graham.A day before Mr. Trump is to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, he took to Twitter to assert that he is not responsible for the nation’s divisions. His champion? The Rev. Franklin Graham.
To some, Mr. Graham’s good wishes may not hold much weight. Last month on Facebook, he decried House Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s failure to join him and the president-elect in ending all Muslim immigration “until we can properly vet them or until the war with Islam is over.”To some, Mr. Graham’s good wishes may not hold much weight. Last month on Facebook, he decried House Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s failure to join him and the president-elect in ending all Muslim immigration “until we can properly vet them or until the war with Islam is over.”
He castigated Representative William Lacy Clay, Democrat of Missouri, for defending a high school student’s artwork depicting a confrontation between citizens and police, depicted as pigs.He castigated Representative William Lacy Clay, Democrat of Missouri, for defending a high school student’s artwork depicting a confrontation between citizens and police, depicted as pigs.
And last year, Mr. Graham said of gays, “you cannot stay gay and continue to call yourself a Christian.”And last year, Mr. Graham said of gays, “you cannot stay gay and continue to call yourself a Christian.”
Former President George Bush and his wife Barbara Bush were both reported to be recovering at a Houston hospital on Thursday after being afflicted by separate illnesses.
Mr. Bush, the 41st president who was suffering from pneumonia when he was brought to Houston Methodist Hospital, remained on a breathing tube following a procedure meant to clear his airway. His spokesman, Jim McGrath, said he had “a good night’s rest” and doctors were evaluating when to remove the tube.
“We are hopeful he will be discharged from the I.C.U. in a few days,” Mr. McGrath said in a statement.
Mrs. Bush, who was diagnosed with bronchitis, reported that she felt “one thousand percent better,” Mr. McGrath said. “Antibiotics and some good rest seem to have restored her to better health,” he said.
The anger or disappointment at President Obama’s decision to commute Ms. Manning’s sentence after seven years in military prison has been bipartisan. Ms. Manning, then known as Pfc. Bradley Manning, leaked thousands of military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks, becoming a hero to some on the left but a villain to many, especially in the military.
Ms. Manning did appreciate it, though.
Mr. Trump plans to appear at the swearing-in ceremony for Mike Pompeo, his choice for director of the C.I.A., after an interfaith prayer service on his first full day in office, a person briefed on the plans said.
Mr. Trump’s visit to C.I.A. headquarters in Langley, Va., will be one of his earliest official acts as president and could be seen as a gesture to an agency whose work he has criticized repeatedly since his victory in November.
The visit would come much earlier in his administration than in those of his three immediate predecessors. President Bill Clinton, who defended the agency amid proposed cuts, first went to Langley a year after taking office; President Obama visited in April 2009, a few months after his inauguration; and President George W. Bush went even sooner, in March 2001.
The visit is an opportunity for Mr. Trump to display the seriousness of the job.
His days outside the White House waning, the president-elect dashed from New York to Washington on Wednesday night for a bit of a folderol:a stop at the National Portrait Gallery to honor his vice president-elect, Mike Pence, then a cabinet secretaries’ dinner at the Library of Congress.
Mr. Trump did take the time to snap a photograph with a celebrity on hand to celebrate with Mr. Pence: the country singer Lee Greenwood of “God Bless the U.S.A.” fame.
With A-list celebrities hard to come by for the inaugural festivities, country music has proved to be something of a lifeline.
On such nights, presidents (and presidents-elect) often make unscheduled stops — sometimes at a soup kitchen, sometimes at a diner or burger joint — to fraternize with ordinary folks. Mr. Trump also made an unexpected stop at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, where he had dinner.
One assumes that for the small pool of journalists tagging along, the hotel made an exception to the no-reporter rule handed down by management for the inaugural festivities.
Of course the real fun in Washington on Wednesday night was on Mr. Pence’s street, where gay rights activists gathered to dance and twerk — a protest of sorts of the incoming vice president’s views of homosexuals. From the Portrait Gallery to this: