By RYAN THORPE
Staff Writer

Donald J. Trump is President of the United States of America.

Trump placed his hand on the bible and promised to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” 73 days following his stunning election victory.

“We the citizens of America,” said Trump in his inauguration speech, “are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people.

“Today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington D.C., to you the people.”

The ceremonies swirled with a level of controversy rivaled only by his campaign.

In an unprecedented decision, 58 Democratic members of the House of Representatives declared their intention to boycott the inauguration.

In the lead up to the event, John Lewis, a democratic congressman from Georgia and prominent civil rights activist, said: “I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate president.
“I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”

Trump fired back on Twitter, claiming Lewis should focus more on helping his “crime infested” district than complaining about the outcome.

Tens of thousands of people participated in dozens of protests – both pro- and anti-Trump – on inauguration day.

According to the New York Times, the security costs for the weekend were $100 million, and tens of thousands of military, law-enforcement and intelligence officers were called in to protect the ceremonies.

Half a million dollars was also spent to protect Trump Tower headquarters in New York City.

According to a recent poll released by ABC News and the Washington Post, Trump has the lowest approval rating of any incoming president. He polled at 40 per cent approval, while 54 per cent of

Americans reportedly viewed him unfavorably.

Trump responded to the poll by characterizing it as “rigged.”

As Trump was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol building, protestors swarmed through the streets blocks away. A minority of militant protestors took to property destruction, smashing shop windows, as the ceremony unfolded.

The reality of a Trump administration holds many potential implications for U.S.-Canada relations.

Throughout the election, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remained silent on the possibility of a Trump presidency, but post-election moved to shake up his cabinet, naming Chrystia Freeland as the new U.S. foreign affairs minister.

Canadian cabinet members have also been setting up meetings with senior officials of the Trump administration.

Despite the fact that Canada and the U.S. have long been close allies, both economically and militarily, the ramifications of the political differences between Trump and Trudeau cannot be ignored.
Trudeau is a Keynesian liberal in favour of global trade, while Trump is a political nativist who has declared his intention to renegotiate, and opt out of, existing global trade agreements.

Trump has long declared his intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has been in place since Jan. 1, 1994.
The economic implications for both Canada and Mexico, the U.S.’s trade partners in the deal, would be considerable. However, should the U.S. withdraw from NAFTA, the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement (FTA) would be re-implemented.

Nonetheless, there are serious concerns for Canada-U.S. trade in the coming term, including the U.S.’s relationship with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and potential “Buy America” policies.

Trudeau and Trump not only have wildly different views on economic protectionism, but also on issues such as immigration, climate change and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In particular, Trump intends to revive coal-based industry, reverse former president Barack Obama’s agreement to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and has called NATO “obsolete.”

All of this, and more, is what leads many to question the stability of Canada-U.S. relations under a Trump administration.

There are also potential implications for the Canadian federal Conservative Party leadership race, with candidates Kellie Leitch and Kevin O’Leary commenting favourably on the rise of Trumpism south of the border.

As Obama met with Trump the morning of inauguration, he sat down with an incoming president who had made clear his plans to overturn much of the legislation he had spent the past eight years fighting to implement.

As Obama walked away from public political life, he left the world stage improbably more uncertain than when he took office in 2009, during the worst economic downturn since the great depression.

The election of Trump, Brexit and the fragility of the European Union (EU), combined with the civil strife permeating sections of Europe and the Middle East and the rise of right-wing populist movements, are merely a few of the elements of the global situation which leave many political pundits with a sense of doubt.

Whether or not Trump will be able to navigate the U.S. through the choppy waters of global political and economic uncertainty remains to be seen.

What he has made clear, however, is his vision for the future of the country.

Trump utilized his inauguration speech to double down on many of the political stances he articulated throughout his campaign. It was a message of nationalistic populism and economic protectionism.

“For many decades we’ve enriched foreign industry, at the expense of American industry,” said Trump. “We’ve subsidized the armies of other countries, while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We’ve defended other nations’ borders, while refusing to defend our own, and spent trillions of dollars overseas, while American infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.”

It was an inauguration speech unlike any in recent memory, which marks a new day in U.S. politics. What it means for the rest of the world is unknown.

“We assembled here today are issuing a new decree,” continued Trump, “to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and every hall of power.
“From this day forward a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward it is going to be only America first – America first.”