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In Washington, D.C., Women Celebrate Trump’s Inauguration

Trump supporters lined the streets of Washington, D.C. ahead of the inauguration. (Credit: Anna Kane)

Trump supporters lined the streets of Washington, D.C. ahead of the inauguration. (Credit: Anna Kane)

 

Thousands gathered in Washington DC to celebrate President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Despite his long and controversial history with women, ranging from his infamous “grab ‘em by the pussy” remark, to being found liable for sexual abuse in May 2023, there were plenty of women in attendance.

Some women sported the Trump campaign’s pink “Women for Trump” merchandise. “Women for Trump” branded hats were a feature of many of the vendor stalls that dotted Washington, D.C.’s streets before and after the ceremony. 

 

Some vendors focused on women's apparel. (Credit: Anna Kane)

Some vendors focused on women’s apparel. (Credit: Anna Kane)

 

More women voted for Trump in the last election than in previous elections. According to AP demographic data, 44% of women aged 18-44, and 48% of women aged 45 and above supported Trump in the 2024 election. For the 18-24 group, this marked a Trump voter increase of 7% for the 18-44 group, and only a 1% increase for the 45+’s. The shift in male votes followed a similar pattern, Trump numbers increasing by 8% for 18-44 year olds and by 2% of those aged 45+.  

Haley McAnally and Rebecca Barker, who both traveled to Washington, D.C. for Trump’s inauguration from St. Louis, Missouri, were staunch supporters of his gender policies. 

“We like that he’s signing the executive order of only having males and females,” McAnally said. “Especially for me, having men in women’s locker rooms and women’s sports, we are firm that that’s not right.”  

Her comments refer to Trump’s agenda relating to transgender policies, particularly his inaugural speech, where he stated that “it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.” 

McAnally said that she and Barker were “very much pro-life,” a popular sentiment among Trump voters. “Long term, late term abortion is, we think, extremely cruel, and horrible to think about; letting a baby be killed when it has a heartbeat and when it’s alive,” McAnally said. 

People travelled from far and wide to attend Trump’s inauguration. Susanna Gomez and her husband Javier, who flew in from Madrid, Spain, planned their US trip around the ceremony.

“I think it’s important to have a president who protects the country, and the habitats of the county”, said Gomez, who described her and her husband as conservatives.

Not everyone in Washington was pleased to be caught up in the inauguration scenes. Jennifer Kret, a Washington, D.C. resident, found the flock of Trump voters upsetting, saying she disagrees with the new president, his platform, and his supporters. 

“He’s a misogynist, he’s a convicted felon,” Kret said, adding “I think that attitude is gonna come through in his policy approaches.” She continued, “We’ve already seen his court repeal Roe v Wade, and I don’t think women are gonna make any gains under his administration.” 

Kret, a teacher, also referred to Trump’s comments on gender in his inaugural speech, saying she fears for the future of students of hers who may be trans or figuring out their sexuality.”It’s hard to be in this country, and now if our president’s hostile to their existence, it’s really scary.”

About the author(s)

Anna Kane is a British freelance journalist based in New York City. She has previously reported in Ukraine, and is interested in covering humanitarian issues.