- The Inauguration was moved to the Capital Rotunda and Capital One Arena amid freezing weather.
- Attendees expressed optimism about Trump's ability to restore 'American values,' improve the economy and adapt policies that will return the country to 'normalcy.'
- Many attendees highlighted the importance of faith and expressed hope that Trump's leadership would refocus the nation on traditional values and God.
WASHINGTON — After spending a good chunk of Saturday and Sunday in the rain and snow in frigid temperatures, supporters of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump were back in line outside Capital One Arena at 6 a.m., Monday morning, in the hopes of seeing him speak on Inauguration Day.
After schedule changes due to poor weather, the ceremony, which typically takes place on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, was moved to the Capitol Rotunda with a much smaller audience. Those who stood in line were let into Capital One Arena to watch the inauguration ceremony live and then later were visited by the president and his family, Vice President J.D. Vance, entrepreneur Elon Musk, FBI director nominee Kash Patel and others.
However, Capital One Arena seats 20,000, while the National Mall has seen crowds in the millions. So, starting in the wee hours of the morning, attendees squished into crowd control barricades in serpentine formation, to ensure their spot inside to see Trump and watch his inaugural parade.
After his swearing-in at the Capitol Rotunda, and several more hours of ceremonial duties, Trump spoke to his supporters at the rally. He also signed nine official documents on stage, including one that overturned 78 executive orders signed by former President Joe Biden.
“Could you imagine Biden doing this?” Trump said. “I don’t think so.”
Inauguration parade in Capital One Arena honors man killed at Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump rally
As the indoor parade got underway, members of the Fire and Rescue Services from Butler, Pennsylvania, were the first to walk across the floor at the Capital One Arena. They entered holding a firefighter’s uniform with the name “Comperatore” on the back, honoring Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old who was shot and killed during the assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in July.
Also featured in the parade was the Middletown High School marching band, the Ohio school Vance attended.
Trump thanks his family, signs a slew of executive orders
When Trump took the stand, he recognized each of his family members and many of his team and thanked them for their help with his campaign. He said his son Barron Trump encouraged him to go on Joe Rogan.
Trump also invited on stage the family members of hostages held by Hamas, and they stood behind him during the remainder of his speech.
He then signed executive orders on issues like illegal immigration, a federal government hiring freeze, a requirement for federal employees to go back to work in-person, and withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.
Elon Musk praises American values, calls the election a ‘fork in the road of human civilization’
Earlier in the day, after attending Trump’s swearing-in, Musk spoke to those in the arena. He told them, “One of the most American values that I love is optimism. We’re going to make the future good. We’re going to believe it’s good. Man, I can’t wait.”
Inauguration attendees echoed the hope Musk talked about.
Mary Homkey, from upstate New York, said, “I’m just filled with gratitude, and he’s (Trump) got great people behind him.”
“I’m just so excited,” Homkey continued. “I can’t wait for everything to get back to semi-normal and make some sense.” She expressed optimism about Trump changing DEI and gender-related policies.
While waiting in line, 20-year-old Kylan, from Denver, Colorado, also expressed his optimism to the Deseret News about Trump helping to build a better economy for young people.
“I’m not voting for a pious leader like that, I’m voting for someone who’s going to make a strong economy,” he said. “Having a leader who’s strong, who’s going to represent us with strength to foreign countries, who’s not going to get pushed around, somebody who’s going to stand up for us”.
Support from Southern California: ‘I hope he will bring things back to normal’
Felipe Gomez and Nicole Xu flew to D.C. for the inauguration from San Diego, California.
Outside the U.S. Capitol on Sunday night, Gomez and Xu explained why they made the long trek on one of the coldest days of the year.
“I went to UC Berkeley from 2012 to 2017, but when I was there, I saw everything,” Gomez said. “I was there in 2015 when Trump announced (his presidential run). We saw all these riots, we saw antifa smashing windows at my school.”
He continued, “From then on, I started digging and digging and seeing through all the lies and propaganda,” and since then, he said he’s become the only Trump supporter and conservative in his family.
Gomez believes Trump is a great example of the American dream. “I think he’s such a good role model for this country,” he said.
“I mean, his grandparents were immigrants, they built successful businesses and they continued that. I mean, just look at his (Trump’s) family. He has such a beautiful family,” Gomez said.
Xu explained how her support for Trump grew as she felt Democratic leaders in California and D.C. “did too much.”
“They took it too far,” she said. “Like at school, kids are forced to accept knowledge that they’re too young to understand. They (Democrats) just overcorrected. I hope Trump, when he goes back to office, I hope he will bring things back to normal.”
Xu added, even though Trump is “such an old man, he still has so much energy.” This drew a laugh from Gomez, and Xu added, “He keeps learning, and really, he’s not stubborn,” she said, referencing his change in position on TikTok. Gomez agreed, adding, “He adapts.”
After being sworn in, Trump calls for a ‘revolution of common sense’
In his inaugural address, Trump reviewed his plans for the coming four years, including eliminating diversity initiatives, sending Americans to Mars, establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), increasing U.S. drilling and more.
Peter Spira, from upstate New York, told the Deseret News, “Trump’s return to the nation is a return to the way the country used to work, which is a meritocracy.”
He said Trump’s desire to move away from DEI initiatives in the federal government is returning the U.S. to the nation’s founding ideals.
“People work, and they succeed in this country. The ability of every American is to attain whatever they want. The harder they work, the more they’re going to accomplish and the safer they’re going to be,” Spira said.
Nichos Nicholaou, from Michigan, also agreed with Trump’s call to return to a meritocracy in the U.S., calling the transition from Biden to Trump “absolutely a change.”
For Nicholaou, Trump represents “getting back to American values, morals and what made America great.”
Inauguration-goers express their faith
From Greensboro, North Carolina, Deanna Lovin said the best thing Trump could do in his presidency is to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.”
“I’m going to stand on it, because the scripture applies to everybody in this country,” she said. Lovin quoted Psalms 20:7-8: “The scripture says, ‘Some trust in horses, some trust in chariots, but we’re going to put our trust in the Lord.‘ President Trump, put your trust in and lean on the Lord, and you can’t go wrong when you do that.”
Tony Gorrell, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said, “I believe that Trump will help bring God back into this country, not only in government but hopefully in our schools and all across.”
He continued, “We’ve always been a country that’s trusted in God, and we need to get back to those roots.”
After the parade and his remarks, Trump was slated to attend several inaugural balls on Monday night.