'Dark Day': President Donald Trump Delivers Grim Speech as Protests Swell

President Donald J. Trump has taken the oath of office, delivering a blunt speech rife with his signature autocratic declarations, promising to “make America great again” as tense protests swelled around Capitol Hill.

“Today’s inauguration is an incredibly dark day for our country,” Charles Chamberlain, executive director of the progressive PAC Democracy for America, said in response to Trump’s speech Friday. “The only thing more empty than the National Mall today during his poorly attended inaugural address were the platitudes Donald Trump made about bringing the country together.”

“In fact, after putting forward a cabinet filled to the brim with self-dealing billionaires, bigots, and bullies, it’s clear that Donald Trump is establishing the most corrupt, corporate, and bigoted administration in generations,” Chamberlain said.

Protests were well underway by the time Trump was sworn in, with massive groups in the streets throughout Washington, D.C., chanting and wielding signs, blockading entrances to the inauguration, and at times clashing with armed police who sprayed tear gas with abandon.

“This is our right to stand here,” said one protester, Mica Reel, who took part in an inaugural entrance blockade, the New York Times reported.

Another, Ramah Kudaimi, who sits on the board of the Washington Peace Center and helped organize one of the day’s actions, said, “It’s important from Day One of Trump’s administration that we make clear that we are going to be disrupting his agenda. When communities are under attack, we are going to fight back.”

In a vacuous speech that contrasted with former President Barack Obama’s years of poignant addresses, Trump said, “Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.”