Many Western Pennsylvanians put politics aside for moment as Trump sworn in a 2nd time
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As temperatures in Washington, D.C., lingered around 27 degrees Monday morning, state Rep. Jill Cooper sported an electric-heated jacket as she bounced between events celebrating the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Frigid temperatures, making the inauguration the fourth-coldest one on record, forced festivities indoors — the first time since Ronald Reagan did it in 1985. But that did little to temper the buzz in the nation’s capital.
Cooper, a Murrysville Republican, ducked into an event hosted by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, to watch Trump sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
She wasn’t the only Cooper from Westmoreland. State Republican committee member Shannon Cooper of Latrobe was also in town for the inauguration.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the best day in 248 years of this country, but it’s one of the best in terms of the direction the country is going,” he said, adding Trump’s optimism and an almost Reagan-esque patriotic zeal were “absolutely what the country wants.”
Then, as it does now, the topic turned to politics.
“We shouldn’t be catering to the people in the country who have these crazy ideas,” Cooper said.
Trump didn’t wear the red Make America Great Again baseball cap that’s become his calling card when he read the 35-word presidential oath at noon — but it was there in spirit.
The Republican leader repeatedly slammed outgoing President Joe Biden, decrying immigration policies at America’s southern border, criticizing his predecessor’s stances on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and tackling myriad social issues — criticizing diversity, equity and inclusion policies; attacking trans-rights activists; and touting a plan to rename the body of water bordering the United States and Mexico as the Gulf of America.
‘A good tone’
Despite the bureaucratic processes of the day, Pennsylvanians’ reactions — both locally and among those who traveled to Washington to experience the fanfare — appeared largely dictated by their party affiliation.
Republicans touted what they called Trump’s mandate to lift the nation to new horizons, while Democrats repeatedly cited the peaceful transfer of power — a barbed reference to the Trump rally-turned-insurrection that cast shadows on Biden’s pandemic-era inaugural in 2021.
Plum councilman Dave Majernik — a longtime Republican who trekked to Washington for a second time to usher in a Trump administration — embraced Trump’s sweeping rhetoric, which directly cited Manifest Destiny and included plans to plant a U.S. flag on Mars.
“He found a good tone, saying ‘America’s great and we’re on the verge of a rebirth,’ ” said Majernik, 79, who grew up in the Mon Valley as the son of a steelworker who backed Democrats. “I think he did have a great message, and I think that’s what we need to get the job done.”
Some Monday focused on the details of the day. Several officials waited in line at length — some for up to seven hours — for swanky inaugural balls or rallies at the city’s Capital One Arena.
Security measures closed many local roads, those attending the inauguration told TribLive. Taxis seemed impossible to track down. Some hotels fully booked their inaugural-weekend rooms 12 months ago.
Beth Hennings thought ahead.
A retired teacher from Cranberry who calls herself a fiscal conservative, Hennings said she had a hunch last spring Trump would be sworn in again on Jan. 20.
So in April, seven months before Election Day, she booked a hotel room near Washington for $330 a night to attend Trump’s inaugural.
Cold weather and logistics, though, kept her and her husband in Pennsylvania. That didn’t dampen their enthusiasm. They joined a crowd of more than 50 North Hills Republicans at a watch party in McCandless.
“Trump certainly had a head start this time. You look at the Cabinet nominees — it was Bam! Bam! Bam!,” said Brian Hennings, 65, Beth’s husband. “I think he’s going to hit the ground running a lot faster this time.”
Beth Hennings, 65, said her admiration for Trump stems, in part, from his no-nonsense approach to leadership and cutting through bureaucratic red tape.
Had Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris won instead of Trump, Hennings said, “it might have been the beginning of the end of this country.”
“We’re just grateful that common sense is being injected into the system,” Brian Hennings added.
A peaceful transfer
Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, also talked politics but adopted a more nuanced stance.
He congratulated Trump via a press release. Then, the possible 2028 presidential contender championed how a “peaceful transfer of power” is essential to American democracy.
“I believe there’s more that unites us as Americans than divides us,” Shapiro said. “We must focus on the common-sense issues that bring people together.”
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive Democrat from Swissvale, did not attend the inauguration, according to her staff, which declined further comment.
However, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, an Aspinwall Democrat, did.
So did new U.S. Sen. David McCormick, a Republican and former hedge fund CEO from Pittsburgh.
“I look forward to working with President Trump to deliver on our shared promises to Pennsylvanians: securing the border, stopping the scourge of fentanyl, unlocking Pennsylvania’s energy dominance and restoring the American dream,” McCormick said in a statement.
Deluzio told TribLive his choice to attend “didn’t seem like a difficult decision to me.”
“It’s the American government, and we should come together to see a peaceful transfer of power,” Deluzio said. “It transcends our politics, and I think these are pretty important moments in our democracy.”
Deluzio also cited concerns over the U.S. economy and inflation rates, which dogged the presidential campaigns of Biden and later Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I have folks all over my district in Western Pennsylvania who are concerned about costs — and so am I,” Deluzio said. “What I didn’t hear from President Trump is how he plans to make things more affordable.”
Local officials also weighed in on the political potency of the moment.
Murrysville Councilman Eli Diacopoulos, a Republican, drove to Washington for Monday’s festivities — just as he did for Trump’s first inaugural eight years ago.
“This time around, I saw a lot more energy among the people attending,” he said. “It really was a movement. The people we were hanging out with were from all over.”
Sam Hans-Greco didn’t feel like celebrating Monday.
The attorney who heads Allegheny County’s Democratic Committee said he didn’t watch Trump’s inauguration or tap into the media frenzy that embraced it.
“What I hope we do as a party is continue to fight for our goals and for our principles,” said Hans-Greco, 68, of Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood. “It’s a hard moment in time for us.”