WASHINGTON –  As lines stretched for blocks of people vying to get to the route of President Donald Trump’s inaugural parade, a woman held a sign that said, “Hands off My Body.”

A woman in line who supported Trump yelled at her, “You support abortion in all circumstances?”

Two men near her yelled lewd remarks, while a third man who supports Trump talked to a reporter.

Yet another man yelled over and over, “Trump is a traitor.”

Donald Trump may now be president, but he is the head of a deeply divided nation. The scene at and around his inauguration on Friday reflected that.

For people on both sides, those who support Trump and those who’ve opposed it, it was just the beginning.

Of what, they disagreed, sometimes strongly.

It began early, just after the sun came up.

Four hours before Trump was to take the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, dozens of people near a gate for spectators were protesting a variety of causes including Palestinian rights and the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Several people stood in orange jumpsuits with black bags over their heads, symbolizing Guantanamo prisoners.

Nearby a man holding a sign commanding “Repent” was engaged in a battle of bullhorns, face to face with another protester.

He yelled through his bullhorn, “Jesus is coming to kill his enemies.”

The woman yelled through hers, “We want justice.”

Both talked past each other, like the comment thread in a Facebook debate.

When several protesters locked arms to keep Trump’s supporters from passing, shoving broke out on both sides. A crowd of police moved in twice, the second time in riot gear, with groups of people straining against the other like a giant rugby scrum.

Police both times pushed protesters out of the way.

As the day wore on, clashes broke out between police and protesters throughout the city. Some turned violent.

A mob of protesters away from the inaugural parade route grew to 1,000 at one point. Some wore gas masks and lobbed rocks at police.

The blast of stun grenades reverberated as police dispersed the group.

By mid-afternoon, police had arrested nearly 100 people.

But MaKray Kyer, a sophomore at Dalton State College in Georgia, was ebullient as he walked away form the Capitol after watching Trump take his oath of office and give his inaugural address.

It was “the most amazing thing I’d ever heard,” he said, thrilled that Trump had mentioned God, four times.

“We are protected by God,” Trump had said. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

He also said, “God bless you. And God bless America.”

Kyer had arrived in nearby College Park, Maryland, early the previous morning as part of a caravan of six charter buses with “Make America Great Again” emblazoned on the side.

He talked about being mocked on campus for wearing a Trump ballcap. With Trump in office, he said he feels less like an outsider.

“Conservatives can be bold now,” he said after the inaugural address.

The four years ahead looked promising for creating a stronger border with Mexico and repealing abortion rights.

Standing on a downtown street corner after Trump’s inaugural address, Daniel Hall, of Beckley, West Virginia, said he was heartened that the new president had talked about those forgotten during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Hall, who wore an NRA cap, said the past eight years “have been tough” for gun owners.

Tony Samuel, who was a press contact for the Trump primary campaign in Indiana, said he showed in his address that he’ll be a “man of action” who will bring back jobs and take on radical Islamic terrorism.

By saying “The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer,” Trump addressed a variety of Americans who feel disenfranchised, said Samuel.

In that, he said, the speech was a ”message of unity.”

Bobby Walker, 18, of Cooperstown, N.Y., who was among the first to arrive for Trump’s inauguration festivities, in the darkness before 6 a.m. Friday, say the new president will bring change.

By that he means change from the “establishment politics” in Washington, into a time of getting things done outside the influence of high-powered lobbyists.

Trump pressured Lockheed Martin Corp. to lower the price of the F-35 fighter just by using Twitter, said Walker.

But optimism toward Trump is limited. Two polls this week – one by CNN and ORC International, the other by ABC News and The Washington Post – show fewer than half of Americans have a favorable opinion of their new president.

Sandra De Alcuaz stood near the protesters in the orange jumpsuits holding a sign, “There is a man under the hood.”

De Alcuaz also said Trump’s inauguration is a beginning.

“What I fear is we will fall back in terms of environmental protection and basic freedoms,” she said. “It’s the first time in my life – and I’m in my 60s – when I’m fearful for my country.”

Then there were others who preferred not to think about how Trump is now president.

Just as he took the oath of office, three busloads of people were stopped at Knoxville, Tennessee. Two buses were from Albequerque, New Mexico, and the other was from Oklahoma City and Tulsa. They were on their way to Washington D.C. to join an expected tens of thousands of others in Saturday’s women’s march.

People aboard the buses stretched their legs, took photos and grabbed lunch as Trump spoke.

“Trump just doesn’t represent our country and our values. I don’t want to watch the inauguration,” said Jeanette Royster of Owasso, Oklahoma.

Kery Murakami is the Washington, D.C. reporter for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Sheri Gourd of the Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Daily Press contributed. Material was also used from The Associated Press.