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PHOTOS: Trump Ends Inauguration Day His Way, With Dances At 3 Balls

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump took the stage at the Liberty Ball a little after 9:30 p.m.
Molly Riley
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AFP/Getty Images
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump took the stage at the Liberty Ball a little after 9:30 p.m.

Newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump and wife Melania Trump ended a busy Inauguration Day with a visit to three balls in Washington.

The Liberty Ball and Freedom Ball both took place at the Washington Convention Center. The Trumps took the stage first at the Liberty Ball shortly after 9:30 p.m.

"Well, we did it," Trump began. "We began this journey and they said we — we, and me — we didn't have a chance. But we knew we were going to win." Trump thanked his supporters, along with his wife Melania and Vice President Mike Pence.

"We want to see great things happen for our country," Trump said. "We want to make America great again and we will."

Their first dance was to musicians performing the Frank Sinatra song "My Way."

The first lady's dress at the inaugural ball, which often ends up in a museum, was a joint effort of designer Hervé Pierre and Melania Trump.

Vice President Pence and wife Karen join members of the Trump family for a dance during the Freedom Ball at the Washington Convention Center Friday.
Kevin Dietsch / Pool/Getty Images
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Pool/Getty Images
Vice President Pence and wife Karen join members of the Trump family for a dance during the Freedom Ball at the Washington Convention Center Friday.

A little over 45 minutes later, according to The New York Times, the Trumps headed over to the Freedom Ball. And their first dance was, once again, "My Way."

Supporters crowded the Freedom Ball to see President Trump dance with first lady Melania Trump Friday.
Kevin Dietsch - Pool / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Supporters crowded the Freedom Ball to see President Trump dance with first lady Melania Trump Friday.

First lady Melania Trump dances with Army Staff Sgt. Jose A. Medina, who is from Ponce, Puerto Rico and served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Pool/Getty Images
First lady Melania Trump dances with Army Staff Sgt. Jose A. Medina, who is from Ponce, Puerto Rico and served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The final stop was the Salute to Our Armed Services Ball at the National Building Museum. Many of the attendees were service members in full uniform. The president, first lady, vice president and second lady each danced with a service member.

During the ball, Trump addressed service members in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan via a live video link. "You have somebody that's going to be right alongside you," Trump said, per DoD News. "We're going to do it together. Honestly, not only the support you've given me, but the courage you show is incredible, and it's going to be appreciated. It's going to be appreciated more than ever before."

President Trump talks with service members in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan via video link during the Salute to Our Armed Services Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
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Getty Images
President Trump talks with service members in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan via video link during the Salute to Our Armed Services Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

The night closed with Trump and Pence cutting a giant red, white and blue cake — with a saber.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

President Trump and Vice President Pence concluded the third ball of the evening by cutting a giant cake with a saber.
Pete Marovich / Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trump and Vice President Pence concluded the third ball of the evening by cutting a giant cake with a saber.

James Doubek is an associate editor and reporter for NPR. He frequently covers breaking news for NPR.org and NPR's hourly newscast. In 2018, he reported feature stories for NPR's business desk on topics including electric scooters, cryptocurrency, and small business owners who lost out when Amazon made a deal with Apple.
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