Here's what it was like as thousands gathered in Washington to celebrate Trump's inauguration

Editor's note: KSL.com political reporter Bridger Beal-Cvetko is in Washington to cover the inauguration.

WASHINGTON — Red "Make America Great Again" hats packed the sidewalks stretching for blocks through downtown Washington, D.C. Sunday morning, as thousands of supporters of Donald Trump flocked to the nation's capital in hopes of hearing the president-elect address a rally crowd on the eve of his second inauguration ceremony.

Scattered among the "MAGA" hats that became the signature fashion accessory of Trump's first presidential campaign were variations in seemingly every color combination imaginable — from pink to blue to the black "Dark MAGA" caps with gothic lettering popularized by billionaire Elon Musk.

People carried Trump flags and bought shirts, caps, buttons and scarves emblazoned with Trump's infamous mugshot from hawkers on each Washington street corner.

Though most were wrapped in heavy coats and ponchos to protect against the frigid temperatures and drizzling rain, some risked the cold in star-spangled suits and fake beards reminiscent of Uncle Sam.

One man was dressed as Ronald McDonald — a reference to Trump's viral stunt of working the fry station at a Pennsylvania McDonald's last October.

KSL.com spoke with scores of supporters as they waited for their chance to enter Trump's "Victory Rally" — nearly all of whom traveled long distances to attend. Some had been waiting in line before dawn on Sunday, more than 10 hours before Trump was scheduled to address the crowd at 5 p.m.

Supporters hailed from across the U.S. and included several Utahns. Layton Mayor Joy Petro stood out from the crowd in her purple coat from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. She traveled with several other Utahns — including Kaysville Mayor Tamara Tran — at the behest of Rep. Blake Moore, the Utah Republican representing the state's 1st Congressional District.

"It's funny," Petro said, "We come from this type of weather, right? But there's no way I would stand there five hours in line like this. But you come to Washington and yeah, you'll do it."

Thousands of Trump supporters-including some from Utah-are braving the sleet and cold in DC in hopes of getting into Trump's victory rally this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/eQKMPnrTmc

— Bridger Beal-Cvetko (@BealBridger) January 19, 2025

'Once in a lifetime opportunity'

Petro was still standing in line a couple of blocks from the Capitol One Arena just after 3 p.m., more than two hours after the doors opened. The line was ambling forward, though; even after waiting for hours, she was still unsure if she would be able to get in. Cold weather forecasts had forced Monday's inaugural ceremony inside the U.S. Capitol, so the rally was still the best chance most supporters had of seeing Trump in person.

Some Utahns who planned to attend the inauguration on the West Lawn of the Capitol opted not to make the trip to Washington when the venue change was announced Friday, but Petro was already en route when the announcement was made.

"It's a disappointment because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, basically," she said. "However, knowing that there's only 2,000 people that are going to be in the room with him, you can appreciate those who are sitting representatives now that they definitely deserve the seats versus us."

Asked if she still would have traveled to Washington after learning the ceremony was moved indoors, Petro said: "Well, I bought a non-refundable ticket, so I probably would have come anyway."

That disappointment was common, but it did little to dampen an otherwise exultant mood. Even when the rain gave way to hail and then driving sleet early Sunday afternoon, most people just huddled closer together and carried on.

Some were understanding about the reasons for shifting the ceremony indoors, but Michele Wunderlich from Minnesota thought the outdoor ceremony could have happened despite the cold.

"Bring more clothes," she said.

Wunderlich drove for 20 hours in two days to attend along with her husband, Jeff Wunderlich, a family friend, Shawn Swanson, and her son, Noah Swanson. The group had already spent 10 hours on the road when they learned of the change but decided to push on regardless.

"I've been enjoying being around my people," Noah Swanson said. "Everyone is here for the same thing. We all knew that it was getting canceled and still showed up and waited in line for hours and hours for the chance to go through this. But it's about the community, right?"

"I'm just excited to be here," Shawn Swanson added.

Despite the long odds, some were already preparing extreme "contingency plans" to have a chance at catching a glimpse of the president on Monday, or at least get a better seat in the arena where the inaugural would be broadcast to some 20,000 supporters.

"We're obviously a little disappointed we're not going to be able to see it, possibly," said Jeff H., a resident of a Denver suburb who declined to give his full name. "We're making some contingency plans to get up early, maybe camp out a little bit and see what happens. I'm optimistic. But either way, we're going to be here. We're in the same city as President Trump. We're family. This is the MAGA movement, America first movement. We're all family."

Jeff said he and his son were considering sleeping in their car in a parking garage downtown so they could quickly get in line when it begins to form, which they expected could be as early as midnight.

"Then we're going to wait. Hopefully, not in this part of the line," Jeff said, gesturing to the pavement where he stood in front of the Capitol, nearly one mile from the arena. "Given the weather, maybe our chances will be better because I'm not sure how many people would be willing to stand out here in the cold."

After waiting in line for six hours, Petro was within sight of the arena as thick snowflakes began to fall but she wasn't able to get in past the "biggest winding maze of weaving humans around city blocks."

"It makes the lines at Disneyland much more desirable," she told KSL.com in a text Sunday evening.

Expectations for Trump's second term

While the streets of Washington bristled with fervor ahead of Trump's return to the Oval Office, a degree of anger was palpable — most of which was directed at outgoing President Joe Biden. Crowds broke out singing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam and chanting "Let's go Brandon" — a euphemism for an explicit chant disparaging Biden.

Many supporters falsely believed Biden had stolen the 2020 election, while others blamed the Democratic president for the myriad woes they see facing the U.S.: inflation, crime, illegal immigration, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, diversity initiatives and transgender athletes, to name a few.

True to form, Trump later pledged to supporters, "Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every single crisis facing our country."

When it comes to policy, the majority of Trump supporters appeared optimistic about what the president will do to improve the economy, which has been beleaguered by inflation and subsequent hikes in interest rates.

Denee Mast, a sales coordinator for a recreational vehicle company from Milford, Indiana, said high interest rates have taken a toll on her industry.

"I've just seen the economy just spiral downward for workers, and interest rates (and inflation) are through the roof, so people obviously aren't buying RVs," she said. "It really hurts the area where we're at when interest rates go up."

Juan, a South Floridian who declined to give his full name, said the country needs a "radical, experimental change" in how it is governed and believes Trump is the person to deliver.

"I'm very happy that he won because I felt with Kamala (Harris), it would have just been more of the same," he said. "I hope with Trump, it's different."

A MAGA transformation

Trump took office in 2017 largely as an outsider, even in his party, and faced a broad backlash from much of the Washington establishment. In the years since, Trump has taken to molding the Republican Party in his image, capping off the transformation by winning the popular vote in November — something no Republican had done since 2004.

Supporters who attended his 2017 inauguration remarked on the relative calm in the capital compared with the widespread protests eight years ago. Although protestors gathered on Saturday in Washington, downtown was largely free from opposition Sunday, aside from a couple of people carrying Kamala Harris flags and a handful calling for LGBTQ+ rights.

Kathy LaBean flew standby from Florida to attend, in part to show support for Trump after controversies emerged about the size of his inaugural crowd the last time he was sworn in.

"His whole personality is so much more flowing, bringing everybody together," she said. "I just think he has finally spoken. Everyone is coming together."

Kecia D., another Utahn from Cedar Hills, described the 2017 inauguration as a "spiritual experience" for her and her husband, Sam, and said she expected this year's to surpass that in scope.

"Even back then, the news was reporting that hardly anybody came, and we could see people as far as the eye can see," she said. "There were so many people, but we knew this time would be bigger and better. I mean, he's seasoned, he's learned a lot. We feel hopeful. We — for the first time in four years — feel hopeful for America again."

She said it seems like more people are "jumping on the (Trump bandwagon) after comparing his first term to Biden's four years in office, and thinks that even in Utah — which is dominated by Republicans but has voted for Trump by smaller margins compared to other states — the tide is turning toward Trump's movement.

She believes some Utahns are still too quick to dismiss Trump over his perceived moral failings in the past.

"They didn't think he was moral," she said, "they were judging his personality. I think you need somebody like that, somebody that's not afraid and somebody that is going to do what they believe is right, regardless of who is against them."

"I do think he's a different person, too," she added. "I think he's a different person and people can grow and change and become better."

Like many others, Kecia and Sam waited in line for four hours to no avail but remained undeterred.

"I'm nervous for how cold it is going to be," Kecia said in a text late Sunday, after announcing plans to arrive at the National Mall no later than 6:30 a.m. Monday, prepared to go through it all again.

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