The Inauguration of Donald Trump

Donald Trump takes the oath of office today and officially becomes the 45th president of the United States.

While I didn't vote for him, I still plan to tune in. The peaceful transfer of power has been a hallmark of American democracy since Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams for the presidency in 1800.

Though I disagree with Trump on a bevy of issues, loathe his antics (Twitter, anyone?), and have found many of his remarks toward women and other groups to be reprehensible, I still wish him well.

The bottom line is that if he succeeds, America succeeds, and if America succeeds, the entire world succeeds.

America spoke loud and clear in last year's election. Tired of the broken system in Washington, it wanted to see an outsider take the country in a whole new direction.

Whether Trump can live up to all the promises he made on the campaign trail remains to be seen.

He enters office with the worst approval rating of any president in modern history, so surely he has his work cut out for him -- not only effecting change that will improve the lives of Americans, but convincing them that he really does have their best interests at heart.

We can expect that the media will continue to be a thorn in Trump's side, and that disgruntled Democrats will stop at nothing to make the next four years a bumpy ride for him.

Seeing as how the country continues to be bitterly divided, it is my hope that both sides will put partisanship aside and make compromises in the spirit of unity. It's the only way the country can move forward.

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