Last week was nothing short of an eventful one, to say the least. A transition of power between two opposing political parties has never been easy, but this one seemed different.
Besides the cold weather and the complications that it brought, the enthusiasm from the crowds and thousands of MAGA supporters was astonishing; I have never seen anything quite like it.
A few months ago, a friend and I decided that our goal would be to attend the inauguration for the first time ever. We emailed our congressmen and received official tickets. Excited, we started to plan what we would do down there over the course of three days.
On Sunday, Jan. 19, we headed down to D.C. by car at 2 a.m. and arrived around 8 a.m. Immediately after arriving, we took public transport to a convention center, where we later learned the inauguration was being held indoors, and the general public had to go to Capital One Arena in downtown. Initially, we had no idea how many people would come, so we headed straight there. Upon arriving, we realized we had made a huge underestimation of the crowd that would be waiting to fit into this 22,000-capacity arena.
I have personally never experienced something this crazy. People were jumping over barriers, other people, and walls in the hope of getting closer. I would say that the rally, which was on Sunday (the day before the inauguration), was much more disorganized than the next morning’s inauguration watch party. After standing in line for over eight hours in the icy cold, we eventually got the news the arena was at full capacity. It was disheartening. After standing over eight hours in the freezing cold, with constant snowfall, I was ready to head to the hotel.
We woke up the next morning with great enthusiasm, in the hope we would be one of the lucky 22,000. We left the hotel at approximately 5 a.m., since the public transport opened early. Thankfully, we arrived early and secured a spot in line. After waiting for four hours, we eventually got in! Our group cheered as we entered the arena.
As we sat waiting for the big moment, we talked to so many interesting people.
Eventually, the time arrived.
At exactly 12:00 p.m. (This is designed to happen by the 20th Amendment), Donald J. Trump took the oath of office for the second time. The arena filled with thunderous applause.
A few hours afterward, the whole first family, dignitaries, CEOs, and campaign directors showed up to the arena and individually gave speeches.
One interesting thing the inauguration committee needed to work out was where to put the inaugural parade. They decided to move it into the area as well, which created more challenges but eventually worked.
After the parade, the newly re-elected president gave a speech, then continued to the other side of the stage, where he proceeded to sign eight executive orders in front of the crowd. One very notable executive order he signed was “the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty,” which he claimed would save the United States over 1 trillion dollars annually.
Overall, I believe the event was inspiring – even if you don’t agree with him – and, in some ways, also showed that we are all Americans, and that’s one thing that can unite us. One main theme in his speeches that I think attributed to this was his repetition of the phrase “America’s Golden Age.” I believe that his use of rhetoric and persuasion helped him convey his message very well to the millions who watched.
We may be a little uncertain about how the next four years may unfold. However, one thing history shows us is that the American people are willing to protect their country from foreign and domestic issues, and I look forward to seeing how both sides come together to preserve the future of the United States.
