Inaugural Weekend: Joyous Celebration or Dark Violence?
Everything You Want To Know About The Upcoming Inauguration
OK, so here’s the latest on the upcoming Inaugural weekend. It’s a lot. Either it could still be a dark weekend, or a celebration.
Currently, national security officials appear anxious and have issued warnings of possible terrorist attacks and of potential anti-Trump violence during the Inaugural weekend leading up to the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 47th President on Monday, January 20.
The authorities have moved the Inaugural ceremonies inside the Capitol Building, ostensibly due to the cold.
This may be true as the low will be 12 degrees and the high will be 24 degrees.
National security officials probably are breathing a sigh of relief as there are many risks budding outside of the building itself. But did national security officials uncover some nefarious activity by lone wolves or dedicated sleeper cells? Right now, security officials are remaining mum.
The overall responsibility for the weekend, of course, rests with the Secret Service. The Service hasn’t had a very good year since there were two assassination attempts on Trump’s life. The extraordinary failure of the first assassination attempt forced the resignation of its embattled director due to bipartisan congressional outrage over the agency’s security failures.
Behind the scenes the Secret Service situation doesn’t look good as it appears few real reforms have been enacted since the director’s resignation. According to investigative reporter Susan Crabtree, “deep concerns remain that the Secret Service is still facing some of the same institutional problems exposed last summer and fall in the wake of two assassination attempts on Trump’s life.”
The most serious question dogging national security officials is the fear there are sleeper cells inside the city designed to assassinate Trump. As was reported by CNN in mid-November, “According to court documents, Iranian officials asked Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. Shakeri is still at large in Iran, the Justice Department said.
Officials are concerned there could be a New Orleans copycat where a convert to Islam drove a car into revelers on New Year’s eve, killing 15 and wounding more than 30.
Facing the prospect of potential real violence, Secret Service official William McCool has told reporters, “We are in a higher threat environment.”
And, for the first time, national security surveillance drones will hover over the city. Drones normally are prohibited into the national capital airspace.
For the moment, national security officials seem to be taking no chances. The Inauguration will feature 30 miles of metal fencing around the Capitol Building area reinforced by the deployment of 7,800 DC National Guard troops and a total of 25,000 police.
Pamela Smith, DC’s Metropolitan Department’s Police Chief says that since January 5 her department has been ‘on full activation.
As the “People’s March” was free from violence, the next one up is the ANSWER Coalition, which occurs on Monday.
ANSWER is potentially the most unruly and unpredictable group. The leaders say they expecte to draw about 15,000 people. They most likely will celebrate Hamas’ ceasefire with Israel.
The last time ANSWER was in Washington, they were protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a Joint Session of Congress. After the rally, some protesters rioted, police were assaulted, American flags burned and there was the desecration of monuments -- with one that was spray painted with a warning: “Hamas Is Coming.”
Ryan Mauro, who investigates extremist groups for the nonprofit Capital Research Center has exposed ANSWER as supporting Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen along with the mullahs of Iran.
Ryan reported in a January 8 column that “ANSWER signed a statement declaring its endorsement of the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance” coalition of terrorist groups like Hamas and siding with Russia over Ukraine.
Expect unpredictability with the ANSWER Coalition.
Here’s what else you should know.
So, this can be a very topsy-turvy Inauguration weekend. Violence or celebration? Terror or pure joy?
Another anti-Trump and anti-Biden group is the pro-Palestinian ANSWER Coalition. Perennial black activist Rev. Al Sharpton also will hold a rally in D.C. with his National Action Network on January 20 which is the official observance for Martin Luther King Day. “We will rise up, honor and defend Dr. King’s dream by marching for justice, equality and change,” according to Sharpton’s web site.
Some anti-Trump rallies appear to have been cancelled. One, scheduled for January 16, by the Rev. Mark Thompson, claimed that 100,000 would attend. Thompson is an MSNBC commentator.
Another group called the “January 20 Coalition” canceled their plans to send 5,000 protesters to the Inaugural. Also cancelled was the “First Amendment Prayer Vigil.” They informed the National Park Service they had expected 2,500 people to attend.
On Sunday, Trump lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia just across from Washington. That night he’s expected to have a raucous celebration at the Capitol One Arena in downtown DC. About 20,000 delirious supporters are expected to attend.
The official outpouring of celebrities overshadows all other Inaugurations. In attendance will be major CEOs ranging from Jeff Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, to META’s Mark Zuckerberg. Three former Presidents – Obama, Clinton and George W. Bush – will attend, with the latter with two of their wives.
Without explanation again, Michelle Obama will not join her husband. Michelle also didn’t appear at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, saying she had a “scheduling conflict” while on vacation in Hawaii. What’s with Michelle?
The heads of state of Italy, Argentina and El Salvador along with Brazil’s former President will attend the Inauguration along with many European parliament members. China’s Xi Jinping, who personally spoke to Trump last week by phone is sending an official envoy.
No world leader has attended an inauguration since 1874, according to State Department records cited by CBS News.
Rumors swirled about that the Presidential couple were splitting, but that was quashed pretty quickly. Rumors also have circulated for months about a split between Vice President Kamala Harris and Dough Emhoff but they were resurrected when reports arose that Emhoff was looking for an expensive apartment in New York City.
Liberal SFGate, reported on January 18 that Emhoff was spotted looking at a $20,000 a month New York Apartment. The liberal outlet stated, “Vice President Kamala Harris could well be planning a post-inauguration relocation to Manhattan. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, was seen touring a luxury $20,000-a-month apartment on New York's Upper West Side, sparking speculation that the couple will trade the White House for the Big Apple.”
On the morning of the Inauguration, Trump is expected to attend St. Johns Church and have tea with Biden at the White House.
Following his swearing-in, Biden and Harris depart Washington while Trump moves to the President’s Room in the Capitol Building to sign documents pertaining to his appointees. Then as is the custom, he attends a luncheon with Congressional leaders. The parade was cancelled due to the weather.
This could be a celebratory weekend or a dark one. Stay tuned.