President Donald Trump takes the Oath of Office as his wife Melania Trump holds the Bible on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 20, in Washington, D.C.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump promised the American people he will be “producing results” and there will be no games as his work begins, with three glamorous black-tie balls bringing the curtains down on the day-long celebration of his inauguration as the next leader. – @Siliconeer #Siliconeer #PresidentDonaldTrump

Not Playing Games, Going to Produce Results: President Donald Trump

“We always felt we are going to do it. It’s a movement like they have never seen anywhere, anytime in the world. And now the work begins. There is no games. We are not playing games. The work begins. We love you, we are going to be working for you and we are going to be producing results,” Trump told a packed room at the Walter Washington Convention Center as he and his wife Melania made their debut as the First Couple at the Liberty Ball.

The Trumps arrived at the Liberty Ball first where they performed their first dance to legendary American singer Frank Sinatra’s ‘I Did It My Way.’ The traditional “First Dance” by Trump and his wife concluded a historic and hectic day for the Trumps.

All eyes were on the designer his wife chose for her outfit at the glamorous balls. Melania, her hair left open, wore an off-shoulder cream gown by French-born designer Herve Pierre with a thigh-high slit and Trump was dressed in a classic tuxedo.

She had worn a powder-blue cashmere dress and matching bolero jacket by iconic American designer Ralph Lauren for the swearing-in ceremony, invoking the legacy of former First Lady Jackie Kennedy with her look.

In his brief remarks to the gathering at the ball before the First Dance, Trump said “Well, we did it. We began this journey and they said, we and me, we didn’t have a chance but we knew we were gong to win and we won. Today we had a great day,” he said.

In the second ball, Trump threw a question at the guests about his Twitter account. “Let’em ask you, should I keep the Twitter going or not. Keep it going? I think so,” he shrugged as the guests laughed.

“The enemies keep saying ‘oh it’s terrible’. It’s a way of bypassing the dishonest media,” Trump said.

He also vowed, “we will not be taken advantage of anymore” and “we are going to have those companies come pouring back in,” a reference to corporations bringing back jobs and investments to the U.S.

Earlier in his first ball, Trump said people who weren’t so nice to him were now telling him he did really a good job.

“I respect that. The crowd was unbelievable today,” he said and referring to the intermittent rain, he said “It’s like God was looking down on us.”

He thanked his “number one supporter” wife Melania saying “what she puts up with.”

“We really did something that is so special… You are going to see things happening over the next few weeks, you’ll be so happy. We want to see great things happen for our country. We want to make America great again and we will.”

As Trump and his wife danced, he was joined on stage by Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, and all their children, including Ivanka, Don and Eric, with their spouses and partners.

Trump also lip-synced the words ‘My way’ as the song was being played.

The Trumps attended the Freedom Ball, Liberty Ball at the Walter Washington Convention Center and “A Salute to Our Armed Services’ Ball at the National Building Museum.

The black-tie balls were attended by serving and retired military personnel as well as key guests of the Trumps.

At the second ball, Trump repeated it has been an “amazing journey” and “now the work begins. We have to get it done and we will get it done.”

He said he has “worked these last four weeks” of the campaign and promised he will not let the American people down. “I would be fighting every single day for you.”

Trump clapped at the end and waved as the crowd cheered and chanted USA! USA! He too repeated the chant and gave a thumbs-up.

At the third event, the Armed Services Ball, Trump spoke briefly through video link to U.S. military personnel stationed at the Baghram Base in Afghanistan. The military personnel took turns to congratulate Trump on his inauguration. He told the military and law enforcement officials present at the ball the job they do is “absolutely incredible.”

“I like you all for a lot of reasons but I also like the fact that you all voted for me,” he said to a huge round of applause and cheers.

“We have a great country and we want to do what is appropriate. We have been pushed around by a lot of different people, lots of bad things are happening but you are going to see a big improvement,” he said.

Referring to the approval by the Senate of General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense and General John Kelly as Homeland Security Secretary, Trump said “with all the people and all the politicians, the Generals get approved first. May be that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Trump said his administration is with the military personnel “all the way. You have somebody that’s going to be right alongside of you. We are going to do it together.”

He said the courage the American armed forces have shown is “incredible” and it will be “appreciated more than ever before.”

“We are going to have some people going over and seeing you soon. We are with you a thousand, thousand, thousand percent. Keep fighting and we are going to win.”

Trump again pointed out there was a large turnout for his inauguration. “Did you hear the speech,” he said referring to his inauguration address.

“You are special people. I have your back. We are going to do great things for our country. I am your messenger,” he said.

Trump then called on his wife Melania to make a few remarks. She thanked the personnel for their service adding that “I am honored to be your First Lady. We will fight, we will win and we will make America great again,” she said.

Trump and Pence then cut a multi-tiered cake decorated in military colors with a sword.

– Yoshita Singh

Trump Begins First Full Day with Prayer Service at Church

After spending his first night at the White House, President Donald Trump kicked off the first full day of his presidency, Jan. 21, with a national prayer breakfast that also included Hindu and Sikh prayer services among others.

Trump, 70, was accompanied by his wife, First Lady Melania, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen.

After prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Trump visited the CIA headquarters in Langley.

This would be Trump’s first trip out of the White House after the conclusion of the inaugural celebrations with the prayer breakfast at the historic National Cathedral.

Priest Narayanachar L. Dialakote from popular Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland among others offered Hindu prayers at the National Prayer Service.

Another Indian American Jesse Singh offered a Sikh prayer on the occasion.

Uma Mysorekar had offered Hindu prayers at 2009 prayer service of Obama’s second inauguration.

In addition to the traditional Christian leaders, the prayer service also included leaders from other religious faiths, including Islam, Buddhist and Bahai.

“As we mark this moment of political transition, let us all draw strength and courage from the sacred texts and songs…From the many traditions of our land,” said Mariann Edgar Budde, the Bishop of Washington for the Episcopal Church.

– Lalit K. Jha

Artist Jagjot Singh Rubal gives the final touches to a portrait of U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump, on the eve of his inauguration ceremony, in Amritsar, Punjab, India, Jan. 19. (Press Trust of India)

Trump Admin will Re-think its Relationship with Media

The Trump Administration will fight back “tooth and nail” against false reporting and can “rethink” its relationship with the press, top aides to President Donald Trump said, Jan. 22, as they slammed the media for trying to “delegetimize” the presidential elections.

“There’s an obsession by the media to delegitimize this President, and we are not going to sit around and let it happen. We’re going to fight back tooth and nail every day,” the White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told Fox News in an interview.

“The point is not the crowd size, the point is that the attacks and the attempts to delegitimize this President in one day—and we’re not going to sit around and take it,” Priebus said.

Earlier, unhappy over media reports on the crowd size at presidential inauguration Jan. 20, Trump has described journalists as the most “dishonest human beings on Earth.”

Priebus said that President Trump was trying to unify the country from day one in office, but the media was resorting to false reporting to “delegitimize” him.

“The media, from day one, has been talking about delegitimizing the election, talking about the Russians, talking about everything you can imagine, except the fact that we need to move this country forward,” Priebus said.

Meanwhile, another top aide, Kellylanne Conway, Counselor to the President, told ABC News that the Trump administration can “rethink” its relationship with the media if false reporting continues.

Conway said that it is completely irresponsible for the media to be calling the White House press secretary a “liar” on Twitter and Facebook and elsewhere in articles.

“That is not the way to start relationships,” she said.

“We have not been treated very well. This man is the President of the United States. If people would just go back, and listen to and watch his inaugural address again, that goes for everybody, calling for unification, being aspirational, talking about giving power back to the people.

“We can’t invite a press pool on the first day of the Oval Office with the President of the United States signing executive orders and then a big lie told about the bust of Martin Luther King Jr., days after our President Trump met with Martin Luther King III in New York and had an incredibly powerful and constructive conversation with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son saying that he wants to support this President, that he believes he must unify and heal the nation,” Conway said.

“Then you have a bunch of people from the press writing these snarky articles that were also false. It has to go both ways and it has to start right now,” the top Trump aide told the news network.

She was responding to questions on the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accusing the media a day earlier for indulging in inaccurate reporting and asserting that he would hold the media accountable.

“The President supports his Press Secretary and his press operation. Our press secretary was making the point that accountability has to go both ways,” she said.

“The press pooler gave a false report, that the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. had been removed from the Oval Office.

That is just false. It is dangerous and destructive on day one for the press to be reporting false information like that,” Conway added.

– Lalit K. Jha

Donald Trump is Like a Car Salesman: Paul Beatty

File photo of Paul Beatty, winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his novel ‘The Sellout,’ speaking at the 2016 Man Booker Prize at The Guildhall, Oct. 25, in London, England. (John Phillips – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Man Booker-winning writer Paul Beatty, Jan. 21, likened President Donald Trump to a “car salesman” for his tendency to make promises, and said he had “zero optimism” in how the Presidency would pan out.

“I haven’t really watched the inauguration, I just read some snippets and transcripts. It is just that the tone is so scary. I have zero optimism. That is how I feel,” he said at a press conference at the ongoing Jaipur Literature festival here.

The writer, who is the first American to have won the Booker, said Trump’s election was like a reflection of how people do things that are against their own self-interest and admitted that he was “scared.”

“My wife jokes about it, that Trump’s memoir is going to be called ‘My Tweet.’ I am just as lost as everyone else. I am just scared.

“He says these blatantly racist, and misogynist and fascist things, but still women, Latinos and blacks voted for him… Listening to his speech, it is like he is guaranteeing you all these stuff. He is like a car salesman,” the 54-year-old author said.

The writer is apprehensive about the future under the new regime, attributing his skepticism to the Trump’s “incompetence” of holding the highest position in the country.

“You wouldn’t think he could be President, he is so incompetent. He stumbled into this, riding the flume and he got off where he got off…I have no idea what he is going to be able to do.

“The very first thing that he did was take down the LGBT and climate change issues from the White House website. It is small but it is quite telling. There are supposed to be checks and balances in the system but are ignored when whoever is in charge needs it that way. So, I am deeply apprehensive,” he said.

Talking about using art as a form of protest, Beatty, a self-proclaimed “pessimist” said he was not a “reactionary” and that Trump assuming power would not change his “perspective.”

“I heard somebody say a long time ago that all art is propaganda. Mao used poetry as a propaganda tool. It is not to say that art does not serve a function in terms of protest.

“Speaking for myself as a writer, I don’t view myself as a reactionary. I don’t think Trump assuming power is going to change my perspective. I was pessimistic before and I am a pessimist now,” he said.

He went on to share an anecdote when he was asked to write an article about the future of New York, after the World Trade Center was attacked.

“I wrote a short story about the Taliban winning the war and what New York would be like if they took over. With people like Giuliani (one of Trump’s close advisors) and others, it would just be the same persons, but with turbans on their heads,” he said.

Beatty’s Booker-winning ‘The Sellout’ is a biting satire about a young man’s isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court. The book established him as one of the funniest writers in America.

– Bhaskar Sarma