The Inauguration and Its Discontents

V., 28, lawyer for the federal government; Washington, DC: I’m here because I want to make sure that I live in a world where it’s never comfortable for someone to be an alt-right white supremacist. I want that badge to always be something very uncomfortable to carry. So I’m doing my darnedest to contribute to that. I also believe that the incoming administration is making a mistake by demonizing hard-working government employees who are showing up every day to serve the American people. He’s disrespecting this country, its values, and the people who are counting on him by appointing people to his cabinet who have no experience in government, and who do not believe in the mission of the agencies they will be leading. And I believe this will have very grave consequences.

James Keisler, federal government employee and Marine veteran, with Christina (right), 9, and Kailey (left), 12; Harpers Ferry, WV: I wanted to involve my daughters in this historical event and be part of the new president’s inauguration. I think the world’s changing. I think it’s important for them to be knowledgeable about current events, about the decisions that affect their country. And I just wanted them to be a part of it.

Kailey: I’m here to root on our future president and learn more about the history of our country. I’m really excited to be here.

Christina: I feel like it’s an amazing opportunity to learn about the world and what happens, and to be more educated.

Mykel Kennedy, 19; Fort Collins, CO: I came to defend the free world. We’re so fortunate to have a democracy and a republic, and I think its my obligation to be here to not only protect the freedoms we have in this country, but also to promote the rights of all the people who live in this country. For certain people, these right are very threatened. And certain comments made by Donald Trump have me very concerned for a lot of people’s rights and a lot of people’s dignity. I work a full-time job, and I’m in school full-time. People my age are really passionate about defending civil liberties.

Rachel Teufert, 21, college student and Army reservist (Manassas, VA); with brother John William Teufert, 17, high school senior (Woodbridge, VA) : This is my first presidential election and I have to admit that, at first, I was not a very big Trump supporter. But when it came down to Trump or Hillary Clinton, there was no question who I felt was a better candidate for the job. I’m not a huge fan of the tax system under President Obama, and I didn’t feel that Hillary Clinton would be willing to change that. I didn’t want to go into the workforce in a world where it almost doesn’t make sense to work, because you’re taxed to such an extent that you’re never going to start your own business or career.

John: I will admit that there are definitely people who are very out of the park with their beliefs that have come out in support of Donald Trump—like the grand dragon of the KKK. There are extremists on both sides, both Republican and Democrat. I’m out here to prove a point that there are levelheaded reasonable Trump supporters.

Annie Pi, 25, federal government employee; Washington, DC: I’m here to show that the majority of Americans don’t support Trump’s agenda. We’re not going to stand by his philosophy of misogyny and racism. And we don’t want a president who supports these policies. I work in sustainability, and it’s been hard. It seems like Trump is trying to roll back a lot of policies that have been designed to advance renewable energy. He’s appointed climate change deniers. It’s only going to get more difficult.

Barbara Vorhes, 78, retired third-grade teacher; Carlisle, PA: I think our president now is leading us down a path of socialism, Marxism, and communism, so we aren’t as great as we used to be. I want Trump to make us much freer than we are today. I’m a believer in Jesus Christ, and I have accepted him as my personal savior. I feel that the pastors ought to be able to speak what they want from the pulpit. We have freedom of speech in America, supposedly, but it’s being taken away.

Michael Beer, 53, nonprofit director; Arlington, VA: I’m here to protest the DeploraBall, which is celebrating Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency of the United States. Some of the attendees, if not many of them, are white nationalists, or white supremacists, and I find that very … deplorable.

Marisa Hahn (right), 22, high school teacher; MD: Because Trump was elected, I know that I, my children, and my grandchildren will be able to own guns, and practice the religion they want, and have freedom of speech.

Kathy Hahn, 53, accountant; Northville, MI: I want someone in office who’s not a politician and will turn things around, so we’re not on a treadmill doing the same old thing. Donald Trump says what he means and means what he says, and he doesn’t care what people think about him, and I love that.

Gwendolyn, 31; New York, NY: We’re all here because there’s a person ascendant right now who’s bad, bad, bad. And you can name so many reasons why. I could go ’til morning and I wouldn’t name them all. He’s the worst. How can this be happening? What else can you do but express your dissent. Fuck Donald Trump. I don’t like cursing … and I’m mad at myself for saying it. But I hope everyone comes out of this okay.

Spencer Rathbun, 28, software engineer; IN: For me it was like watching a sports team win, so this is the big party at the end of the year. This is the time to celebrate! My guy won! I feel hope for the country. My father’s a veteran. He’s disabled, and he can’t get Medicare to help him with his medications; he can’t get the VA to help him with his medications. It’s very difficult. He has to live with me. So it hits very close to home.

Meghan Belaski, 40; Fort Collins, CO: I’m here to be with people that I think deserve a voice. In talking with people in the streets, for and against Trump, I do find a lot of commonality. We all have children that go to public schools, we all have elderly parents that need health care and benefits that they’ve been promised ever since they started working. We all want safety in our streets and a peaceful world. We just think that there’s different ways of going about it. But what we’ve also discovered in our discussions is that we keep saying, “Oh ‘they, they, they,’ are going to fix it. Let’s give ‘them’ a chance ’cause ‘they’re’ gonna fix it.” We’ve given so much power to the “them” and “those people” that we forget that we are the ones with the power.

Alice Croft, 69, dental office manager; Gardners, PA: I’m here for Donald. Donald Trump. To welcome and embrace a president who stands for the people of the United States of America. I’m very saddened over the constitutional rights that are continually being taken away from us. I want my country back.

Diane Denk, 71, retired elementary school teacher; Hinkley, Ohio: I have a beef. It’s with the universities, and most of these liberal educators who are trying to form the minds of young people in one way, which is liberalism, socialism, and communism. I’m totally against that.