As the second Trump inauguration moved indoors, even the Proud Boys were left out in the cold
Share:
Thousands of the new president’s supporters were surprised to find they weren’t included. Donald Trump’s return to Washington was supposed to be a day of thrills for his supporters: with packed crowds on the National Mall, an all-star lineup of tech leaders and a handful of celebrities in town to usher in a president who had been counted out by many due to the stunning circumstances of his departure in 2021.
Instead, cold winter weather forced a change in the president’s plans. At the last minute, for the first time in decades, the transition team announced that an elaborate ceremony would be moved inside the Capitol Rotunda. Thousands of Americans — Trump’s own supporters — were metaphorically and literally left out in the cold, as some learned of the news after arriving in the city. The last-minute switch left most without any idea how they they would watch the inauguration of their champion, an inauguration many had spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to see in person, despite worries about winter temperatures.
Smaller crowds of Trump supporters instead made their way between rows of black Capitol Police fencing to watch the event on TV screens at the Capitol One Arena. Many Trump supporters entering the building dropped hundreds of dollars (if not more) worth of belongings that they were prohibited from bringing inside.
But it was a fraction of those who had hoped to watch the inauguration in person. More than 250,000 received tickets to view Trump’s inauguration on the grounds facing the West Front of the Capitol. Only about 20,000 could fit in the downtown arena.
