BIDEN’S LAST HURRAH
Earlier on Sunday, Trump had breakfast with Republican US senators at Blair House, the guest quarters across from the White House. John Cornyn, Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott and Tim Scott were among the attendees seen leaving the event.
He later placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. Trump saluted the tomb as a military bugler played “Taps”.
Ahead of the event, Trump’s fans, many dressed in the campaign’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 the ceremony was being moved inside, notably cutting the size of the in-person audience, 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 streets around the US Capitol and White House have been blocked off by steel fences since last week, and police were visible throughout the city.
