
On the day before Monday’s presidential inauguration, then-President-elect Donald Trump held a rally in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol One Arena. The event’s line wrapped around several blocks, where supporters celebrated and bought merchandise.
Vendors lined the rally selling apparel with slogans such as “Make America Great Again” and “Take America Back.” A cardboard cutout of Trump surfed through the crowd to the tune of DJ Captain Love’s victory music. People in all varieties of Trump-themed merchandise danced and sang along to songs such as “Party in the U.S.A.” and “Y.M.C.A.”
Standing alongside the line and vendors, Richard Waterloo entertained Trump supporters with juggling and clown gags.
Waterloo is a Pope in the Discordian faith. Waterloo explained that Discordianism is a religion without rules based on chaos and chaos magic.
Waterloo said he was politically indifferent to Trump’s inauguration: “I would prefer other things, but here we are.”
Waterloo said he usually spends his election seasons helping campaign with Vermin Supreme.
Supreme is a New England-based satirical politician who tells voters he will agree to any promise solely to gain their vote and has no intention of keeping his word.
Thomas Chappo of Pensacola, Florida waited in line outside Capitol One Arena. Chappo is a member of Bikers for Trump, a national motorcyclist group that organizes rides to Trump events.
“We were supposed to escort Trump today,” Chappo said, “but the weather stopped us from riding up here.”
Chappo said he believes people have a misconception of Trump and should focus on his actions rather than his words.
“Words don’t hurt me,” Chappo said. “His (Trump’s) actions are what made me feel good to be an American.”
Away from the rally, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student choir toured Washington D.C.
The following day, the student choir would sing “America the Beautiful” and “One Voice” as part of the inaugural ceremony.
Thomas Koch, a freshman choir member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said even though choir members range in their opinions on Trump, singing on a national stage is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity none could pass up.

Unable to protest at the Capitol on Inauguration Day, protesters met in Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park.
Left-leaning protest organizations set up information tables along the park’s edge while protesters waved flags and picket signs.
A stage and speaker system allowed for live music and speeches about racial justice, class imbalance and international conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war.
Red Nasbitt traveled from Hartford, Connecticut to advocate and spread awareness for the American Party of Labor. Nasbitt said he believes Trump’s border policy as well as his military spending plans are threats of fascism.
“We are in the process of coalition building against the fascist agenda of President Donald Trump,” Nasbitt said.
Andrew Mayton of the Peoples Power Assembly said he would protest no matter who was inaugurated. He said his experiences living in Baltimore have seeded a distrust in the current capitalist system.
“Our plan was to protest whoever got into the White House anyway because it’s two sides of the same political party, which is representatives of the rich,” Mayton said.
Since the inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day were on the same day, the Peoples Power Assembly held banners and posters with images of MLK.
“Part of what we’ve been doing in Baltimore over the weekend is trying to say we want to revive the fighting spirit of Martin Luther King,” said Mayton.
While people protested in Malcolm X Park, supporters of Trump gathered by the barricades outside the Capitol Building.
Despite the inauguration being moved indoors leaving many unable to witness the event in person, people still gathered close to the Capitol to show support and see the president’s motorcade to the White House.
Brazilian State Deputy Bruno Engler traveled to Washington D.C. with fellow Brazilian politicians to support Trump and represent former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Trump was invited to the inauguration, but the Brazilian courts did not allow him to attend.
Engler said Bolsonaro’s travel denial was a targeted and unjust act on the former president.
“President Bolsonaro was the greatest president we ever had and unfortunately he is being a victim of unfairness that is going on in our judicial system,” Engler said.
News Reporter Anthony Clauson can be reached at [email protected].