Donald J. Trump was not my first choice, nor my second, third or forth choice, to lead the Republican Party into the November presidential election. Though I ultimately voted for him over Hillary Clinton and another eight years of weak, divisive, feckless leadership, I did so with great reservations, metaphorically holding my nose in the ballot booth.

President Trump's inaugural address did little to salve those reservations. My thoughts while listening to the speech vacillated broadly from "why isn't he trying to reach out to those who opposed him so vehemently," to "thankfully, he isn't forgetting the huge swath of America that Democrats have seemingly forgotten during the past eight years," to "his bombastic, aggressive approach truly reflects his leadership style; it wasn't just campaign rhetoric," to "oh my goodness, is he going to destroy America or make it great again?"

Pundits espoused boundless theories after the inaugural speech explaining why the new President's address was so strident and so totally lacking in compromise. According to some talking heads, Trump had staked out an initial, tough bargaining position with both governing parties so that he can later back off and get most of what he wants. He was pointedly appealing to those who elected him and ultimately will settle for less that what he demanded so long as his base knows he listened to them, said others. It was just a normal Trump hand grenade, thrown to get both party's attention and to rattle any group or country that might resist his plans, some pundits surmised.

Though Trump's first presidential address left many, perhaps most, Americans - to include many of his supporters - fraught with anxiety for the future of our country, it left us all with no doubt that change will occur. After eight years of promised change that was supposed to benefit all Americans, change that benefited few while leaving most with nothing but the hollow hope President Obama had promised, America is desperate for real change. The question is, will the change that President Trump engineers be better or worse than the backward-leaning stasis that Obama made us endure for so long?

Trump's speech sounded isolationist. Yes, he will demand that Europe pay its fair share for its defense, but don't let that deceive you. Trump will not draw a red line and then back off when an adversary crosses that line. Trump will not arbitrarily withdraw U.S. troops from a country that has gained stability at the cost of thousands of American lives and leave it open for the taking by terrorist groups like ISIS. Trump will not sit idly and do nothing when our Cold War enemy invades another country. Trump will not refuse to provide defensive weapons to former Soviet-bloc countries who now belong to NATO. Trump will not enter an international agreement that approves a terrorist-sponsoring country gaining nuclear weapons in a few short years. With Trump, both our friends and our enemies will know where America stands for the first time in eight years.

Trump's speech was laden with protectionist phrases regarding international trade and making "America first". Unlike the former administration, he will not allow our international competitors to use currency manipulation and government subsidies to undercut American-made products and he will not allow uncontrolled immigration to further weaken our nation's employment situation and further burden our social services.

These changes are desperately needed and long overdue, though they need to be made in a calm, thoughtful manner acceptable to all branches of government. President Trump's initial bombast after taking the oath of office seems truly to have been a "get the country's attention" message so that such changes will be expected. A message that change is surely going to occur. Our job as Americans is to pressure our congressional representatives to make sure the changes are made in a way that does as little harm as necessary to the under-privileged in our country – to include those who have been here for years without documentation but who are contributing to our society, especially those brought here years ago as children.

Yes, all Americans should expect and welcome change in Washington. For way too long Washington has been divorced from America, making decisions in a virtual vacuum without concern for how those decisions affect the majority of us. Special interest groups and big-money donors – corporations and unions - have received the benefits of Washington decisions for years while those of us in the middle have been lost in the wilderness, expected to continue contributing our tax dollars for programs that benefit us not at all.

Our country needs a change-maker like Donald Trump. Someone who doesn't care what others think of him. Someone who will pursue his agenda without regard to political arm-twisting and special interest pressures.

Thankfully, our democracy is designed to ensure a president cannot make changes that the other two branches of government find unhealthy for America. While many of the changes President Trump plans to make will become policy or law, likely without the Democrat Party's support, they will be made with the support of the majority of Congress and the Courts. Trump will not be able to engineer major changes without explicit or tacit congressional approval; even executive orders can be overturned by Congress.

Yes, I was a bit disturbed by President Trump's inaugural address but, in hindsight, not surprised. He promised change and from the get-go is insisting on making it happen. We should be wary but excited. We should be sanguine but vigilant. Most of all, we should be pleased that our country will be moving once again.

A Warwick resident, Lonnie Barham is a former Beacon columnist and frequent contributor to these pages.