The 7:11 a.m. Amtrak train to Washington DC was essentially the MAGA Express. Up and down the traincar aisles, fans of the 45th and now 47th President Donald J. Trump were easily identifiable in their signature red hats.
The events surrounding Inauguration looked different from the norm this time around as the incoming administration opted to hold the ceremony inside due to cold weather.
Jose Gutierrez, a Trump supporter from Springfield, Missouri, made a 19 hour trek through bad weather across Indiana and Pennsylvania. Gutierezz explained that he “made this journey to see Trump” and expressed disappointment that the Inauguration was not viewable to the general public. Moments later, he could be seen rejoicing as Trump’s motorcade drove down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the Capitol Building.
Washington DC was frigid and windy; similarly the political atmosphere has appeared to cool down significantly. The 2021 Inauguration featured attendees from both sides of the political aisle, making for a more volatile atmosphere of chanting, yelling, and political disagreement. However, the 2025 Inauguration did not have that tense atmosphere. There was little to no dissent from Trump’s political opponents anywhere near the Capitol Building.
Max Neserve, 18, was the lone opposition outside the Inauguration ceremony.
“There aren’t too many of us, but sometimes you don’t fight a battle to win it. You fight it to let history know you’re there,” said Neserve as he held a sign reading “Real Men Are Feminists.” Neserve was engaged in spirited debate with similarly aged men on the opposite side of the political spectrum — no screaming or name calling — which would have been unthinkable four years ago. About a mile away from the White House at Meridian Hill Park a group under the moniker “We Fight Back 2025” rallied in protest against the incoming President, but they were absent from the National Mall during the ceremony.
The last inauguration took place just two weeks after the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol Building, which meant there were more than 25,000 National Guard troops on sight. This go around, the police and military presence were noticeable but there were far less military vehicles and troops dawning large automatic weapons.
Eric Lee Peterson, a middle-aged Kansas City resident, who pled guilty to trespassing in the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, made his way back to DC to witness Trump take office.
“Yes, the shirt is true,” he said while pointing to the words “Convicted J6 Trespasser” on his chest. Peterson was granted permission to attend the festivities by Obama-appointed District Judge Tanya Chutkan with a couple conditions “on Saturday (Jan. 18), I got an email saying ‘Don’t go in the Capitol, which I thought was kind of funny. It was not in my plans and not to linger on the grounds.”
Peterson insists that he didn’t intend to enter the Capitol that day, and caused no damage. His sentencing is set for Jan. 27, but he isn’t expecting a pardon. “I haven’t had near the issues that other people did, I’d be more concerned about them getting action before me,” he explained. When asked if he regrets entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, Peterson explained, “If I was up by the Capitol again, I wouldn’t go in, surely. Do I regret it? I suppose a proper answer is yes,” he said with a smirk.
Organized chants and fanfare were few and far between, but occasionally you’d hear people calling for the release of the Jan. 6 trespassers. According to the Associated Press, Trump later issued sweeping pardons to defendants charged on Jan. 6, 2021.
Crowds were thin and widely dispersed throughout the National Mall, confusing barricades and crowd control techniques made navigating the area difficult and unpleasant. Aside from one brief and out of sync “U-S-A” chant immediately following Trump’s swearing in, the only organized chants came from a small group of between 50 and 70 members of the far-right neo-fascist group, the Proud Boys. Every so often you’d hear their signature “Hoo-rah” chant in the distance mixed with “F*ck Antifa” chants.
A man who introduced himself as both “Dave” and “Greg the Sermonizer” told Metro that he was the head of the Kentucky chapter of the Proud Boys. “The Sermonizer” said that he hopes for “closed borders, better first and second amendment protections, and an emphasis culturally on the nuclear family being restored” from a second Trump presidency. He also noted that he felt the Proud Boys were being “treated fairly” and “having a nice time” at the Inauguration festivities.
Overall the sights and sounds of Trump’s second inauguration were lacking. Fans of the President congregated at the home of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, Capital One Arena, for a rally following the swearing in. But access to the arena was incredibly difficult to secure in the labyrinth of 8 foot high steel fences that were erected across the city.
There were no TV’s or loudspeakers airing the speeches, attendees mostly streamed the event on their phone and cheered sporadically to out-of-sync streams.
There’s not much to see when you attend an inauguration of a US President — diplomats, politicians, and financiers of American politics go through the ritual of swearing in a new world leader in revered buildings… and the voters wander aimlessly in the cold.
