Addison Annis
A vendor selling MAGA gear stands outside of the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. as people stand in line for an inauguration watch party on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Outside the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., thousands stood in the freezing cold in the early morning hours ahead of the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump, lining up for a chance to watch a live-stream of the ceremony.
The swearing-in, scheduled for noon, was moved from outside the Capitol’s West Lawn to inside to Capitol Rotunda just three days before because of the cold weather.
More than 220,000 people had tickets to attend the outdoor ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20, many of those ticket holders were encouraged to go to other venues or keep those tickets as commemorative items. Another 250,000 were expected on the National Mall. Entry to the arena, which holds 20,000 people, was open to anyone. The presidential parade that is traditionally held after the swearing-in ceremony was also moved to the arena.
Sylvia Houston took a four-hour bus ride from New York. She said she wanted more job opportunities for Americans and believed that Trump will provide more free schooling. “I love immigrants, I love cultural foods and everything. I think if the person is in a gang that can cause chaos but if they’re just regular people [taking refuge], then I think that’s good,” Houston said.
Thousands of supporters filled the street around the arena as a row of supervisors and police officers were managing the crowd, dressed in full camo and yellow vests. At the corner of H and 10th streets, trucks blocked off the surrounding intersections to control traffic.
Vendors lined the sidewalk with “Make America Great Again” merchandise, calling out to the crowd to stay warm by purchasing their hats and gloves with Trump’s signature logo.
Among those vendors was Spike Edwards, who came from New York city on a bus, bringing his beanies and hats with him to sell. Edwards was worried about immigrants taking his job. “I am a Black American. I descend from the people who were slaves in this country,” he said. “Freedom is not free, I’ve fought for my freedom, so if somebody comes over here to be free and equal, I don’t believe in that.”
At around 8:30 a.m., officials began letting people into the venue, nearly three hours before the swearing-in ceremony. The temperature was at 18 degrees this morning, with a forecasted high of 26 and low of 12 for the day.
Jake Thomas from New Jersey also took a bus to D.C. Dressed as John Hancock, he came with two friends who also dressed in historical costume, one as George Washington. “Whoever is president makes no difference to me because you can point your finger at anybody and say this is your problem. Because it is the greatest country, you can do anything within reason, but there’s a lot more opportunities which is a great thing,” he said.
Trump won the presidency in November, beating his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump, the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony, will return to the White House after refusing to concede to President Joe Biden in 2020. The lead-up to this inauguration was markedly different, with a peaceful transfer of power expected and Biden in attendance, as is tradition.
At a victory rally on Sunday, Jan. 19 at the same D.C. sports arena, Trump pledged to make good on some of his core campaign promises on the first day in office. He is expected to issue numerous executive orders as soon as he is sworn in. He hinted at them at the rally, including a plan for deportations.
The incoming Trump administration had been planning a large-scale immigration raid in Chicago, a sanctuary city, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the administration is rethinking the plan.
Copy edited by Patience Hurston
Resumen en Español:
Miles de personas se reunieron en Washington, D.C., bajo temperaturas gélidas, para presenciar la investidura de Donald Trump, que se trasladó al interior de la Rotonda del Capitolio debido al frío. Las multitudes llenaron las calles cerca del Capital One Arena, donde se transmitió en vivo la ceremonia y se realizó el tradicional desfile. Los vendedores se alinearon en las aceras vendiendo productos de Trump mientras la policía controlaba la bulliciosa escena.
Trump, el primer expresidente condenado por un delito grave que recupera la presidencia, derrotó a la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris. En un mitin antes de la ceremonia, prometió una acción rápida sobre las promesas claves de la campaña, incluidas las redadas de inmigración dirigidas a inmigrantes indocumentados con delitos menores, que comenzarán el 21 de enero en Chicago. El evento marcó una transferencia pacífica del poder, en contraste con las polémicas secuelas de las elecciones de 2020.
Resumen en Español por Manuel Nocera
Resumen en Español editado por Doreen Abril Albuerne Rodriguez