Going to the Presidential Inauguration is a once in a lifetime experience. You don't really know what to expect but you know you're apart of history. While many of us grew up with Obama as president, those eight years were unfortunately up. We've watched him do mic drops, make jokes and we've watched his daughters grow up in front of the nation's eyes. 2017, we welcome a new first family, the Trump family. This past election has been nothing but controversial. While some of us were shocked about the election results, someone was going to become our new president wether it was our candidate or not.
The lines to get into security were less chaotic than you would think. The air felt quiet, somber and different. In just a few short hours, President Obama would no longer be our president. Some ticket routes had to be rerouted due to protests. It was rare to not walk past security without passing some sort of protests.
Once inside the gates, it was a mix of emotions. People were cold and wanted the day to go by fast due to weather. It wasn't too cold, but rain was expected in the forecast. Trump supporters were "amped." They were wearing "make America great again" hats and other Trump memorabilia. They talked and talked about how excited they were for their candidate.
While some people were thrown out of the ticketed areas due to protesting, overall, the waiting experience was calm. The amount of security throughout the city was insane. If you wanted to walk along the National Mall or walk past the White House, you had a lot of detours to take.When Hillary Clinton came out however, the crowded started to "boo" and shout things such as "lock her up." When there was a democrat speakers, the crowd repeatedly shouted Trumps name. Towards the end of the ceremony, the crowd sang "hey hey hey goodbye" to President Obama.
To be there no matter who your candidate was, was a once in a lifetime experience. A mix of emotions and supporters all there for one common reason, to be apart of history. While it took what felt like centuries to get out of the ticketed areas, the atmosphere still felt different. As we watched the Obama's fly away on their helicopter, we realized this was the end of an era. Trump supporters wandered around the streets of D.C. proudly representing their candidate. While some decided to protest and sit in intersections such as the main intersection of China Town. It will take a while to get used to a new President. But we watched history happen and to be physically there as history happened was incredible. A once in a lifetime experience. Now let's see what the next four years hold in this crazy, chaotic world of politics.
