The National Mall in Washington was lined with hundreds of portable toilets on Monday, but it’s unlikely that many of them will get much use.
These were installed for the millions of people who were expected to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office to become the 47th President of the United States.
But Monday’s cold temperature, which hit minus 6.6 degrees Celsius, meant Trump’s swearing-in ceremony was held indoors.
In pictures: Trump’s inauguration
He told VOA that the last-minute change disappointed many Trump supporters who had traveled to Washington to watch Trump’s inauguration.
Unable to watch the inauguration as they had planned, some people gathered Monday morning on the National Mall, as close to the U.S. Capitol building as the fence allowed.
Melanie Voll of Ohio got tickets to see the inauguration from her representative, Bob Latta.
“With this beautiful sunshine and no wind, it’s extra frustrating,” Voll said. Both she and her son were wearing “Make America Great Again” hats while walking on the National Mall.
“We’re from the Midwest, so we’re used to the cold,” he said.
People with tickets to the Presidential Forum and members of Congress were still able to attend the ceremony in person. But moving the inauguration indoors meant most ticketed guests like Woll were unable to watch the inauguration in person.
Emma and Paige, friends from Kentucky and South Carolina, agreed that they were disappointed that the inauguration ceremony was held indoors.
“Of course we were disappointed,” Paige said. “The whole reason was for us to come and stand outside and watch it happen, but we’re still enjoying the day. It’s a nice day outside.”
Page said, he declined to share his last name because “we’ve got jobs.”
Carmen and Jeff Mayo from Yakima, Washington, told VOA they were also disappointed they couldn’t watch the inauguration in person, but said they were happy Trump would be president again.
“The main thing is that it happens and he takes the oath of office and changes start happening,” said Carmen Mayo.
Unable to watch the inauguration outside, some Trump supporters planned to watch from Capital One Arena in Washington.
A 76-year-old Falun Dafa member named Angela, who declined to give her last name, told VOA that she was headed there after stopping at the National Mall.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a religious movement banned by Beijing.
Angela said she voted for Trump because “I think the most important thing is that people are kind to each other.” Speaking to VOA, she emphasized that she was speaking in her personal capacity, not on behalf of a religious organization.
Others, like Jeff Wood of Texas, said he was not able to purchase tickets to the Capital One event before they sold out.
But since he had already made plans to come to Washington, he decided to come anyway.
“I can also see what’s happening,” he said.
Not everyone on the National Mall was a Trump supporter.
One person held a small protest in defense of transgender rights. Civil rights groups say they see Trump’s agenda as a threat to transgender rights.
According to an official, Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday declaring that the U.S. government will recognize only two genders, male and female, as well as protections for transgender people and diversity within the federal government. , will also order the rollback of equality and inclusion programs. In his new administration.
The trio of Norwegian tourists said it was a coincidence that they were in Washington on Inauguration Day.
“It’s very interesting,” Lise Johnson said.
And many vendors sold Trump merchandise on the streets of Washington. One of them, Jordan Steckler, said he does not support Trump, but he is selling merchandise to make money.
Other vendors, like Cecilia Garcia, were prominent Trump supporters. Garcia, originally from Mexico but now living in California, said she drove across the country to sell merchandise on Inauguration Day.
Garcia also said she was present during the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, during which Trump supporters tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Garcia said she did not enter the building but was selling her goods outside.
“It was beautiful,” she said.
On Monday, with just hours left in his presidency, President Joe Biden pardoned members of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack to protect them from potential politically motivated retaliation by the new Trump administration.
Trump has repeatedly said he would pardon those who participated in the attack.
Some material in this report is from the Associated Press.
