What I Did and Didn’t Do on Inauguration Weekend by Jo Freeman

 Dispatch from DC

What I Did and Didn’t Do on Inauguration Weekend

                                                         by Jo Freeman

The long weekend is finally over.  There was big news all over the world. I’m not going to tell you about the events you could read about easily. I’m going to write about the ones I went to which got very little media coverage, nationally or locally.

 I took the bus to DC last week in order to attend the People’s March, aka the Women’s March.  There have been many such marches since the first one on January 21, 2017 – the day after Trump’s first inauguration.  That day, so many women converged on Pennsylvania Ave. and the Mall that no one could count them.   Indeed, you could barely move, let alone march.   Last Saturday, there were roughly a hundred thousand people marching in DC from three national parks north of the White House to the Lincoln Memorial.  It was one of several marches around the country.

Although originally called by Women’s March, the group which emerged out of the 2017 demonstration, it soon morphed in a People’s March, as several groups and issues were added to the agenda.  Women still outnumbered men by four or five to one.  The messages on the signs were heavily on women’s issues, and most of the speakers at the rally were women.

 

Led by women, the People’s March walked west on I Street and turned south on 17^th between barriers erected by the police to control inauguration traffic..  When it reached the middle of the Mall it split, one group going down each side of the Reflecting Pool.  The lines merged in front of the Lincoln Memorial, though most people stayed on both sides of the Pool.

 

On one side, Ben and Jerry’s was giving out free ice cream.  On the other, the Communist Party was handing out free booklets. Despite the cold, the ice cream line was long. There was no line in front of the poor guy trying to give away CPUSA booklets.

 

The podium could barely be seen, even from the camera riser (which I talked my way onto for five minutes).  But the crowd could see two large jumbotrons set up on either side.  There were tents for volunteers, for press, and for those who needed respite from the cold.  I didn’t see anyone selling food. 

 

There weren’t many counter-protestors.  Half a dozen Jesus freaks were off to one side, with their usual large signs condemning “homo sex” and the Catholic Church.  There were a few verbal altercations, but the DC police made sure there were no physical ones.  When the March came down 17^th St. I saw three men in red Trump hats talking to a reporter. They were outside  the barriers.

 

It is ironic that Trump’s inauguration was on the same day as the MLK holiday.  It is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service.  A lot of people descended on DC who had no interest in service, let alone honoring Dr. King.  They were there to honor Donald Trump.

The entity which credentialed SeniorWomen Web (i.e. me) for the political conventions last summer offered us a ticket to the swearing-in ceremony on the west front of the Capitol.  I said “sure,” not knowing if I really wanted to go, or what I would write. The only other ceremony I ever attended was Bill Clinton’s in 1993, when I represented a small feminist newspaper.  I like political spectacle, even when I don’t care much for the topic or the person. And I like to take photos.

What I really wanted was a press ticket to the camera riser on Freedom Plaza so I could photograph the parade as it came up Pennsylvania Ave., as well as the protests that would try to disrupt it.  I’ve made it onto Freedom Plaza for a few inaugural parades, but never onto the camera riser.  You need to be higher than the crowd to take the best shots; otherwise you are trying to shoot over the heads of all the people in front of you. I spent several days phoning and emailing different committees trying to find out where to apply for access. Suffice it to say that I didn’t get an answer, let alone a press pass.

Tickets to the swearing-in were distributed on Friday. I made my way through gates in numerous ten-foot fences to pick up SWW’s at a Senate office building. 

I passed by numerous signs telling people where to go on January 20, depending on the color of their ticket.  There were six colors; blue and lime were closest to the podium. 

 

I also saw numerous flags flying at half-mast in mourning for President Jimmy Carter, and one very cold man behind a table selling inauguration merchandise to nonexistent passers-by.  When I asked him if he was raising money for any particular group, he said he would make a donation to the Republican Party. I told him to keep whatever he made; there are plenty of billionaires giving money to the Republican Party. They aren’t sitting in the cold.

 

Everyone’s trying to make money off of the inauguration. The DC Metro system was selling SmartTrip cards with Trump’s picture on them for $2.  All those visitors had to buy a card and put money on it in order to use the Metro system. While several stations were closed for security, you couldn’t get there from here on a bus or in a car.  Best to park outside and ride inside, even though some of the key stations were closed.  If you bought a bunch of Trump SmartCards, wonder what they would sell for on eBay?  If Trump can sell tennis shoes, why shouldn’t WMATA sell Trump SmartTrip cards?

After getting my seat ticket I paid a visit to my two New York Senators, hoping someone in their office would know how I could get on the camera riser.  I found them passing out fancy programs and inauguration tickets to constituents who had requested them.  “What color are they,” I asked.  “Different colors for different people.” I was told. Since my Senators are Democrats and this was an inauguration mostly of interest to Republicans, I could only wonder who got blue and lime.   The fancy program booklets contained photos of Trump and Vance; both looked very glum.  They weren’t the happy warriors one would expect of those who had won a marathon.

That evening I went to a People’s Shabbat, held in a street in front of the DC ADL office.  Conducted by a female rabbi, it was produced by DC JVP (Jewish Voice for Peace) as part of their ongoing Free Gaza protests.  It was chilly outside, but not freezing.

Later that night I received an email saying “I regret to inform you that you will not be able to attend the ceremonies in person.”  The Polar Vortex descending into the area caused the swearing-in ceremony to be moved inside where space was limited.  Although I was disappointed, it was probably a blessing in disguise. At least I wouldn’t spend six hours freezing in the cold, before trying to find a spot from which I could shoot the parade.  Instead, there was no parade up Pennsylvania Ave.  It too was moved inside of a nearby sports arena.

Every four years a reviewing stand is built on both sides of Pennsylvania Plaza in front of the White House for the President, his guests and the press to watch the parade from relative comfort. The usual denizens are gradually moved out of Lafayette Park beginning in October.  This year they were moved to the north side of H Street.  The reviewing stands remained empty.

 

In closing, let me leave you with a Constitutional mind-bender.  Article II, Section 8 of the US Constitution says that the President shall take an Oath “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office....”  The 20^th Amendment says that the terms of President and Vice President “shall end at noon on the 20^th day of January.” As I watched the ceremony on TV, I noted that Vance was taking his oath at noon.  Trump took his a couple minutes later.  In effect, Biden ceased to be President while Vance was taking his Oath.  Does that mean that Vance was President in the brief time before Trump took his Oath?  Or that no one was?

 Copyright © 2025 by Jo Freeman

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