WASHINGTON, D.C. — A triumphant President Donald Trump vowed on Friday to lift up America’s “forgotten men and women” in his inaugural address, a speech brimming with “America first” tones offering a sharp rebuke to outgoing President Barack Obama’s themes of globalism.
“Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families,” Trump vowed. “We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.
Trump spoke of “protection” as a means to achieve “great prosperity and strength,” and promised to “fight for you with every breath in my body and I will never ever let you down.
“America will start winning again, winning like never before.”
VIDEO: Final minutes of Trump’s speech:
Yet in other concentrated areas of the district, especially within the protest areas near McPherson Square, opponents of the incoming president’s vision made their presence felt with marches, chants, signs — and in some extreme cases — destruction.
The bulk of protest activity occurred near the intersection of K and 13th streets. At one of its worst moments, the protest saw agitators set fire to a previously vandalized limousine. Those who held signs denouncing Trump and had spent hours marching through the neighborhood were quick to point out that masked self-identified anarchists were responsibly for setting the blaze, located just steps from the Washington Post’s headquarters.
Whichever side was responsible for setting the fire did not matter to the owner of limo, identified by USA Today as Luis Villarroel of Virginia.
Villarroel told the newspaper that someone tossed a lit flare inside his car.
“This is my business. Why are you destroying my stuff? It took me years to build,” he said.
Prior to torching Villarroel’s limo, vandals also smashed several Wells Fargo ATMs and broke the bank’s windows. Earlier, protesters lit a fire in the middle of K Street with the help of city garbage cans and newspaper bins. Several Trump supporters attempted to put the fires out, prompting opposition from the crowd as a melee broke out:
Police made a total of 217 arrests as of nightfall, while six officers reportedly suffered injuries as a result of projectiles being thrown from approaching crowds.
An apparent off-duty officer attempted to confront one vandal, who had just smashed a brick into a car window:
The officer later warned the masked individual to stop vandalizing cars:
“Man up and take your mask off,” the officer said at one point. “That’s what I thought.”
Demonstration in McPherson Sq, speaker says own protest posters exploit exploit Muslim women. Damn this is confusing. #Inaugurationpic.twitter.com/fC6hUS2QUk
This photo shows a protest scene in Washington, not Worcester, where a peaceful protest of about 40 people occurred Inauguration Day. Photo by Evan Lips.
(Evan Lips — NewBostonPost) 
