President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Washington with flair on Thursday, formally launching the inaugural festivities that will lead to his swearing in as the nation\u2019s 45th president on Friday.
Kicking off three days of carefully orchestrated proceedings infused with pomp and guided by precision and protocol, the president-elect allowed himself to veer off script and revel in the moment.
Trump and his extended family signaled a new era in the country\u2019s governance as they stepped off a military plane at Joint Base Andrews with understated glamour. They headed directly to his Pennsylvania Avenue property, the Trump International Hotel, where the president-elect irreverently toasted his Cabinet nominees.
\u201cWe have by far the highest IQ of any cabinet ever assembled,\u201d Trump said in a characteristically grandiose declaration before several hundred supporters, lawmakers and allies at an official luncheon.
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Trump narrated his journey and the day\u2019s festivities on Twitter. \u201cOn my way!\u201d Trump tweeted as he headed to Arlington National Cemetery, where he and Vice President-elect Mike Pence solemnly laid a wreath at Tomb of the Unknowns.
During the brief ceremony, Trump and Pence stood with their hands over their hearts, as a bugler played Taps. Neither man spoke before departing.
Trump then headed to a \u201cWelcome Concert\u201d at the Lincoln Memorial, where thousands of supporters were waiting. He took his seat shortly before 5 p.m., offering a thumbs-up to the crowd as he took a seat beside his family and listened to a medley of country hits performed on a stage set up on the base of the memorial. The seated statue of Lincoln was visible in the background.
Trump later stood and applauded enthusiastically as country signer Lee Greenwood was announced and started singing the first verse of his iconic hit, \u201cGod the Bless the U. S. A.\u201d
After Greenwood\u2019s performance, Trump put his arm around his shoulders as the crowd started chanting, \u201cU. S. A.\u201d
Another headliner, the rock band 3 Doors Down, followed. The band opened with a song, \u201cBroken,\u201d the lyrics of which echoed an appeal Trump made to disenchanted voters who felt forgotten by Washington: \u201cThis is the call to the broken\/To all the ones who been thrown away\/This is the call to the broken\/Stand up and take back your world today.\u201d
The event began on a discordant note, as actor Jon Voight told the crowd that Trump had prevailed in the \u201cgrueling\u201d election against Hillary Clinton despite a lot of negativity.
\u201cWe\u2019ve been witness to a barrage of propaganda that left us all breathless with anticipation not knowing if God could reverse all the negative lies against Mr. Trump, whose only desire was to make America great again,\u201d Voight said.
Voight called Trump \u201can honest and good man who will work for all the people, no matter their creed or color.\u201d
As Trump put the finishing touches on the inaugural address he will deliver from the steps of the Capitol after taking the oath of office at noon Friday, Pence and their incoming administration were preparing to assume control of the federal government.
Addressing reporters on Thursday from the transition team\u2019s Washington headquarters, Pence said, \u201cIt is a momentous day before a historic day.\u201d
The vice president-elect noted that all 21 Cabinet nominations have been made and that 536 so-called beachhead officials are ready to report for duty at federal departments and agencies.
President Obama\u2019s appointees packed up their belongings and vacated their offices Thursday, although the Trump team is temporarily retaining 50 of them in critical positions throughout the government to ensure continuity until Trump can more fully staff his administration.
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\u201cOur job is to be ready on Day One,\u201d Pence said. \u201cThe American people can be confident that we will be.. .. It\u2019s going to be a very humbling and moving day for the president-elect his family and for mine. But let me tell you, we are all ready to go to work.\u201d
While the bureaucrats-to-be were working, Trump supporters from around the country who had descended on Washington were partying at a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which were bathed in patriotic lighting. Throngs of people extended down the reflecting pool and toward the Washington Monument as an assembly of military bands and recording artists performed for the president-elect.
The concert served as a reminder of Trump\u2019s limited popularity. Despite his electoral vote victory, a majority of voters cast their ballot for someone else in last November\u2019s election. Trump is the least-popular incoming president in at least four decades, with 40 percent of Americans holding a favorable impression of him and 54 percent holding an unfavorable one, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released earlier this week.
Trump struggled to attract A-list talent to perform at his festivities, with such entertainers as Elton John, Celine Dion and the makeup-wearing rock band KISS said publicly that they turned down invitations. One artist announced to perform at the concert last week \u2014 Broadway performer Jennifer Holliday \u2014 dropped out the following day, saying she had heard concerns from the gay community about the message her participation would send.
The concert headliners included country singers Toby Keith, along with an array of military and other acts performing patriotic numbers.<\/p>\n

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