Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

In a ceremony on the steps of Capitol Hill, Trump pledged to " protect and defend" the nation's constitution with his hand on his Scottish mother's Bible.

The billionaire tycoon and reality TV star now commands the world's largest armed forces.

Trump won a shock election victory over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in November.

Throughout the campaign he was behind in the opinion polls.

Clinton won almost three million votes more than Trump but lost to the former Apprentice star due to him gathering more electoral college votes across the 50 states.

The Republican candidate promised to build a border wall along the Mexican border, ban Muslims from entering the United States as well as repeal all executive orders made by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

He has also maintained his pledge to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, brought in by Obama, which provides free healthcare to twenty million previously uninsured Americans.

The policy has blamed for rising insurance premiums being felt by many.

On Thursday, Trump resigned from all his business directorships in the UK including the Trump International Golf Course in Aberdeenshire.

The president has transferred all his business interests to two of his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric.

The First Minister congratulated Trump on his inauguration.

"The ties of family, friendship and business that bind our countries are very deep and longstanding," Sturgeon said.