The world has watched with curiosity as Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on Friday. His inauguration has officially put to rest the different controversies surrounding one of the US' divisive electoral exercises.
For some Americans, especially those who are tired of Barack Obama's unfulfilled promises, it's a great relief that a new regime has taken over. For them, it's time to move on, as they start to count on Trump's promises to make America great again.
But there are those who are worried about the Trump presidency. His strong position against illegal immigrants is seen to cause mass deportations under his administration. His 'American first' policy has also reignited racism issues in a country where African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Asian-Americans are expected to compose the majority of the population in a few decades.
However, it remains to be seen whether Trump would pursue his populist positions on crucial issues, especially on immigration. We are still two days into his four-year presidency and a lot can still happen. But, like his predecessor, Americans cannot also expect Trump to fulfill all his campaign promises.
On global issues, the new American president has never been specific on what place the United States should take in the world. Instead, during his inaugural speech, he promised Americans protection from the ravages of some countries he accused of stealing millions of US jobs.
Such remarks had only made the world jittery. Many Japanese, according to an Associated Press report, view his promise of inciting a new national pride as something that "will usher in an era of populism and protectionism at the expense of the rest of the world."
Let's just wait and see whether Trump would really make good on his 'American first' policy promise, which will only take his country down to the path of populism and protectionism. While changes are good, they also sometimes create instability.