‘We will win’: Trump takes victory lap, sets goals at pre-inauguration rally
US President-elect Donald Trump used the last rally on the eve of his inauguration to re-celebrate his election victory, declaring on Sunday, “We won” to a crowd celebrating his return to the White House and expressing a bleak optimism despite the deep political divide.
“Tomorrow, at noon, the curtain closes on four years of American decline, and we begin a new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” Trump told his supporters, adding, “We have not only won the mandate, but we have built a new American majority that will lead our country to success for generations to come.”
Fans filled nearly the entire 20,000-plus-seat Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, to hear Kid Rock perform. All Summer Longdespite the cold mixture of rain and snow falling outside. Others who entered the stage included singer Lee Greenwood, his own God bless the USA it was Trump’s re-election campaign anthem.
“Our hero. A man who didn’t give up on the American people, we didn’t give up on him,” actor Jon Voight told the crowd.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s pick for deputy chief of staff and a key architect of the administration’s promised immigration policies, vowed that “justice is coming.”
“We are about to take back our country and our democracy,” Miller said, adding, “Donald J. Trump is about to save this country.”
Trump has promised to sign a series of executive actions, including the US-Mexico border policy. Sunday was his first full day back in Washington and gave the president-elect a chance to galvanize key supporters ahead of the official Inauguration Day parade.
Trump had a private breakfast with Republican senators at Blair House, the president’s official guest residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and later posed for a photo with 10 female Republican senators and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
Unlike when Trump helped inspire a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol and try to retain power in 2021 after losing to Democrat Joe Biden, officials did not expect large-scale protests, riots or violence. Instead, jubilant crowds celebrated Trump’s second term and MAGA’s total control of the Republican Party.
The second inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20 includes a two-week segment of special security events. ‘This has never happened before,’ said Matt McCool, US Secret Service special agent in charge of the Washington office. ‘But we are flexible and adaptable.… We will be prepared.’
Many came from all over the country and were dressed in their finest clothing, including fur coats. Trump supporters filled parties at hotels and restaurants around Washington. As they walked through the festivities, some could be heard singing “MAGA” or simply saying it as a greeting to the other performers.
The situation was a dramatic turnaround from four years ago, when Trump left the nation’s capital in disgrace and skipped the inauguration of his successor. He went on to make it through the 2024 Republican presidential primary and won in November with an electoral college margin not seen since Barack Obama was reelected in 2012.
Even with that comfortable victory and his party’s full — albeit narrow — control of Congress, the incoming president is one of the most divisive figures in American history, with nearly as vehement opponents as ardent supporters. That means it may be difficult for Trump to deliver on post-election promises to boost bilateral relations while healing political rifts.
He stressed that unity would be the theme of his inauguration speech on Monday, along with strength and fairness, but he also spent months running for office saying that if elected he would seek revenge on political enemies.
“January 20th can’t come soon enough!,” Trump wrote on his social media account. “Everybody, even those who initially opposed the Victory of President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration, just want it to happen.”
With frigid temperatures expected Monday, Trump ordered most of Monday’s outdoor events indoors, and officials held a test Sunday for his inauguration in the US Capitol’s Rotunda, which held just 600 people compared to the 250,000-plus guests it had. tickets to view the inauguration from Capitol grounds.
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