Donald Trump has proven himself a heavyweight tweeter. He also seemingly mastered another medium, television, via the reality-TV genre. Past presidents have proved to be innovators from day one, too. Our graphics team here at RFE/RL shows some of the ways those inaugurations have broken new ground.
Inaugural Milestones
Russian PM Medvedev Chides Outgoing U.S. Administration
Russia has been a recurring theme in the campaign and the run-up to Trump's presidency, from Trump's praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin to the hacking that U.S. intelligence agencies and others have blamed on Russia.
Russian Prime Minister (and ex-President) Dmitry Medvedev has posted a bilingual message on Facebook to offer his assessment of Russian-U.S. relations at the close of the Obama administration and the dawn of the Trump one.
In it, Medvedev calls the results of the Obama years -- marked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and seizure of Crimea, clashes with the West over U.S. antimissile plans, and frequent criticism from Washington of democratic and rights backsliding in Moscow -- "decidedly mixed" and criticizes U.S. actions as "short-sighted."
He suggests the Obama administration has regarded Russia as "a banana republic."
The "real issue," Medvedev says, "lies...[in] the failure to understand one's own true interests."
He concludes: "The Obama administration has destroyed relations between the United States and Russia, which are at their lowest point in decades."
Stock Futures Show A Boost
Reuters reports that stock-index futures got a lift ahead of the inauguration when U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled continued support for gradual interest-rate increases yesterday, and were "treading water" early today.
The agency also quoted Morgan Stanley strategists led by Hans Redeker as saying in a note: "All eyes will be on the content and style of Trump's inauguration speech," and, "The more 'Presidential' this speech comes across, the better the outcome for markets."
"Trump's campaign promises of tax and regulatory reforms and higher infrastructure spending had driven Wall Street to multiple highs post-election," Reuters wrote. "However, the Trump trade has been unraveling in recent weeks as investors wait to see how he will carry out his ambitious plans."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's first tweet on inauguration day:
One of the shadows still lingering from the campaign is related to Russia.
The swearing-in is only about four hours away.
Reuters on the atmosphere in Washington this morning:
Security was tight around the White House and Capitol. Streets near the president's home were blocked to traffic by empty buses and dump trucks or temporary pedestrian security checkpoints where law enforcement officers and National Guard troops checked people's bags.
Some 28,000 officers were in place to secure the roughly 3-square-mile (8-square-kilometer) area of downtown Washington. The National Mall in front of the Capitol opened early to begin admitting guests, who were barred from bringing selfie sticks, coolers for beverages, and long umbrellas despite the rainy weather.