12:37 – I’ll wrap up the live blog now, because everything that follows after this is a new story of the new administration. Thanks for reading and following along! I agree with Salena Zito in her assessment of the speech:

https://twitter.com/SalenaZito/status/822497249011924995

It won’t necessarily go down as one of the more remarkable inaugural speeches, but politically, it was quite effective.

12:28 – The ceremonies complete, President Trump exits to start his new job. Barack Obama greeted Bob Dole on his way out, while the Clintons and Bushes followed off the dais. The post-inaugural benedictions were appropriate, but only noteworthy in comparison, as Gabriel Malor points out:

This benediction was WAY better than the racially divisive bullshit at Obama's. Remember this? pic.twitter.com/tMXLs34EsY

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) January 20, 2017

12:21 – Guy Benson nails this:

People panning the speech still don't seem to understand how resonant the "I will never ignore you" theme has been, and still is.

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 20, 2017

This is why we have President Trump, and why we had Bernie Sanders as the runner-up in the Democratic primaries, too.

12:19 – The speech was indeed “brief,” as Kellyanne Conway said earlier today, but the tone wasn’t really “philosophical,” as Sean Spicer promised. It was a well-delivered populist stemwinder, very similar to Trump’s convention speech in July. It delivered exactly what Trump’s base expected, and perhaps what some of Trump’s opponents expected too.

12:18 – Trump comes back to the “red blood of patriots” making us all equal.

12:16 – Trump pledged to eradicate radical Islamic terrorism “from the face of the earth.” For some reason, NBC chose to include what appears to be a Sikh in this shot.

https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/822492902760726528

12:15 – “The time for empty talk is over,” Trump says. “Now is the hour for action.”

12:14 – “When you open your heart to patriotism,” Trump says, “there is no room for prejudice.” Made a reference to the Bible in saying we need to remain loyal to each other.

12:12 – Robby Soave is dismayed at the economic signals from this speech:

https://twitter.com/robbysoave/status/822491618049720321

Well, that’s been the consistent message from the Trump campaign, so it shouldn’t be a surprise.

12:10 – Trump changes direction by saying, “That was the past. From now on, we look forward. … From this day on, it will be America first.”

12:07 – This speech sounds very much like Trump’s address to the Republican convention in July. Heavy on the problems America faces, and a pledge to raise up the common man.

12:05 – The start of this speech is keeping right in tone with the anti-establishment, populist tone of this past election cycle. I imagine it might be a little uncomfortable for some of the people on that dais to hear Trump blast the Beltway for celebrating itself rather than taking care of Americans.

12:04 – Trump says the transfer of power is not just between presidents and parties, but “from Washington to you, the people.”

12:03 – Trump thanks the Obamas for their “gracious aid” in the transition.

12:02 – President Trump starts off by thanking all of his predecessors on the dais, and “the people of the world.”

12:00 – Here we go, right on time. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office to Donald Trump. We have a new president.

11:57 – Here’s the video of Pence becoming vice-president:

NOW: SCOTUS Associate Justice Clarence Thomas administers Oath of Office to Mike Pence #InaugurationDay https://t.co/KQIQKZOBvv pic.twitter.com/gsbt1YWpOc

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 20, 2017

11:53 – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivers the oath of office to Mike Pence, in measured and impressive tones. It’s great to see Thomas get this recognition.

11:47 – Chuck Schumer’s address starts off as a sort of stump speech, including the checkboxes of identity politics while celebrating unity. Meh.

11:39 – Cardinal Timothy Dolan offers a particularly good prayer based on the Old Testament. The president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, bases his on the Sermon on the Mount. Paula White-Cain, senior pastor at the New Destiny Christian Center of Florida, offers a Christian prayer that references Wisdom (Providence).

11:36 – Roy Blunt, the chair of the inaugural committee, is delivering a pretty good opening speech. He notes that the transfer of power is both “commonplace and miraculous,” and a celebration of democracy.

11:32 – Right on time, Trump gets announced and makes his way to the dais. He greeted his wife, the Obamas, and Joe Biden before taking his place. The crowd gave him a nice cheer as he waved.

11:29 – Mike Pence arrives:

Vice President-elect Mike Pence arrives at the U.S. Capitol for #Inauguration. https://t.co/2moHOZYdVL pic.twitter.com/xkNCIflJK2

— ABC News (@ABC) January 20, 2017

11:27 – And here comes President-Elect Donald Trump.

11:23 – Obama and Joe Biden are coming in now with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. Biden looks pensive, but Obama seems surprisingly cheery.

11:17 – Looks like the crowd size will be pretty decent, but not a record-breaker:

National Mall "far from being filled in," @bobschieffer says. "But it's still a good-sized crowd." #InaugurationDay https://t.co/H9n7JKbYS7 pic.twitter.com/vTpuuWBe0l

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 20, 2017

Barack Obama’s first inauguration drew an estimated 1.8 million to the Mall. Trump will end up significantly shy of that, but it’s still going to be a big crowd. Projections were for around 800,000.

11:14 – Interesting moment on C-SPAN where Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush had a brief conversation. Wonder what the subject was?

11:09 – Obama and Trump arrived a few minutes ago. Joe Biden was there as well:

JUST IN: President Obama and President-elect Trump arrive at the US Capitol for the #InaugurationDay ceremony https://t.co/3amB2aua9v pic.twitter.com/BIJmHY0jOW

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 20, 2017

11:08 – Rex Tillerson’s already in place behind the Trump family.

11:06 – Switched over to C-SPAN, which is not using narration or commentary. It gives a much more clear look at the ceremonial nature of all that is taking place. They just showed Trump’s children walking down a corridor before going out to the stage, where Eric corrected something Barron was doing.

11:01 – The end of the Obama era.

.@realDonaldTrump and @BarackObama leave the White House for the #inauguration pic.twitter.com/3dGZzkHOna

— POLITICO (@politico) January 20, 2017

Update, 11:00 am ET – I guess it’s a party, because Hillary Clinton has showed up:

I'm here today to honor our democracy & its enduring values. I will never stop believing in our country & its future. #Inauguration

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 20, 2017

Original post follows:

Want a ringside seat to the last moment of the Barack Obama presidency and the start of the Donald Trump era? You can either fight your way down to the Mall in Washington DC, or just stick with us. We have two livestreams for those who wish to see history unfold live, all in the comfort of your home or office. Musical acts are already performing on the Mall, but the actual ceremony won’t begin until 11:30, according to the schedule.

In fact, the transfer has already begun. Obama has left the Oval Office for the last time as president to attend Trump’s inauguration. He offered a word of thanks on his way out:

President Obama​ leaves the Oval Office for the final time. #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/tRKoYmDzud

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2017

And Trump has left church this morning on his way to the White House:

President-elect Trump and his family depart church, en route to the White House https://t.co/pakz0LbFqs https://t.co/kcg6Skz9KQ

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 20, 2017

The Obamas met the Trumps on the steps of the White House a few minutes later:

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcome President-elect Trump and future First Lady Melania Trump to the White House. pic.twitter.com/umxRiHtnL0

— ABC News (@ABC) January 20, 2017

You won’t get that view from the Mall. Besides, it’s easier to get a good view from your current location than trying to get into the site itself. Anti-Trump protesters are putting class and decorum aside … as usual:

https://twitter.com/Patrick_Madden/status/822445959959511041

It’s nice to see the Left respect the results of elections and support the peaceful transition of power, eh?

We’ll offer a choice of live streams for Hot Air readers. The first stream is NBC News, for those who want to watch schadenfreude as it occurs. The other comes from a YouTube channel which styles itself “Trump TV.” This is the only presentation on this YouTube channel, but it seems to be very well produced. Make your choice, because … it’s a free country, after all.

I’ll follow along and offer my commentary in reverse chronological order at the top of the post once the ceremonies are well and truly under way. Be sure to follow along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3LlPJ1wpkE