Thousands of supporters for Donald Trump came to the Capital One Arena in hopes of finding a seat to watch the live viewing of the swearing-in ceremony on Inauguration Day Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
The arena has a capacity of 20,356. Seating was not assigned for the inauguration viewing, and people were seated on a first-come-first-serve basis. Because of this, many people who had been standing in line since early morning for hours were turned away once the arena was at capacity.
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In the morning, the line moved slowly. Vendors and journalists walked alongside the barriers that guided the line to the arena. Many vendors sold various Trump-themed merchandise as well as winter weather articles like hand warmers for the low 20 degree day. Fred Basserman came from Connecticut to take to the streets on Inauguration Day and sell his merchandise.
People also wore various articles of clothing that showed their support for President Trump. Hats, beanies, jackets, scarves, pants, shirts, and other themed articles of clothing painted the crowd red, white and blue. Many attendees made their own clothing in support of Trump’s inauguration.
Thousands of people continued to wait in line for hours despite the possibility that the arena would reach capacity. David Kreutz said that he had been out since 5:30 Monday morning in hopes to make it into the arena. He also attended the Make America Great Again Rally that took place in the Capital One arena the day before on Jan. 19, 2025. Rebecca Belltran said that she had been in line for four hours; Brandon Reil said he’d been in line for a couple of hours as well. Reil traveled three hours from Pennsylvania to attend the inauguration.
Despite their patience, many of these individuals, waiting in line, were turned away and had to adjust their travel plans on Inauguration day in Washington, D.C.
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