1News US correspondent Logan Church was in the US capital to witness the extraordinary response to Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration.
On the freezing, trash filled streets of downtown Washington DC, I saw the phrase “Daddy’s Home” everywhere.
People were chanting it at nearby media as they waited in line to get in the Capital One Arena, stepping over discarded camping chairs, food containers, and coffee cups that had accumulated in piles where they’d been abandoned by people waiting overnight.
It was emblazoned on stickers. Posters. T-shirts. Hoodies. Everywhere.
It was a sentiment shared among everyone I spoke to on inauguration day – almost like the story of the prodigal son in the book of Luke. Except the son is Donald Trump. And he was about to be the commander-in-chief again of the most powerful country on the planet.
And he was back to save them from the abyss.
He overcame impeachments and criminal indictments to win another term in the White House. (Source: 1News)
“We are here to support Trump because he's making America great again,” shouted Mohammed Nazami of New York.
“He's getting all that positive energy in all Americans because he's going to reduce inflation, he's going to reduce the interest rates, he's going to develop all the businesses which the last regime has [destroyed].”
The energy and optimism in this crowd was quite infectious. I went to many Trump rallies over the course of the 2024 election campaign. But this was different. Their guy had won and was now back.
They would stand out in the freezing –6C streets just to show how much they loved him and needed him. They didn’t care that the 21,000-capacity arena, which was their only chance to see Trump in the flesh, was packed out not long after the doors opened at 8am.
They just wanted to be part of it.
Among them was Jabah, from Alabama. She’d volunteered for Trump’s campaign and worked hard to get African Americans out to vote for him.
“We've lost so much work. Like businesses have failed. People are working, it says, employment is up. People are working three and four jobs just to do the same thing with one job that we used to be able to do,” she told me. “I got five jobs right now.”
“Is that sustainable?” I interrupted.
“I mean, I have little to no sleep and then you have children – and, I mean, how can we provide – so I'm here to say, hey, we need a change.”
I asked her if she thought Trump could deliver on his promises, which included as of yesterday a pledge to fix “all” of America’s problems.
“I think he has the courage, the balls of steel that's needed to do that, to stand up against powers, principalities that are in high places. And so, he's standing up against those powers with God's help,” she said.
“We're praying for him.”
For many in Washington DC yesterday, this was round two as they’d travelled for Trump’s first inauguration after he won the 2016 election.
Robert Reyes from Texas was among them - he’d driven more than 20 hours with his children and grandchildren to be there.
He hoped Trump would instigate some big changes in America and its society.
“That's what we're hoping for. That's what we voted for,” he told me.
“Hopefully [he will] turn the economy around. I'm also a big opponent of the woke thing. In fact, all my grandkids are homeschooled. They don't go to public school.”
After his inauguration rally at the arena, Trump went straight to the White House to continue signing executive orders. He promised to start day one - and he did.
The challenge is that Americans are now hoping for big things from him, and critics say it’s still not clear how he will achieve some of his biggest promises, such as driving down the cost of living.
Many of those I spoke to yesterday were also hopeful Trump could try and unite a country and world that is bitterly divided.
A seemingly difficult task given thousands of people were marching in the streets over the weekend terrified of what a Trump presidency might mean for them.
It wasn't without its challenges, as states pushed back on his record-breaking number of executive actions. (Source: 1News)
Tom, from Florida, had this pitch: “He's not trying to destroy our world. He's not trying to destroy the USA. He's trying to let people do their job. And at the end of the day, maybe we'll get cheaper airfares in New Zealand.”
“We need the tourist money,” I said, half joking (but not really).
“Nothing wrong with that. We'd love to be there because it's got to be warmer there than here,” he said.
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