WASHINGTON — On his second go-round, Donald Trump wants an inauguration that is more broadly accepted and celebrated than eight years ago, when he squeaked past his opponent and took office as police fired pepper spray at protesters alarmed by his rise.
He’s hoping for fewer protests and “less divisiveness” this time, a person close to the president-elect told NBC News, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump’s thinking.
In this year’s election — unlike in 2016 — Trump won both the popular vote and a comfortable electoral college margin. Coming off those results, Trump believes there won’t be the same sort of stigma attached to his presidency as was the case back then, the person said.
That’s Trump’s hope. For now, his advisers are beginning work on an inauguration unlike anything the U.S. has seen since the late 19th century, when Grover Cleveland was the first to reclaim the White House four years after voters had thrown him out.
Aides have come up with a logo for the inaugural ceremony on Jan. 20 and have built a website that will soon go live, a person familiar with the planning said.
They’ve been booking blocks of hotel rooms and workshopping themes for a swearing-in that is surrounded by a slew of parties, luncheons and, finally, a parade ending at a White House reviewing stand that is now under construction. (Some D.C. residents have been trying to encourage Airbnb hosts not to rent out our their properties during the inauguration — or raise the prices and donate the funds to liberal groups, according to The Washington Post.)
A women’s march is also scheduled around Trump’s swearing-in, though it may be a smaller than the massive demonstration that took place in 2017 around the country.
One of the co-chairs of that march, Linda Sarsour, said she believes the political environment is more dangerous now for women to openly protest Trump’s presidency.
“We just don’t think it’s safe to have people in Washington, D.C., during the same weekend when we have an influx of MAGA in Washington,” she said in an interview. “We need to be careful.”
Much work remains in Trump’s planning. His advisers haven’t yet settled on the number of inaugural balls that will take place. (In 2017, he and his wife, Melania, danced at three official balls.) While Trump will again use a presidential inaugural committee to raise money, his team has not yet said whether the operation will accept donations from corporations or lobbyists.
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