WASHINGTON: Thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters waited for hours in the cold and rain to attend his victory rally on Sunday, a day before the president-elect returns to power with plans to aggressivey reshape U.S. immigration and trade policy.
The Republican, 78, placed a wreath first at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday before making his first major speech in Washington since a Jan. 6, 2021, rally with his supporters that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Trump saluted the tomb as a military bugler played “Taps.”
The “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” was due to start at 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) at Capital One Arena, an indoor hockey and basketball stadium and the venue for some of Monday’s inauguration festivities after forecasts of bitter cold prompted officials to cancel a planned outdoor celebration.
Thousands rally in Washington against Trump
The line of supporters, many dressed in Trump’s trademark red jackets and MAGA hats, stretched over several downtown Washington blocks. Some chanted “USA! USA!” and others spoke over megaphones while they waited to be allowed in.
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 19 degrees Fahrenheit (-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 U.S. Capitol and White House have been blocked off by steel fences since last week and there was a heightened police presence throughout the area.
Trump’s rally, along with his inaugural address on Monday, could preview the tone he plans to adopt during his second White House term. In recent weeks, Trump has bewildered foreign allies by musing aloud about taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal and turning Canada into a U.S. state.
Immigration will be a target of Trump’s first executive actions after taking office, along with energy issues and policies aimed at promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, his incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz told CBS.
“The American people gave him a clear mandate. Lock down our border, deport the worst of the worst, take on the cartels,” Waltz said in an interview with “Face the Nation.”
Trump’s agenda was a likely topic at his breakfast with Republican U.S. senators at Blair House, the guest quarters across from the White House. Top Senate Republican John Cornyn, and Senators Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott and Tim Scott were among the attendees seen leaving the event on Sunday.
The rally is likely to resemble the free-wheeling arena speeches that have been a Trump staple since his first White House campaign in 2016.
MUSK FACTOR
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who has become a Trump confidant since spending more than $250 million on his campaign, is scheduled to speak at the event, along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, conservative activist Charlie Kirk and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew planned to attend the rally hours after Trump said he would revive the app’s access in the United States when he takes office on Monday. Trump urged companies not to let the Chinese app go dark as a U.S. ban took effect on Sunday. Chew is expected to join other tech executives at Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
Singer and rapper Kid Rock, disco group The Village People, singer Billy Ray Cyrus and singer Lee Greenwood are all scheduled to perform at the rally.
Biden, meanwhile, made his last official trip as president on Sunday to Charleston, South Carolina, to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is also on Monday, the White House said. He will attend services and speak about King’s legacy at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.
The inauguration is scheduled for noon ET (1700 GMT) on Monday, when Trump will take the presidential oath of office inside the rotunda of the Capitol building, after the cold weather prompted organizers to move the ceremony indoors. Approximately 25,000 law enforcement personnel will be on hand to provide security.
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