WASHINGTON: Thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters packed a Washington arena on Sunday (Jan 19) to celebrate his victory, a day before the president-elect returns to power with plans to aggressively reshape U.S. immigration and trade policy.
Throngs of fans danced to musician Kid Rock’s performance as they awaited Trump’s arrival at a “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at Capital One Arena, an indoor hockey and basketball arena and the venue for some of Monday’s inauguration festivities after forecasts of bitter cold prompted officials to cancel the planned outdoor festivities.
The rally was likely to resemble the free-wheeling speeches that have been a Trump staple since his first White House campaign in 2016. The event marked his first major address in Washington since he delivered a speech on Jan 6, 2021, to his supporters that preceded the storming of the US Capitol.
Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser, told the audience that Trump would issue an executive order on Monday “ending the border invasion, sending the illegals home and taking America back,” drawing cheers.
Ahead of the rally, his fans, many dressed in Trump’s trademark red jackets and MAGA hats, waited in a cold, driving rain along several downtown Washington blocks, some chanting “USA! USA!”
Val Tordjman, 58, had traveled across the country from Denver with tickets to watch the inauguration. When he heard it was being moved indoors, he said, “I felt like crying.”
Tordjman said he planned to spend the night on the street next to the arena, despite temperatures forecast to plunge to around -7 degrees Celsius. He said he had yet to see Trump in person.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said.
Large swaths of the city around the US Capitol and White House have been blocked off by steel fences since last week and there was a heightened police presence throughout the area.
