George W. Bush fighting a poncho, Barron Trump's peekaboo: 6 quirky inauguration moments

Mrs Obama receives a present from Mrs Trump at the White House on Friday, US time. PHOTO: REUTERS

Mr Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on Friday US time (Saturday Jan 21, Singapore time).

Taking the reins from former president Barack Obama, Mr Trump reiterated his promise that it would be "only America first" from now on.

Behind the scenes, however, not all was solemn and ceremonial.

Here are six quirky moments from the inauguration.

1. George W. Bush struggling with his poncho

The former US president was photographed trying to come to terms with his poncho, as it was raining at the Capitol in Washington, DC, where the inauguration was held.

Each person was reportedly given only one poncho, which seemed inadequate based on Mr Bush's fiddling with the clear plastic.

Pictures of his resigned face were quickly turned into an Internet meme to express how some felt about the inauguration.

2. Trump's youngest child Barron playing peekaboo

Mr Trump's 10-year-old son, Barron, who caught the fancy of the Internet in November while struggling to stay awake on election night, was caught on camera again.

This time, he was shown playing peekaboo with Ivanka Trump's baby boy, as his father signed official documents in the foreground.

Talk had been rife online, pointing out that the only child of Mr Trump and Melania Trump had been conspicuously missing from pre-inauguration activities.

3. BBC 'uses wrong subtitles' for inauguration

British news corporation BBC supposedly used the wrong subtitles in a segment of its live coverage of the inauguration.

In a 38sec video posted on Twitter by user @Kaytality, a TV screen shows footage of former President Obama with his eyes closed, overlaid with the subtitles: "Just shut it, yeah? Oi! Leave him alone!"

The screen pans to Mr Trump, with the accompanying subtitles: "Just tell him to get out of my face. So it was him in your room."

The subtitles are reportedly from a British series for children called The Dumping Ground.

According to a Daily Mail report on Friday, the BBC is investigating the origins of the apparent mistake and looking at whether any localised issues may have affected the viewer.

A BBC spokesman told the Daily Mail: "We have not found any evidence or had other feedback from viewers that our main output covering the inauguration was subtitled incorrectly."

4. Michelle Obama receives surprise gift from Melania Trump

First Lady Melania Trump presented her predecessor with a gift from jeweller Tiffany & Co. on the steps of the White House as Mr and Mrs Obama greeted the Trumps.

Not even a seemingly innocuous gift could escape the attention of the Internet, as pictures of Mrs Obama's expression as she accepted the box made their rounds online.

Some Twitter users joked that Mrs Obama "did not seem impressed", while others pointed out that she merely had an awkward moment trying to figure out how to hold the sizeable gift in photos.

5. Random black woman described as 'not Michelle Obama'

In its live coverage of the inauguration, a BBC commentator described a black woman outside the White House as "not Michelle Obama", prompting ridicule from Twitter users.

Reporter Katty Kay, who was fronting BBC's coverage of the Washington ceremony, described a woman in a floral dress as "not Michelle Obama, just somebody coming out and checking everything is ready, I imagine", the Daily Mail reported on Friday.

Tweets erupted in reaction, with many saying they would have recognised Mrs Obama.

6. Hillary Clinton gives Bill a long, disapproving look

Mr Trump's opponent, Mrs Hillary Clinton, was in attendance at the inauguration with her husband, former US president Bill Clinton.

She is shown on camera laughing just beside Mrs Obama, but her smile fades when she looks back and spots her husband staring at something or someone.

Netizens have been quick to joke that he was looking at Ivanka or Melania Trump.

SOURCES: Buzzfeed, Daily Mail, justjared.com, The Mirror, The Sun, The Straits Times

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