Trump Inauguration: My day in Maga-land
4 min read
As we entered the top floor of the Hay-Adams hotel in Washington DC for our first party of Inauguration Day weekend, I spotted financier Nat Rothschild, former Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood and Labour peer Maurice Glasman.
Was I at the wrong party? I had been expecting Maga-supporting Brits and Americans.
I needn’t have worried. Nigel Farage and Steve Bannon were holding court on the balcony, with the White House in the background. And Nick Candy, the new Reform treasurer, was busy working the room with his characteristic purpose and banter.
Who would have thought in January 2020 that such a mix of political characters would come together just four years later to celebrate the second inauguration of Donald Trump? Like him or loathe him, his political comeback is admirable. I wonder if any former British prime ministers are now daydreaming about such a return to No 10?
The news that the inauguration ceremony had been moved into the Capitol Building was disappointing as my wife, Sarah, and I had been invited to watch the ceremony by the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Sarah heads up the UK-US Special Relationship Unit at the Prosperity Institute, so I was tagging along as her plus one.
The change in arrangements (officially blamed on the below-freezing conditions but muttered by many to be due to security concerns) might easily have been a dampener on proceedings, but people were determined to have a good time. And for any Inauguration, the balls are as important as the ceremony itself.
I wonder if any former British Prime Ministers are now daydreaming about a Trumpian return to No10?
Our first outing was the Texas ‘Black Tie and Boots’ Ball, held at the Washington Hilton hotel – perhaps best known for the failed assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan in 1981. It was also the venue of the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where President Barack Obama mocked the then Apprentice star and New York property mogul for his ambition to become US president.
We watched the inauguration itself at a party co-hosted by my good friend Dr Arthur B Laffer – of ‘Laffer Curve’ fame – with various companies involved in the energy sector, who very much liked the “drill, baby, drill” line in the inaugural address. ‘Art’ (as he is ubiquitously known) has been a constant presence in US economic policymaking under both Democratic and Republican administrations for over four decades. A key figure behind Trump 45’s tax cuts in 2017, he will again be an important influencer during Trump 47’s time in office.
After the inauguration, we attended the Liberty Ball, which may conjure images of a Viennese ball but actually involved an hour-long queue in below freezing temperatures, the feeding of the 5,000, a scrum to stand as close to the stage as possible, a sweaty two-hour country rock performance, all for the 10-minute finale of the President, First Lady, First Family and the Vice President and Second Lady performing a regal first dance followed by bobbing along to the unofficial campaign song, YMCA. But it was worth it.
That said, there was a minor kerfuffle which encapsulated the problem the Trump administration faces. We had patiently waited at the front, with a mixed group of people all eager to see ‘their President’ on his big day. Towards the end, after a long wait and with the timing of the President’s arrival uncertain, another group, younger, tried to push their way in, and the two sides reacted as you might expect Americans to (minus the guns).
The success of President Trump’s second term in office will be determined by how well he and his team are able to reconcile GOP long-timers (who still dominate Congress) with Maga newbies, who are not afraid to elbow their way in.
Judging by his first day in office, the President and his team are not afraid to throw their weight around on domestic policy – and I suspect a similar diplomatic strategy too, even with their nearest and dearest allies.
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