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Donald Trump inauguration: 'It all begins today' – live coverage Donald Trump inauguration: 'It all begins today' – live coverage
(35 minutes later)
2.33pm GMT 3.08pm GMT
14:33 15:08
The Trumps have just left church and hopped in a car. Next stop: White House. Paul Lewis, our West Coast bureau chief, captures a scene on the mall:
2.32pm GMT Thin crowds at National Mall for Trump's inauguration. Speakers blasting: "Don't play with me, cos you're playing with fire." pic.twitter.com/0x8LIT85PM
14:32 3.04pm GMT
Barack Obama has just left the Oval Office for the last time as president, presumably having left a letter for Trump inside on the Resolute desk. Reporters called out as Obama walked down the West Wing colonnade. 15:04
Asked if he has any final words for the American people, @BarackObama says: "Thank you." Tom Dart
.@POTUS takes his final walk down the White House colonnade. pic.twitter.com/dIC1cukzVl Among the dozens of Democratic members of Congress boycotting the inauguration is Filemon Vela, a third-term representative from the Texas border city of Brownsville.
2.28pm GMT On Thursday he wrote on Twitter that “two days before the Inauguration, two things occurred that leave me no choice but to boycott the event. While in DC, 40 migrant students from [his district] were subjected to comments of ‘beaners’, ‘burritos’, and ‘wetbacks’ from Inauguration attendees.”
14:28 Then, he added, the appointment of former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue as agriculture secretary to fill the last vacancy in Trump’s cabinet means the new government will have “no Hispanic representation in the cabinet for the 1st time in 36 years.”
Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the original Obama “Hope” poster, has done a new series titled We the People – check it out at Mic.com. The Washington Post has printed one entry on the back of today’s A section – for use at the inauguration? This is an ominous sign for the future of the American Presidency and the United States of America.
Here is my momma reading the Washington Post. Here's the story from @JackSmithIV of that image on the back page: https://t.co/lScUbGeoYB pic.twitter.com/aPRscweBvh According to the Dallas Morning News, the cabinet will be the first without any Hispanic officials since 1988.
(h/t @rayajalabi)
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.29pm GMT at 3.05pm GMT
2.25pm GMT 3.00pm GMT
14:25 15:00
We now have a roving live video stream of the Inauguration proceedings atop the blog. Soon we should be seeing the Trumps leaving church to head to the White House. Meanwhile there’s footage of the crowd on the National Mall. Since you’re here, we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever – but far fewer are paying for it, and advertising revenues are falling fast. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe that independent reporting and plurality of voices matter. If everyone who reads our reporting helps to pay for it, our future would be much more a monthly payment or a one-off contribution. - Guardian HQ
2.22pm GMT 2.59pm GMT
14:22 14:59
Obama: 'I'm still asking you to believe' Video: Trumps arrive at White House
President (still for about the time it takes to watch a feature-length film) Obama is tweeting some farewell notes. Barack Obama can be heard to hail Trump. “Mr President elect! How are you? Congratulations.”
@potus is about to change. 2.58pm GMT
It's been the honor of my life to serve you. You made me a better leader and a better man. 14:58
I won’t stop; I’ll be right there with you as a citizen, inspired by your voices of truth and justice, good humor, and love. Handing off the nuclear football
I'm still asking you to believe - not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. I believe in change because I believe in you.
2.18pm GMT
14:18
Someone in New York City has unfurled a banner on the 59th St Bridge reading “Bridges not walls”:
My sister sends this image of the Queensboro bridge in NYC, where protestors today have unfurled a banner that says Bridges Not Walls. pic.twitter.com/fVFHxQCJSI
2.16pm GMT
14:16
Dan Scavino, Trump’s social media director, is in church with him. Tweeting in church!
'I told you - that you would be the 45th President of the United States, long before the first primary vote...'Pastor @robertjeffress
'History in the making....'Pastor @robertjeffress #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/NpTRqS88mD
2.10pm GMT
14:10
After church, the Trumps will head to the White House, where the president – Obama, that is – and first lady will host a tea and coffee reception with the Trumps in the Blue Room.
Afterward, the Obamas will depart – depart – the White House with the Trumps for the Capitol building.
Updated
at 2.16pm GMT
2.03pm GMT
14:03
Julian BorgerJulian Borger
On a day when the size of Donald Trump’s inauguration crowds relative to Barack Obama’s is under scrutiny, an embarrassing reminder has emerged of the astroturf origins of the Trump campaign. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has released a report by its general counsel on the campaign’s hiring of actors to enthuse at Trump’s candidacy announcement at Trump Tower in New York on 16 June 2015, revealing that the ersatz supporters had to wait four months to get paid for their cheering. The campaign committee only coughed up the $12,000 it owed to the casting company that hired the actors a month after a complaint was made to the FEC. By now, if the past is any guide, Donald Trump will have been given a briefing at the White House about the fearsome responsibility he is about to take on. He will be shown the nuclear “football”, a satchel containing a set of booklets which constitute a how-to guide on fighting a nuclear war. One black book lists a menu of strike options; another lists the bunkers around the country where the nation’s leaders could shelter from a nuclear strike and there are instructions for using the emergency broadcast system.
In its ruling, spotted by the watchdog group the Center for Public Integrity, the FEC notes: “It is not uncommon for campaigns to hire companies or casting agencies ... to generate a crowd at an event.” The report said the sum involved was relatively modest and that the committee eventually paid up, so that the casting company’s effective “contribution” to the campaign, the interest on the unpaid amount, was too small to bother with. It also notes that the campaign violated the rules by waiting seven months before reporting the transaction to the FEC, but again decides that the amount is too small “to warrant the additional use of Commission resources”. All of these are carried in a case made of an aluminum frame covered in soft black leather. It is officially known as the “president’s emergency satchel” that is carried by a military aide, whose job it is to stay close to the president at all times. After Trump takes the oath of office, the military aide will cease to stick close to Barack Obama and follow him instead. The military aide will have been present at Trump’s nuclear briefing, which would almost certainly have been given by the outgoing national security advisor, Susan Rice. Her replacement, Michael Flynn would also have been present.
The main takeaway seems to be a cautionary one. If you are you going to act as a Trump supporter, make sure you get paid up front. There is one part of the nuclear launch protocols that will only be transferred at noon exactly, the nuclear launch codes. These codes, which Trump would have to provide to prove his identity to the generals at the the National Military Command Centre, are printed on a card, known as the nuclear “biscuit”. This can either be carried on the president’s person or be slipped into the football, depending on Trump’s preference. (Bill Clinton lost his biscuit and never told anyone about it, according to a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hugh Shelton.)
The biscuit could be handed over to Trump immediately after the oath, or it could already have been handed to him. A former missile launch officer, Bruce Blair, said the codes on the biscuit will only become active at noon, just as Obama’s become inactive.
“The codes are standard challenge and reply formats used throughout the military and are keyed to date/time; i.e. if POTUS has to use them, he refers to the codes (e.g. Delta Zulu) found under the specific day in which the Pentaon challenges him or his successor during an emergency,” Blair, now a research scholar at Princeton University, said.
Once those codes are activated, Trump has full authority to launch nuclear missiles. He will be commander-in-chief, with control over 4,000 nuclear weapons, of which about 900 can be launched on short notice. The defense secretary would not be able to prevent him giving the order to the generals in the war room.
If Trump is incapacitated, the duty would fall to Mike Pence, but if all the top leadership was wiped out in a catastrophic attack, the decisions on whether to launch nuclear retaliation would have to be taken by a “designated survivor” in the chain of command. Only two of Trump’s cabinet picks are due to be confirmed on Friday, secretary of defencs James Mattis and homeland security service, General John Kelly. If they are both at the inauguration ceremony, another official - possibly acting secretary of state, Thomas Shannon - would have to be a secure location some distance from Washington.
Read further:
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.31pm GMT at 3.02pm GMT
1.48pm GMT 2.56pm GMT
13:48 14:56
Here is a clip of the Trumps arriving at St John’s Church: Members of the Trump family have arrived at the Capitol. We’ve spotted Donald Trump Jr, wife Vanessa, Tiffany Trump and Barron Trump. No Ivanka & Jared or Eric yet.
Trump and family arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church #InaugurationDay https://t.co/S3JsClSsds pic.twitter.com/IgrYqXnnrJ 2.55pm GMT
1.45pm GMT 14:55
13:45 2.52pm GMT
The Trumps have arrived at St John’s Church, along with other members of their family. Donald and Melania Trump were greeted by the pastor at the door. 14:52
George W Bush sighting outside the Capitol. He looks happy to be there. He’s walking around shaking hands with members of the Capitol police force and literally slapping them on the back. Laura Bush is walking next to him. You can’t hear what he’s saying in the video feed, but Bush is calling out to everyone he sees, hailing them, like he just left yesterday.
2.44pm GMT
14:44
Trumps arrive at White House
There’s Trump. Walks up the stairs. Kisses Michelle Obama on both cheeks. Barack Obama gives a hand to Melania Trump as she mounts the stairs. The Trumps – Melania it appears – hand the Obamas a gift, something in a Tiffany blue box. They juggle the box uncomfortably for a moment. Turn and pose for a picture, the Obamas flanking the Trumps. (Somebody took the box.) Everybody’s smiling.
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.13pm GMT at 2.47pm GMT
1.39pm GMT 2.42pm GMT
13:39 14:42
People have been tweeting pictures of the Trumps leaving the building. They are now on their way to the church in a large convoy of black cars. The Obamas are standing outside the North Portico, awaiting the Trumps, who are just now pulling up.
Trump and Melania spotted leaving this AM with the First Lady to be wearing a very Jackie O esque outfit. pic.twitter.com/srUFAnXBeE 2.40pm GMT
Wow .. Melania = Jackie O. Sit your ass down Tom Ford. pic.twitter.com/NBYHQPdH7M 14:40
1.35pm GMT A White House press pool report notes one more moment from Obama’s procession just then down the colonnade:
13:35 Obama asked reporters “how’s it going?” Reporters asked Obama if he felt nostalgic. “Of course,” he replied.
Donald and Melania Trump, who was wearing a light blue outfit that TV anchors compared to the style of Jackie Kennedy, are leaving Blair House in Washington and getting into a large black car. Trump was wearing a long black coat and red tie. There’s some of that in the air today.
Updated pic.twitter.com/MsVPLKzUAc
at 1.36pm GMT 2.39pm GMT
1.29pm GMT 14:39
13:29
Vice-president-elect Mike Pence has arrived at St John’s Church for the service that the Trumps will also attend, MSNBC reports.
Updated
at 2.22pm GMT
1.28pm GMT
13:28
About 28,000 security personnel, kilometres of fencing, roadblocks, street barricades and dump trucks laden with sand are part of the security cordon about eight square kilometres of central Washington, AP reports.
Trucks blocking one of the roads leading to the White House in Washington DC pic.twitter.com/rAXiabzOF3
1.23pm GMT
13:23
Before the inauguration ceremony, Trump and his wife Melania are due to leave Blair House, the president’s guest house, to attend a service at St John’s Episcopal Church, which is located across Lafayette Park from the White House.
They are also due to meet Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House for tea or coffee, before the two couples travel together in the presidential limousine for the short trip to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremony.
Here’s a reminder of today’s schedule (all times ET):
Updated
at 1.24pm GMT
1.02pm GMT
13:02
Waxworks of soon-to-be President Trump are being unveiled at museums across the world, AFP reports.
As Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office, his wax likeness is appearing in museums around the world pic.twitter.com/DPP21Zv7xP
12.57pm GMT
12:57
Protesters chanting “no Tump, no KKK, no racists, fascists, go away” have disrupted preparations for the inauguration.
No Tump! No KK! Racist, fascist go Way! #disruptj20 #disrupthate #TrumpInauguration pic.twitter.com/5lyNYIlY9j
12.45pm GMT
12:45
In Washington Trump protesters appear to have made it through security.
Half the line seem to be anti-Trump. Protesters being let thru and assembling on inside pic.twitter.com/w2iqP5XM4y
Protesters inside the secure zone #TrumpInauguration pic.twitter.com/MbQmVrLlaU
Updated
at 12.46pm GMT