The third Monday of January, widely known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, took on a new meaning this year as the day President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. People across the country, including many in the CESJDS community, marked the day by watching the inauguration either on a livestream or in person, or attending inaugural balls.
Every four years, the elected president takes a presidential oath a little over two months after the election. At his second inauguration, President Trump took the oath of office of the president of the United States on Jan. 20. While it was initially intended to be outside on the West Front of the U.S. capitol building where inaugurations have historically been held, cold weather caused it to be moved inside to the Capitol Rotunda.
In addition to the oath, President Trump gave an inaugural address promising a new “golden age” in America and clarifying what he will focus on in his presidency such as stricter immigration and economic policies. Speeches were also made by figures such as archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Reverend Franklin Graham and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.
The inauguration was not just an introduction of the new leadership in the country, high school history teacher Mark Buckley believes that the inauguration importantly ties back to American constitutional values.
“I think the one key thing that’s really important to know is in the constitution, it doesn’t say a lot about what the inaugurations are supposed to look like,” Buckley said. “It indicates that one presidency term ends on Jan. 20. As much as everyone looks at the inauguration like a new change, a new shift, something is coming in, it’s also important to note that it is also an opportunity to reflect that it is a limitation of power,” Buckley said.
On the day of the inauguration, many community members watched the livestream from home. Andrea Wolf, mother of junior Eliana Wolf, was especially impressed by the incorporation of an Orthodox rabbi’s speech at the event, as it was the second time an Orthodox Jew spoke at an inauguration. The first time was at President Trump’s first inauguration, and Rabbi Marvin Hier spoke.
“I think that it’s a signal to the Jewish community that they’re important,” Wolf said. “And I thought his words, especially about Israel and the hostages, were important for the world to see and hear.”
While attendance at the inauguration was primarily over livestream with around 24.6 million viewers, viewers in the D.C. area still had the opportunity to mark the day in person through attending inaugural balls held by various different organizations.
Many JDS community members attended these balls including senior Ari Kittrie and Wolf. Kittrie attended the Texas State Society Ball at the Washington Hilton the night before the inauguration as his friend had an extra ticket and he saw it as an opportunity to pursue his interest in politics. The ball was a black-tie event where attendees danced and partook in various Texan traditions.
“I just stood there and I was like, ‘wow, there’s a lot of different traditions in this country that I’ve never heard of, and are unique to different places,’” Kittrie said.
After waiting hours to enter the Liberty Inaugural Ball hosted by the inaugural committee at the Washington Convention Center, Wolf also had the opportunity to celebrate the new presidency. Similar to Kittrie’s experience, the ball was a black tie event in which attendees danced and listened to live music. Notable figures such as Jason Aldean and Nelly performed, and President Trump made an appearance.
Wolf was especially impressed by the fact that, despite the political division in the country, Americans could come together to mark the country’s passing of power in an upbeat and traditional way.
“It’s really nice that in America there’s so much tradition and hope and circumstance around [the inauguration],” Wolf said. “There’s something really traditional in the real sense, about a ball when a new president comes in, it’s so elegant and so fun … It felt like a connection to America’s history as we push into the future.”
This story was published in The Lion’s Tale on Feb. 2, 2025.
