During my first meeting with President Trump in 2022, I was impressed that he is a man who looks you in the eye and listens to what you have to say. I have never met a presidential candidate with so much energy, intelligence and courage.
I was elated to receive an invitation from the RNC Transition Team to attend the Inauguration and other events. I knew it would be an expensive venture but also a historic event. I had received an invite to Mar a Lago for the election celebrations but didn’t go so I wasn’t going to let another opportunity slip by.
When my husband Don and I arrived, DC was buzzing with happy patriots in MAGA hats and gear. The excitement was everywhere and so different from my two years living in the DC area during the Biden administration.
During our stay, we met people who had traveled from Australia, Germany, and Great Britain to witness the inauguration. It was thrilling to see many of our GenZ in attendance too!
Saturday the Republican Women held an open house at our historic headquarters in Alexandria, VA for members who were in town for the Inauguration, and an evening event at the Capitol Hill Club with special guests that included Alabama United States Senator Katie Britt and South Dakota Attorney General Monae Johnson. Following those events we headed to our first ball.
On Sunday our taxicab driver drove us to the Hamilton restaurant in DC for the Mighty American Strikeforce (MASF) breakfast. Afterwards, we walked outside to snowfall and new barricades that prevented him from picking us up near the restaurant. We walked a few blocks, me in heels, and caught the metro back to Alexandria, VA.
During the MASF breakfast we heard from Dr. Carol Swain author of many books on immigration, evangelical politics and the US Constitution. Jorgan Boassen the MAGA bricklayer from Greenland and his family also joined us along with some amazing young men from MAHA (Make America Healthy Again).
The Inauguration and parade were brought inside due to extreme cold, but the Trump Transition Team quickly pivoted to provide an event at the Capital One Arena for the thousands of people who had traveled to DC. Organizations like the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) scrambled to put together watch parties. Don and I attended a watch party with enthusiastic Republican Women. Prior to the Inauguration we received an update on the Israeli hostages via zoom from Sawsan Hasson, Minister for Public Diplomacy Israeli Embassy.
There were many elaborate balls put on by the state societies, but we couldn’t imagine more than one big party a night so we picked two. On Saturday, we enjoyed the All American Ball emceed by Sean Spicer and Lee Greenwood and were so proud to be surrounded by veterans in their dress uniforms.
The Liberty Ball was held after the Inauguration and was invite only. There were thousands invited including governors, legislators, major political players and volunteers! The cool part was that we were all on the ballroom floor together equally. We waited in the cold two hours with everyone else to get in. When we arrived, Jason Aldeen was playing! The highlight was just before midnight when President Trump and his family arrived on stage to greet us and perform the traditional presidential dance.
It was an unforgettable experience and now we are in for a great ride with President Trump to Make America Great Again!
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