As President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration inches closer, residents of Washington DC want to flee and not be around “that sort of hostile negative energy”.

With only 2 days left till Trump assumes office, residents are planning to stay away from the event.

Alejandra Whitney-Smith, a DC resident, has already made plans to leave the city and spend a week in a cabin without technology, the Guardian reported. “It [inauguration weekend] coincides with my birthday weekend, which I usually do spend in DC, but when the election happened, I told myself, ‘Oh, no, I can’t be here,'” she said.

Speaking about the re-election of Trump, she said it “represents the ugly side of America that people don’t want to acknowledge”.

She recalled the fear that crept up in Smith when her mother was working at the Library of Congress during the January 6th US Capitol attack by supporters of Trump two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

She further plans to do some vision boarding, reflection and reconnection, during the inauguration weekend.

Expressing her dismay she admitted that she had a lot of faith that people of the United States witnessed what happened during Trump’s first term and would not “regress”, but also added that she knew people of America were not ready for their first Black woman president.

“But I also know the reality of living in this country as a Black woman. As much as I wanted Harris to win, there was something in me that still told me that America is not ready for their first Black woman president. Not only that, she was running against Donald Trump who has an almost cult-like following that is so powerful”, she said.

Tia Butler, another DC resident says that the memories of the January 6 riot and encountering pro-life protesters after the 2020 election makes her “not want to be in the city during the inauguration festivities.” She says that her views are very different from the supporters of the president-elect. “It says to me that we’d rather have a criminal leading our country than a person of color, or a criminal rather than a woman”, she added.

But this showcases one side of America. On the flip side, many conservatives and Republican supporters are excited about the inauguration. As of Wednesday, hotels in the city were 70% booked and fetching $900 to $1,500 a night.

Having said that, Trump does not have the best relationship with Washington DC. He labelled DC as a “filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation” and has even vowed to radically rebuild the capital, recruiting billionaire Elon Musk to slash the federal workforce.
 

Washington:

The use of executive orders has been a staple of presidential power in the United States, allowing presidents to unilaterally implement policies and decisions. Since 1937, only three U.S. presidents have issued executive orders on their first day in office. This exclusive group includes Joe Biden, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton.

President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to implement several policy promises on his first day back in the White House has sparked interest in the history of executive orders. If Trump signs an executive order on his first day, it will be the fourth time since 1937 that a U.S. president has done so. This is based on an analysis of executive order data from the Office of the Federal Register by the Hearst Television Data Team.

The Federal Register tracks all executive orders signed by presidents beginning in 1937, excluding former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first-term executive orders. An executive order is a powerful tool that carries the force of law, allowing presidents to implement their campaign promises or pursue policy goals that may face opposition or roadblocks in Congress.

A notable example of the use of executive orders is former President Barack Obama’s decision to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour in 2014. When lawmakers failed to act, Obama signed an executive order to increase the minimum wage. This highlights the ability of presidents to use executive orders to bypass Congressional opposition.

President Joe Biden holds the record for the most executive orders signed on the first day and first week in office. On his first day, Biden issued nine executive orders, six of which reversed orders from the Trump administration. These reversals included rescinding policies targeting communities that shielded undocumented immigrants from deportation and requiring the use of face masks in federal buildings and lands.

Biden’s use of executive orders during his first week in office was prolific, with a total of 22 orders signed. This sets a high bar for Trump, who would need to sign more than 22 executive orders on his first day to surpass Biden’s record.

Biden ended 100 days of his term with 42 executive orders and a total of 160 during his presidency.

In terms of the number of executive orders signed during their presidencies, President Franklin D. Roosevelt holds the record, with a staggering 2,023 executive orders signed during his second and third terms. Roosevelt’s unprecedented 12 years in office allowed him to use executive orders to tackle the Great Depression, carry out New Deal programs, and handle World War II.

Other notable presidents in terms of executive orders include Truman, who signed 906 executive orders, and Clinton, who signed 364 executive orders. On the other end of the spectrum, President George H.W. Bush issued the second-fewest executive orders, with a total of 46 executive orders signed in 1991.

In conclusion, the use of executive orders is a powerful tool available to U.S. presidents, allowing them to implement policies and decisions unilaterally. With President-elect Donald Trump vowing to implement several policy promises on his first day back in the White House, it will be interesting to see how he uses executive orders during his presidency.
 

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States is expected to be a high-profile event, with several global leaders and influential figures confirming their attendance. The ceremony will take place on January 20 at the US Capitol, with proceedings starting at 12 pm ET (10:30 pm IST)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has received an official invitation and plans to attend the inauguration, pending confirmation of her schedule. Meloni, a populist and staunch conservative leader, has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s policies and has sought to strengthen ties between Italy and the US.

The Chinese President Xi Jinping also received an invitation from Donald Trump, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt highlighting the invitation as an example of Trump “creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors”. However, Xi Jinping will send a high-level envoy to represent Beijing.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also received an invitation to attend the inauguration, although he has yet to confirm his attendance. Orban, one of Trump’s closest foreign allies, has been a key supporter of the president-elect’s hard-right policies.

Argentine President Javier Milei will break tradition by attending the inauguration himself, rather than sending a representative.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also received an invitation for Trump’s inauguration but is currently seeking to obtain a return of his confiscated passport, which was seized during an investigation into the 2023 attempted coup.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory and has been invited to attend the inauguration. Bukele has been a key ally of Trump’s in Central America.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will attend the inauguration as part of Japan’s effort to bolster ties with the new administration. Iwaya has stated that Japan aims to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration, and his presence at the inauguration is seen as a significant gesture of goodwill.

“We aim to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration,” Iwaya stated in an interview on NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the inauguration, following an invitation from the Trump-Vance inaugural committee. Jaishankar’s attendance is seen as a significant gesture of support for Trump, who has sought to strengthen ties with India and other key Asian nations.

The foreign ministry statement read, “On the invitation of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar will represent the Government of India at the Swearing-In Ceremony of President-Elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America.”

Other notable attendees at the inauguration will include Eric Zemmour, a far-right politician from France, and Nigel Farage, a UK politician and long-time Trump ally. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is also expected to attend the inauguration with fellow billionaires – Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.

The inauguration will also be attended by former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, who will be accompanied by their spouses, except for Michelle Obama. Joe Biden has confirmed his attendance, dismissing controversy surrounding his presence as “childish games.”