Within minutes of taking the oath of office on Monday, President Donald Trump laid out his vision for America through a litany of executive actions, making clear his plan to dramatically overhaul how government institutions operate and reverse what he argued was a country in “decline.”
Republicans from Connecticut, who came to Washington, D.C. to celebrate and mark Trump’s transition back into power, believe he is best positioned to enact such changes and move in a different direction than the last four years of the Biden era.
A large group of supporters ranging from state legislators, mayors, city councilors and rank and file Republicans travelled to Washington to experience the inauguration in person. But the shift to an indoor ceremony upended the plans of Republicans making the trek from the northeast.
Connecticut Republicans, who originally had seats to watch Trump take the oath outside of the U.S. Capitol or on the National Mall, ended up at more informal events to watch the speech and swearing-in ceremony.
Supporters from across the U.S. waited in massive lines to get into Capital One arena to watch the ceremony on a livestream before Trump stopped by later in the day. But many from Connecticut opted to watch it from a restaurant less than a mile away from the Capitol.
The state’s Republican Party partnered with New York’s delegation on events throughout the weekend, including a watch party Monday at Capital Grille. One of those attendees was Ray Ouellet, an at-large Republican city councilor from Meriden.
“The country needs to go in a different direction, and he’s the man to do it,” Ouellet said in an interview ahead of the inauguration.
“I still kind of keep my opinion to myself, but Donald Trump is our next president,” he added. “I think it’s time to not be afraid to show your support for our United States president. It’s very difficult in Connecticut to be a proud Trump fan without getting any backlash.”
More moderate Republicans in the state have grappled with how closely to align with Trump and some largely distanced themselves during the most recent elections.
But others see the tide changing when it comes to Trump, even in a blue state like Connecticut. Ben Proto, chairman of the state GOP, said the group that came down to D.C. for the inauguration included many ardent supporters who have been with him “since he came down the escalator” during his 2015 announcement at Trump Tower, as Proto puts it.
“I think there’s more excitement now than in 2017. A lot of that has to do with how we lived for the last four years and saw the bad direction we had been going in,” Proto said.
Lisa Milone, the newly sworn in Republican registrar of voters in New Haven, said she was intrigued by Trump years ago when he was a businessman. She was able to secure a ticket to the swearing-in ceremony when it was planned for indoors. Prior to Monday, she was hoping for a speech focused on unity, noting that her job in a heavily Democratic city requires working with the other party.
“I’d like to see more of unifying America as Americans rather than party,” Milone said. “I’m all about working together. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t survive in New Haven.”
Monday was a historic day on a few accounts. Trump is the first president to serve non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800s and the first in 40 years to have an indoor ceremony. He also delivered two speeches from the Capitol that offered a split-screen of the president’s style: one who sticks to the script with a disciplined message as well as an off-the-cuff approach with more rambling thoughts, humor and falsehoods about the 2020 election.
The swearing-in ceremony was held in the Capitol Rotunda – where Trump delivered his inaugural address under the coffered dome surrounded by murals and statues. Hundreds of guests and dignitaries packed into the circular room, including members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation.
Seated with Trump at the front were his Cabinet nominees, family, former presidents and vice presidents and billionaire tech executives from X, Meta, Google, Amazon and Apple.
Trump wasted little time rolling out his first batch of execution actions. During his inaugural address, Trump promised that he would imminently sign a flurry of orders, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border and sending troops there, as well as declaring a national energy emergency.
That will set up a showdown with Connecticut’s Democratic leaders, namely Attorney General William Tong who plans to sue against orders, particularly any efforts to end birthright citizenship, the enshrined right for anyone born in the U.S. to get citizenship regardless of their parents’ legal status.
Monday’s speech was reminiscent of Trump’s first inaugural address in 2017 where he described “American carnage” that he claimed was embroiling cities across the country. His past address also heavily referenced the “forgotten men and women” who had been left behind by the establishment in Washington.
Like he did eight years ago, he leaned heavily on that same imagery and vowed to fix “America’s decline” and usher the country into a “golden age.”
“During every day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first,” Trump said. “Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. Our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free.”
This year’s inauguration coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After declaring Jan. 20, 2025, “Liberation Day,” he made a mention of the Civil Rights icon and argued his presidency would make King’s “dreams come true.” A number of Democrats and Black lawmakers had said they would not attend his inauguration and instead focus on events to honor King and the holiday.
While the frigid temperatures moved the traditional pomp and circumstance indoors, the day still had its own Trump-style flair.
With limited seating in the Rotunda, more than a thousand people packed into the overflow viewing room in Emancipation Hall, the large sandstone-walled room that greets visitors when they tour the Capitol grounds.
Congressional spouses, governors and other dignitaries were among those in the overflow room. Gov. Ned Lamont walked in with a group of governors before the ceremony, shaking hands with others seated in Emancipation Hall.
The overflow room was a who’s who of politicians and personalities: New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat; YouTube stars like brothers Jake and Logan Paul, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and podcaster and comedian Theo Von, who interviewed Vice President JD Vance ahead of the election.
Shortly after the ceremony, Trump, Vance and Republican leaders visited Emancipation Hall to directly address the guests, supporters and dignitaries who were not able to watch in the Rotunda.
Trump quickly launched back into his free-wheeling, campaign-style speech that went longer than his inaugural address. He joked with Vance and Republican leaders who flanked him on stage, and repeated the falsehoods of a stolen election in 2020.
He told the overflow crowd that he was urged to keep his traditional inaugural address on unity and to refrain from certain topics that he said he saved for the group in Emancipation Hall who “are serious Trump fans.”
“I was going to talk about the J6 hostages,” Trump said, referring to the rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. “But you’ll be happy because, you know, it’s action not words that count.”
Republicans and the president himself argue Trump has a “mandate” to carry out his campaign promises and agenda after winning the popular vote, unlike in 2016, and having Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress.
That could be stymied by the fact that while Republicans control all of Congress, they do so with smaller majorities and will need Democratic support on some issues. They also face challenges from different factions within the GOP who have different priorities.
But for now, they are hopeful about the trajectory of the party – and the country.
“I think because everything is so expensive, everything that’s gone up in price, there’s some people, whether they like him or not, appreciate his business and economic stance,” said state Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato of Bristol. “I think a lot of people are looking forward to that kind of administration. Because he now has four years under his belt, winning to losing and then being shot, I’ve definitely seen a change.”
The Connecticut Mirror/Connecticut Public Radio federal policy reporter position is made possible, in part, by funding from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
