Trump’s inauguration bringing mixed emotions
At 11 a.m. Central time, United States Chief Justice John Roberts will ask President-elect Donald Trump to raise his right hand and recite the Oath of Office to become the 45th President of the United States.
Trump’s inauguration ceremony this afternoon will feature performances by the Radio City Rockettes and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as well as a speech made by Trump himself, his first as President.
It’s a day that many thought they would never see as Trump, seen by many as an outsider, assumes the highest elected office in the country. Dr. Luke Campbell, associate professor of political science at Northwest Missouri State University, said it would represent a “stark change” in the American political landscape.
“Here you have an individual that isn’t part of the political establishment,” Campbell said. “What we’ve seen, especially with the advent of the Tea Party in 2010, is that the sentiment resonates with everyone across the ideological spectrum: an outsider is appealing.
“Trump has the outsider perspective and persona that he played really well, but he also has the side that he’s a New York billionaire. The everyday folk that really appreciate the outsider have nothing in common with Trump.”
Therein lies the difference. Trump made a career off of his business ventures and the popular Apprentice reality television series. Worth several billion dollars in his own right, Trump would ordinarily not be able to relate to average blue-collar workers.
However, Campbell said those workers came out for Trump in droves because he recognized them.
“The fact is, Trump reached out to them and said, ‘I understand, I see what it is you’re going through, and I’m going to help with this,’” Campbell said. “It really helped Trump secure states that, ordinarily, he wouldn’t have won.
“There’s a stretch across the Northeast and the Rust Belt that was long known as the ‘blue wall’ because Democrats performed very well there. Clinton didn’t reach these states as much while Trump had major pushes there. As a result, the blue wall came down and most of those states voted for Trump because he had that clear message of understanding.”
As far as his main concern for Trump’s incoming administration, Campbell pointed to this afternoon’s ceremony.
“I’m really interested to see the first message he sends with his speech and his actions,” Campbell said. “I will be carefully listening to what he’s talking about and who he’s trying to talk to.
“That will be of supreme importance to him; as a controversial individual, he has to take a tone of reconciliation and inclusiveness. I’m interested to see what message he sends, because it will be key going forward.”