WASHINGTON (Reuters) – They came from New York, Washington, North Carolina, Southern California, New Jersey, New Castle and even from Europe and China.
Many of them were long-time supporters of incoming US President Donald Trump, rallying from veterans wearing MAGA hats who fervently believed in his declarations that he would “make America great again.” Some had never heard Trump speak before and were curious.
Some of them were not particularly political but wanted to see history being made. Some believed that a convicted felon had no right to be in the White House and were protesting against him.
They were there to witness — albeit via screen — the swearing-in for a second term on Monday of Trump, who has pledged to expand the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and change the role. For the United States on the global stage.
Perry Burnett, 56, was at his first inauguration. He was dressed in red and wearing a MAGA hat.
“All this gear I'm wearing, I couldn't wear it in public in Southern California,” he said. His expectations were high. “My wife, the day he was elected, booked tickets and said, 'We have to be there for this, because this is going to change the world.'
For Dowell Williams, 61, at his fourth inauguration, it was all about the economy and inflation — an issue that polls suggest was key to Trump's victory in the November election and a major concern for many voters.
“I love bacon. I love bacon at $7 a pound. Right now, bacon is $13.50 a pound,” he said.
Grace Sun had traveled all the way from Shenzhen in southeastern China, and was hoping Trump would herald better relations between Washington and Beijing. Millie AIDS (EPA:), a high school teacher from Texas, wanted her students to know “this is a beautiful country to live in.” She had wrapped herself in a huge yellow coat to ward off the stormy weather.
The two men, named only as Alex and James, dressed as Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, were old friends who met in the US capital for the event and admitted they were not really there for politics.
“We just came to have a good time,” they said.
A photo of a protest
Not everyone was happy with the prospects for the next four years. Although anti-Trump protests were smaller than in 2017, thousands of activists held a “people's march” on Saturday and others went out in the snow to protest on Monday.
Cameron White, 27, of Manassas, Virginia, attended the event on Monday. He said he was an organizer of the Socialism and Liberation Party.
“We are not an anti-Trump protest. Trump is just a representative of a larger system. And this is the system we are organizing and trying to fight,” White said.
Morgan Artyukhina of Washington said she was worried about what was to come. She, like others at the protest, said she was concerned about what a Trump presidency would mean for immigrants, the poor and LGBT people.
But she said she also felt a sense of solidarity from people like her who opposed his policies.
“Our message is that we will not actually be divided by the hate messages they are sending,” she said. “We will stand united and we will stand up for each other.”
Like others who ventured outside, Artyukhina, wearing boots and a bobble hat, ignored the cold. The ceremony was moved indoors for the first time in 40 years due to freezing temperatures.
Michael Vasquez, 58, of North Carolina, was waving an eight-foot (2.4-meter) blue and white “Trump” sign.
“The sign here warms me up,” he said. “It warms Americans and it warms people all over the world.”
“We won. We're back. So I'm excited.”
