At military ball, Trump keeps target on old foes On a night of unity and celebration, the new president returns to his divisive campaign-trail ways.

It began with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania slow-dancing to a rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

But the night of glamorous inauguration ball-hopping usually reserved for unity and celebration ended with Trump using deployed troops as a cudgel to bash the media – and the nation’s 45th commander in chief driving home the message that he overcame insurmountable odds to handily win the election.


Engaging with troops in Afghanistan who congratulated him via satellite at the Armed Services Ball, the final event of the night, Trump touted the generals in his Cabinet, boasted of his military support and used the troops to knock the press.

“It’s a 10-second delay, but I like them much better than I like the media, right?” he said.

Even as he addressed a crowd of military officials, the president largely talked about himself, his crowds, his campaign or his victory.

“You’re amazing people. And I like you for a lot of reasons,” Trump told them. “Also, I like the fact that you all voted for me, right? You all voted for me.”

Earlier, the first couple was introduced inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the site of the inaugural Liberty and Freedom balls. They danced together at each ball before heading to the National Building Museum for the Armed Services Ball, where they danced together for the final time, as well as with a service member.

“Well, we did it. We did it,” Trump, who wore a black tuxedo and a bow tie, said to applause at the first ball. “We began this journey and they said we — we, and me — we didn’t have a chance, but we knew we were gonna win. And we won. And today, we had a great day.”

Trump participated in a host of events Friday, including tea with the Obamas, his official swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol and the inaugural parade to the White House, among others. He also signed an executive order and commissions for two of his Senate-confirmed Cabinet nominees.

Trump told of how “nice” people were to him as president Friday and spoke of an “unbelievable” crowd, although the inauguration’s attendance was noticeably smaller than the turnout for now-former President Barack Obama in 2009. Trump, however, apparently saw it differently, falsely claiming that “even the media said” his inauguration crowd “was massive.”

Trump at least did manage to escape the forecast of rain until his address, which he detailed as he spoke to the guests at the first ball.

“God was looking down on us, I will tell you,” he said of his good fortune, before thanking his supporters, including his wife — who was clad in an elegant ivory gown by designer Carolina Herrera’s former creative director Hervé Pierre — “my No. 1 supporter.”

Trump promised change “over the next few weeks” but didn’t go into any detail. Instead, he got to the point of why he was there. “It’s a tremendous honor to have the first dance with Melania,” he said, noting that they would be joined by Vice President Mike Pence, his wife Karen and the children of both families.

Before their first dance as the first couple, though, Trump said the work of his administration begins. “We’re not playing games,” he promised. “The work begins.”

Trump sounded a similar tune at the Freedom Ball, where he recounted his rise to the Oval Office and ultimately declared the fun now begins.

“I wanna thank everybody for being with us and for sticking with us, and it’s been an amazing experience and now the fun begins, OK?” he said. “Now the fun begins. We’re gonna do a really good job, and I will be fighting every single day for you.”

The president and first lady danced with a Navy officer and Army staff sergeant, respectively, at the final inaugural event of the night. The Pences also danced with a service member — the vice president an Air Force master sergeant and the second lady a Marine Corps sergeant.

He told the assembled military and law enforcement officials he likes them for many reasons, including the fact, he said, that they voted for him — and reminded them, too, that people maintained that he didn't have a chance to actually become president and trailed in the polls.

“These are much finer people, nicer people” than the media, Trump said, moments after asking them not to be “too tough” on him “like these people.” But the troops, he added, are “only nice right now to me. They’re probably definitely not so nice in other ways.”