It was an honor to attend the Presidential Inauguration and a first for this citizen. To be able to be present for the historic day was a privilege. The entire affair was not hectic and near the Capitol at the ceremony, was peaceful.
It was crowded and rainy. There were protesters, I was told to go f*ck myself on some occasions. But, overall this inauguration felt relatively calm and uneventful. The feeling close to the event on the Hill was civil and peaceful. I was surprised. I thought it would be packed like a Rolling Stones concert and as chaotic as a Jimmy Buffett concert.
On the way to the Inauguration, smaller protesters were hanging out, but were harmless and not very loud. One in particular was yelling at everyone he saw and while he made some humorous comments was combative and unnecessarily aggressive. However, in another part of town, there was legitimate cause for concern as people destroyed the glass windows of a downtown Starbucks.
The entire Capitol was secured by police and National Guardsmen.
But, back in the Southeastern end of D.C. things remained mostly calm. People began to fill the national mall and the Capitol earlier this morning starting at six. The event was divided into color codes that were broken down by proximity to the steps of the Capitol.
The weather was dreary and with light showers that proceeded on and off the entire time. On the way to the ceremony, several stands were selling Trump T-shirts.
It was an honor to attend the Presidential Inauguration and a first for this citizen. To be able to be present for the historic day was a privilege. The entire affair was not hectic and near the Capitol at the ceremony, was peaceful.
It was crowded and rainy. There were protesters, I was told to go f*ck myself on some occasions. But, overall this inauguration felt relatively calm and uneventful. The feeling close to the event on the Hill was civil and peaceful. I was surprised. I thought it would be packed like a Rolling Stones concert and as chaotic as a Jimmy Buffett concert.
On the way to the Inauguration, smaller protesters were hanging out, but were harmless and not very loud. One in particular was yelling at everyone he saw and while he made some humorous comments was combative and unnecessarily aggressive. However, in another part of town, there was legitimate cause for concern as people destroyed the glass windows of a downtown Starbucks.
The entire Capitol was secured by police and National Guardsmen.
But, back in the Southeastern end of D.C. things remained mostly calm. People began to fill the national mall and the Capitol earlier this morning starting at six. The event was divided into color codes that were broken down by proximity to the steps of the Capitol.
The weather was dreary and with light showers that proceeded on and off the entire time. On the way to the ceremony, several stands were selling Trump T-shirts.
The event itself was gated and screened the entire way to force all attendees into set paths. It wasn’t a long walk but wasn’t unbearable. The crowd, however, was packed and not moving. Once I got there, it was almost impossible to move deeper into the event.
Vice-President Pence was sworn in first and gave a short speech. Then Sen. Chuck Schumer gave a speech that wasn’t well-received. Like no other part of the ceremony much of the crowd booed and they booed for the entirety of his speech. Most people around me said that they didn’t want to be lectured by him or sit through a lecture. Some also said that just did not want to hear what he had to say. When President Trump gave the oath of office – the entire crowd was silent – except randomly dispersed individuals who began booing. It irritated a lot of the other attendees and some words were exchanged, but it remained civil. I was a bit annoyed because one of the booers was right behind me.
During the President’s speech, it began raining. A lot of people started leaving the ceremony. I guess they’re fair weather patriots? The President went on with his speech that’s sure to be dissected over the coming days. To summarize in a sentence the theme of the speech was this: America first. It was a speech centered on National pride, and an overture to the everyday citizens and an assurance that their government will govern in their best interests.
Then, just like that – the ceremony was over. There was another speaker, that, frankly no one listened to and people began to leave. I joined them along with the random Italian news crew. The walk back I was smushed among people and eventually waddled my way back to the open road off the Capitol after about an hour of waiting and walking in line.
What did the SOFREP readers think of the speech?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAXioj8Y3c4
Featured image courtesy of CBS News.
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