Tapper taken aback by Trump's address: 'One of the most radical inaugural speeches we’ve ever heard’

Thousands poured into Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2017 as he kicked off his administration with a memorable inaugural address. CNN's Jake Tapper discussed the address with Wolf Blitzer during their 'Newsroom' coverage.

"It was very consistent to the Trump brand absolutely," Tapper said, calling the address "one of the most radical inaugural speeches we've ever heard. It was purely populist."

He continued, "It attacked Washington while standing inside the center of Washington, D.C. while surrounded by Washington insiders. There was nothing particularly conservative about this Republican president's speech. It was purely populism."

"It looked at the United States and the role of the United States in a way that departures greatly from what we've heard from all his predecessors," Tapper said, calling it "consistent with his brand."

Journalist Dan Rather also commented on the speech in a Facebook post on Friday, noting that Trump "painted a very dark picture of the current state of our nation."

See Tapper' full remarks below.

.@jaketapper: "I think it's fair to say, this is one of the most radical inaugural speeches we've ever heard" https://t.co/bGrMcGDeOR

— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 20, 2017