The National Mall in Washington was lined with hundreds of portable toilets Monday, but it’s unlikely many of the portable restrooms got much use.
They had been set up for the hundreds of thousands of people who were expected to watch as Donald Trump took the oath of office to become the 47th president of the United States.
But Monday’s cold temperatures, which hovered around minus 6.6 degrees Celsius, meant Trump’s swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors.
The last-minute change left many Trump supporters feeling disappointed because they had traveled to Washington to see Trump’s inauguration in person, they told VOA.
Unable to watch the inauguration like they had planned, some gathered on the National Mall on Monday morning, as close to the U.S. Capitol Building as the fences allowed.
Melanie Voll, from Ohio, had received tickets from her representative, Bob Latta, to watch the inauguration.
“With this beautiful sunshine, and no wind, it’s extra disappointing,” Voll said. She and her son both wore “Make America Great Again” hats as they walked down the National Mall.
“We’re from the Midwest, so we’re used to the cold,” she added.
Those with tickets for the Presidential Platform and members of Congress were still able to attend the ceremony in person. But moving the inauguration indoors meant the vast majority of ticketed guests, like Voll, were unable to watch the inauguration in person.
Friends Emma and Paige, from Kentucky and South Carolina, agreed they were disappointed that the inauguration was moved indoors.
“Absolutely we were disappointed,” Paige said. “The whole reason was to come and be able to stand outside and watch it happen, but we’re still enjoying the day. It’s a nice day outside.”
They declined to share their last names because “we’ve got jobs,” Paige said.
Carmen and Jeff Mayo, from Yakima, Washington, told VOA they were also disappointed that they couldn’t watch the inauguration in person, but added they were happy that Trump would be president again.
“The main thing is that it happens and that he is sworn into office and the changes begin to occur,” Carmen Mayo said.
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 provide her last name, told VOA that’s where she was headed 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.” While speaking with VOA, she emphasized that she was speaking in her personal capacity, not for the religious organization.
Others, like Jeff Wood from Texas, said he wasn’t able to buy a ticket to the Capital One event before it sold out.
But since he had already planned to come to Washington, he decided to still come.
“Might as well come see what’s happening,” he said.
Not everyone on the National Mall was a Trump supporter.
One man staged a small protest in defense of transgender rights. Civil rights groups say they view Trump’s agenda as a threat to transgender rights.
Trump on Monday plans to sign an executive order declaring that the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes, male and female, as well as orders rolling back protections for transgender people and diversity, equality and inclusion programs within the federal government, according to an official in his new administration.
A trio of Norwegian tourists said it was a coincidence that they were in Washington on Inauguration Day.
“It’s very interesting,” Lise Johnsen said.
And many vendors on the streets of Washington sold Trump merchandise. One of them, Jordan Steckler, said he didn’t support Trump, but that he was selling the merchandise to make money.
Other vendors, like Cecelia Garcia, were major Trump supporters. Originally from Mexico but now based in California, Garcia said she drove across the country to sell merchandise on Inauguration Day.
Garcia also said she was present during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, during which Trump supporters tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Garcia said she didn’t enter the building but was selling her merchandise outside.
“It was beautiful,” she said.
On Monday, with just hours left in his presidency, President Joe Biden pardoned members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack to shield them from potential politically motivated retribution by the new Trump administration.
Trump has said repeatedly that he will pardon people who participated in the attack.
Some material in this report is from The Associated Press.
