WASHINGTON ‒ Joanna Ortez drove more than six hours with her 8-year-old daughter from their home in North Carolina to catch a glimpse of President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Ortez got tickets with some friends to watch from the National Mall as Trump was set to be sworn in as the country’s 47th president. They spent around $1,000 a night on an AirBnb, which Ortez said she believed was worth it to witness history.
Enter Mother Nature.
Trump’s decision to move his inauguration ceremony into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda due to concerns over extreme cold weather meant Ortez and her daughter instead were among the thousands of people left without a way to watch the inauguration in person Monday. Like many, they were hoping for a chance to watch history from inside Washington’s Capitol One Arena.
“We drove a long way and spent a lot of money, so we are bummed we couldn’t be at the Mall,” Ortez told USA TODAY while bundled up in winter coats and fluffy hats and shopping for bright-red Trump paraphernalia at one of many makeshift shops. “But we are excited to be here.”
Cold temps and sunny spirits
More than 250,000 guests received tickets to view Trump’s inauguration in person on the grounds facing the West Front of the U.S. Capitol before the change in plans. By moving the event inside the downtown arena about a mile away, where Washington’s professional basketball and hockey teams play, only about 20,000 people were able to fit in.
Clad in red, white and blue outfits and MAGA hats, the Trump supporters who were unable to get tickets to the Capitol One Arena milled around the streets of Washington looking for ways to watch the festivities.
Crowds of people assembled and were turned away from entering the National Mall by security blocks away from the Capitol. Most were hesitant to express disappointment about not getting to see the events unfold in person.
Les Green, 56, of Hernando, Mississippi, stood near the intersection of First Street and Louisiana Avenue, the closest point he could get to the Capitol. Tall black barricades and security officers blocked the entrance to the National Mall.
Green, who was accompanied by his wife and two sisters, said he was nonetheless excited to be in Washington for the inaugural ceremonies. The group was praying for the new president.
“We’re here because we believe that God is bringing a resurrection of the values of the moral state that made our country great,” said Green, who had planned the trip more than a month ago.
Mixed sentiment
Others were quicker to acknowledge their dismay at not getting to see Trump.
John Gibbs, a 62-year-old small businessman from Chicago, said he didn’t have tickets to the Capitol One Arena but had joined a long line to get in anyway. Gibbs had attended Trump’s Sunday rally in the arena and wanted to try his luck at getting in again.
“Of course, I’m disappointed but at 12:01, we’ll have a new president and our country will be on the right track,” he said.
Laurie Caspell said she traveled more than 2,500 miles from her home in Oregon to watch Trump’s inauguration from the National Mall with her grandson.
They weren’t able to get tickets to the Capitol One Arena, so the duo stood along the security perimeter near the Capitol building. They were planning to find a local restaurant to sit, warm up and watch the events.
“You just don’t get everything you want in life. So you make the best of what you have” Caspell said.
Her grandson, Jesse Campbell, of Oakland, Maryland, had taken the day off from his Catholic school. He had a different outlook on the change in plans.
“It sucks,” he said.
(This story and its photos have been updated.)
