Politics

PHOTOS: Supporters, Critics Gather For Joe Biden’s Inauguration In Washington, DC

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• Supporters of former President Donald Trump joined small crowds around Washington, D.C. on Wednesday as Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into office.
• Biden’s supporters expressed a sense of relief at the election of a new president and conveyed a desire for unity in the nation. 
• A Trump supporter compared the former president’s failed run for re-election to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Unlike former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration, where 217 protesters were arrested over clashes in the streets, Wednesday remained relaxed with only a few tense moments between supporters of President Joe Biden and Trump.

Lindey-Anne Hopley told the Daily Caller News Foundation that she had a dream about meeting Trump in the Oval Office, so she came to the U.S. from South America to “pray for America” because “the only one who can make America great again is Jesus Christ.”

“A revival means to bring something dead back to life. Even when Jesus was on the cross people got despondent, his followers said ‘Oh no it’s over!’ But, I don’t believe it’s over,” Hopley told the DCNF. “We all are standing for truth, righteousness and justice for freedom of speech, for fair elections, for democracy. And I do believe there are still a lot of things that have not come to light yet but will affect people in high places when they do.”

Lindey-Anne Hopley wore a “Make America Great Again” hat around Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

Law enforcement officials watched as a crowd surrounded two women wearing “Make America Great Again” hats in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

A person holding a sign that said “fear less love more” while passing through a checkpoint to the green zone in downtown Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

“I wanted to show my support a little bit. I watched [the] inauguration virtually but since I’m so close to the Capitol I just wanted to show my support in person a little bit,” Kenia Viteria told the DCNF. 

Viteria, a first-generation student, said that she’s most excited for the potential changes that Biden will make to immigration policy because her brother is a student and beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who faced several problems during the Trump administration, she told the DCNF.

“I feel like a weight has been lifted off of America’s shoulders and I hope with this unifying generation that is just coming up, we can work with President Joe Biden and hopefully rebuild what has been broken,” Viteria told the DCNF.

Kenia Viteria said that she watched the inauguration virtually but wanted to walk around to show her support for President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

Several religious demonstrators gathered near Union Station in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

A group of people and several media crews gathered in Black Lives Matter Plaza ahead of the inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

Ingrid Houston told the Daily Caller News Foundation that she felt happy and overwhelmed about President Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

“I’m very excited and I’m just very happy to see this moment and hopefully that our country will now come together, work together and try to get rid of this virus that’s killing people all over the world but mostly in the United States. And, I’m just overwhelmed right now,” Ingrid Houston told the DCNF.

A woman tied a Biden-Harris flag around her neck in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

Several religious demonstrators gathered near Union Station in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

Two children hug in a stroller in Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

A man who self-identified as “Monty” held a Trump flag while standing on a concrete barrier near Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

“I just love Trump. I love him. I love him because I think he tried really hard to make the government smaller, less into power and prestige of the federal government, make it easier to start a business, those sorts of things,” a man who only identified himself as “Monty” told the DCNF.

He said he felt “nervous and scared because conservatives don’t like to be the center of attention.”

Several barriers were set up blocking off Lafayette Park from Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)

A man prepared for an on-camera interview in Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)