A blend of patriotism, historic significance, and appreciation for President-elect Donald Trump’s extraordinary political comeback are motivating people to attend his inaugural celebration on Jan. 20.
That was the same reason President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985 was relocated to the Capitol Rotunda. That’s where Trump, who had served as the 45th president, will take the oath of office as the 47th president.
These hardy Trump supporters shared what they think this day will mean to them, America, and the world.
Plans Changed, but Resolve Hasn’t
JoAnne Mayer, 55, a counselor and small-business owner from Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, said she knows that she will be among many thousands of people who, despite the change of venue, remain determined to be present when Trump takes the oath of office.Just after the relocation was announced on Jan. 17, Mayer told The Epoch Times she intends to arrive at Capital One Arena at 5 a.m. on Jan. 20, in hopes of securing one of the 20,000 seats inside. That’s where the swearing-in will be broadcast live, the inaugural parade will be held, and where Trump is expected to visit after taking the oath of office.
She sees the inauguration as “a rare opportunity to be surrounded by people who share the same values and vision for the future, coming together to mark a pivotal moment in history, and with the profound, profound sense of pride.”
This is the first time she has ever tried to attend an inauguration and she said the change in plans, announced three days prior to the event, was too late to try to cancel travel and hotel arrangements.
She said her group includes about 20 Canadians who love Trump. They planned their activities months ago, including special, separate gatherings throughout the weekend and after the inauguration.
In any case, Mayer said it’s profound to consider the importance of the inauguration.
Trump Seems ‘More Locked-In’
Chiedu Chika, a 22-year-old Baltimore-area college student who works in retail, said he is “100 percent” still heading to the nation’s capital for the inaugural festivities, regardless of the weather-induced changes.As a son of legal immigrants from Nigeria, Chika said he has witnessed what can happen with a government that does not operate in the best interests of its people.
“Yet a lot of people here want to cosplay ‘oppression’ here, even though this is the greatest country in the world,” Chika said.
He agrees with “common-sense” principles that Trump has espoused since his first presidential run, such as peace through strength, secure borders, and a strong military.
Chika wasn’t old enough to vote for Trump in 2016, but has cast a ballot for Trump in the two presidential elections since then. And he now feels “heavily invested” in Trump’s inauguration and presidency.
Reflecting on the two failed attempts to assassinate Trump last year, Chika said his inauguration sends a message to the world: “Never give up on good ideas. Never give up on a brighter future ... because when America is strong, the world is stronger.”
Chika has witnessed growing support for Trump among fellow blacks “because the narrative is failing, with people saying Trump is racist.”
He said Trump’s actions during his first term in office, which included long-term funding for historically black colleges and universities, convinced him that “Trump had, like, the best interest of the heart of America as a whole.”
“I feel like this will be like, even more clear in his second term,” Chika said.
He bases that opinion on Trump’s political comeback despite criminal prosecutions and opposition from mainstream media; he senses even greater resolve in Trump now.
“I can tell he’s more ‘locked-in.‘ And you could really tell with his official portrait,” Chika said, with a chuckle, noting the steely glare that Trump displays in the 2025 image in contrast to his broad grin in the 2017 one. “It’s like, ’Okay, I ran this country before.‘ It’s like, ’I’m locked in this time' ... He’s not playing.”
A 78-year-old First-Timer
Rosemary Lassiter, a 78-year-old retired schoolteacher, said she has never been so excited about a president taking office—and is heading to an inauguration for the first time in her life. She will be taking an overnight bus trip from her home near Akron, Ohio, despite Trump’s ceremony being relocated.“I want to be a person in the crowd to show my support. If I can’t see ... if I can’t get a good view, that’s not important to me,” she said. “I just want to be a part of what is happening; I just do, and that’s why I want to go so badly. I want to be a number in that crowd.”
She thinks that’s the least she can do, considering “what this man has done to get where he is and what he’s put up with.”
Lassiter pointed out that Trump collected no salary during his first term, lost net worth during his presidency, and endured “lawfare” and constant attacks as he tried to regain the White House.
Then, after he won the Nov. 5 election, “what that man has accomplished since then, even before he takes office, is just incredible,” she said. For example, she believes he strongly influenced the recent Israel-Hamas cease-fire and hostage-release deal. In addition, since his victory, Trump has been hosting meetings with world leaders and cabinet members “at his own expense, not the taxpayers’ expense,” at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, mansion, Lassiter said.
By attending the inauguration, “I figure I can be that one more person there, telling him this just might be something that’s that makes it all worth it,” she said.
Another reason Lassiter wants to attend is that “ it’s absolute history. ” Trump is only America’s second president to be reelected to a nonconsecutive second term, following Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd and 24th president in the late 1800s.
In preparation for the historic occasion, Lassiter did something out of character: she asked her manicurist to change her usually plain, “nerdy” nails to a star-spangled, patriotic design.
“And the girl who does my nails—she’s done them for years—she laughed so hard,” Lassiter said.
Lassiter says attending the inauguration follows a lifetime of being “a patriot” who descended from immigrants who fled “terrible conditions” for a better life in America.
“We were raised to love the country, to appreciate everything,” she said. “Some people in this country are so ignorant; they don’t know what it’s like to be in countries where they’re told what to do, where to go, how to work, what they’re going to do in life ... people don’t know that they should kiss the ground here and appreciate every freedom that we have.”
She appreciates that Trump seems to be reinvigorating American pride and taking steps to strengthen the nation despite continuing opposition from “the left.”
“I think he’s strong enough, and I think he’s choosing the right people,” she said.
Lassiter says she’s more excited about Trump’s second presidency than she was about his first one.
“I saw what he did in those four years, and, I guess most importantly, in those four years, I put my head down on my pillow and knew I was safe,” she said.
Patriotic Tractor Driver Proud to Represent Iowa
Gary Leffler, 63, of West Des Moines, Iowa, said he and his wife, Jannell, were headed to Washington largely because of a “unique honor.” They were selected to participate in Trump’s inaugural parade with their decked-out, patriotic tractor.Considering that many thousands of people applied to participate in the parade, “for them to pick the little Iowa farm tractor, him and his wife to come, it’s somewhere off-the-charts,” Leffler said.
However, he said, “We don’t look at this as ‘Gary and Jannell.’ We look at this as ‘us’ representing Iowa and all the good things about Iowa—you know, you have strong family, strong communities, a strong honor ... a state that lives by faith.”
Iowa marked a major initial milestone on Trump’s path back to the White House. After Trump beat fellow Republicans by historic margins in Iowa’s first-in-nation caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024, “the die was cast” for Trump to become the Republican nominee and regain the presidency, Leffler said.
“And to see that, and to have that kind of interaction here in the great state of Iowa was just phenomenal,” he said. “And so once again, Iowa leads the way ... we get to meet and do a deep dive on all these candidates.”
Trump convinced many other Iowans “he’s the one guy that can really turn this country around,” Leffler said.
Leffler said he has driven his tractor in “hundreds of parades, just anywhere and everywhere.” He estimated that spectators have taken “hundreds of thousands” of photographs of the tractor across the United States.
On Jan. 17, hours after Trump announced the revised inauguration plans, Leffler told The Epoch Times he was driving from Iowa to the nation’s capital with the tractor in tow on a trailer.
“It doesn’t fit in the plane seat,” he quipped.
‘America Has a Breath Again’
Howard Schaeffer, 56, of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, fondly recalls attending Trump’s first inauguration and senses greater energy surrounding this one, eight years later.“We all know what an amazing president he was the first time,” Schaeffer said, referring to staunch supporters like himself. But they have welcomed many new converts to Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, he said.
Schaeffer, who served in the Marines and works as a realtor, said he feels compelled to attend the inauguration “as a veteran, as a patriot, as a lover of America, as a citizen and a hard-working American.”
That impressed Schaeffer. And the grandeur of the ceremonies on a frigid, misty Friday in 2017 deeply moved him.
“I stood there in the freezing cold, with the tears streaming down my face,” Schaeffer said.
“I have told everyone since January of 2017 that I didn’t care who was being inaugurated, that every American should go and see an inauguration,” Schaeffer said, “because the power, the beauty, just everything about it was an amazing experience.”
On a personal level, the 2025 inauguration feels extra-meaningful for Schaeffer because “I’ve worked so hard to see this happen. I’ve personally made sacrifices to make this happen.”
Schaeffer said some relatives, friends, and clients have shunned him over his financial and vocal support of Trump.
But Schaeffer believes Trump will improve conditions for everyone.
“I feel like America has a breath again. I feel like America is getting up out of the sick bed and being able to go back out and live life,” Schaeffer said. Specifically, Schaeffer is eager to see the military strengthened, immigration policies tightened, and Trump’s “peace through strength” posture taking hold globally.
“I’m just looking forward to the next four years of Trump and [Vice President-elect] JD Vance, and I think they’re going to do a beautiful job for America,” he said. “I’m excited.”
‘Supervolunteer’ Is Super-Excited
Robin Medeiros, 64, said she is excited to attend an inauguration for the first time, largely because she volunteered countless hours for all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns.“Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to see it ... I gave up a lot of my business to work behind the scenes to make sure that we get Trump back in the White House,” said Medeiros, who was just elected to head the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors in Pennsylvania for this year. She also has worked on numerous other political campaigns and says she is often called “a supervolunteer.”
Medeiros said that, after Trump left office in 2021, it was tough to see people around her struggling along with the rest of America. Now, she sees Trump’s return to office as “a whole new start for our country.”
“I’m firm in my convictions that he was the best for this country, his policies were the best, and that we are now going to get this country back on track where we need to be,” she said.
Medeiros secured tickets to the inauguration ceremony, parade, an inaugural ball, and luncheon, so her schedule will be full regardless of the changes.
“I think this inauguration is just special ... It’s going to be the thrill of a lifetime.”
