January 19th 2025.
As President-elect Donald Trump arrived in Washington DC ahead of his indoor inauguration on Sunday, he was met with thousands of protesters. The scene was quite different from the days leading up to Joe Biden's 2020 inauguration, where the January 6 riot took place and saw Trump supporters storming the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the election results. Despite the dangerously cold temperatures, the ceremony had to be moved inside for the first time since Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1985.
However, the snow and cold weather did not deter Trump's critics from taking to the streets with their banners and signs. Among the crowd was 33-year-old financial analyst, Cassie Dominicis, who expressed the importance of being surrounded by like-minded individuals who make her feel like her vote and voice matter. Many others at the People's March focused on the threat that Trump poses to abortion rights, with signs advocating for keeping abortion legal and keeping politics out of women's bodies.
Trump had previously stated that he would leave the issue of abortion to individual states, but his appointment of conservative judges to the Supreme Court has raised concerns about the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that protected the right to an abortion. This has caused worry among protesters about potential infringements on the rights of women, immigrants, LGBT+ people, and ethnic minorities.
Organizers had predicted a turnout of 50,000 people for the march, but only around 5,000 attended. The harsh temperatures, which fell below freezing, may have been a factor. Some protesters also highlighted Trump's long-standing accusations of racism, including a recent incident during the election campaign where he questioned the ethnicity of his Democrat rival Kamala Harris, who has an Indian mother and Black father. Placards could be seen with messages such as "Respect women of color" and "Stop racism now."
Others took a more direct approach, with posters depicting Trump behind bars and labeled as a "convicted felon." The majority of protesters at the People's March were women, and as they marched, Trump and his wife Melania attended an inauguration party at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, just outside of DC. Trump had previously been found guilty of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, but avoided jail time due to his upcoming inauguration. This decision was met with criticism from Judge Juan Merchan, who stated that the only reason Trump was not facing punishment was because he was about to be sworn in as President.
The issue of abortion rights has been a contentious one for Trump, and it even threatened his chances of re-election. However, he managed to distance himself from other Republicans who were staunchly opposed to them. The People's March was met with a small group of pro-Trump protesters, including one woman named Brooke who expressed her disappointment with the outcome of the election and the lack of a female candidate.
Melody Hamoud, a Washington resident, wore the same pink hat she had at the 2017 protest against Trump's first inauguration. She explained that she didn't want to sit at home and worry, but instead wanted to be a part of the energy of the movement and be surrounded by others who shared her sentiments. Susie, who had also attended the 2017 protest, noted that this time the stakes were even higher as Trump had become more emboldened and had the support of the billionaire and tech classes. But she reassured that despite these challenges, the resistance would continue.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
