When Clark County Republican Chair David Gellatly listened to President Donald Trump’s inaugural speech on Friday, he heard a theme he’s been stressing at the local level: how to promote unity.
“Bringing people together to think big and dream even bigger with less talk and more action, I hope we can all unify around this message locally and be a part of this positive plan for America,” Gellatly said.
Gellatly is excited to see “action and results like never before” and what he called “true leadership again” from the Trump administration.
Washington state Republican Party Chairman Susan Hutchison watched from a reserved seat in Washington, D.C., as Trump took the oath of office.
“What strikes you most is what a really American experience it is,” Hutchison said.
People stretched all the way down the National Mall, and from time to time they would roar in approval or disapproval.
“And I loved it because the way the sound works in such a great space is you get the sense America is speaking. You can’t see their faces, but you can hear them — and for me, this entire election has been about hearing,” Hutchison said.
Hutchison — who is being considered for a role in the Trump administration — said she enjoyed Trump’s speech.
“It was not flowery or poetic. It was spoken like a businessman who has to define the problem and then determine how it needs to be fixed. He assured the American people and the voters over and over again he’s going to fix the problem. … It wouldn’t surprise me if he wrote every word.”
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, also attended the inauguration.
“I’ve had the privilege of attending inaugurations for presidents of both parties, and while there are certainly differences, each ceremony is a necessary part of the peaceful transfer of power that helps make our nation so strong,” Herrera Beutler said in a statement. “Congress has a duty to the people it represents to work with the president of the United States on passing legislation, protecting our citizens and improving our nation. Today was a historic day as President Trump was sworn into office, and the greatest nation in the world assumes new leadership.”
Unlike some Democrats who decided to boycott the event, both U.S. senators from Washington, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, had said they planned to attend the ceremony.
Murray said she would be there not to celebrate the Trump administration but to stand with President Barack Obama and witness the peaceful transfer of power.
“And to stand up tall in front of the Capitol building as Donald Trump becomes President to make sure he knows that we will not back down, we will not give up, and we will never stop fighting. Then I am going to the women’s march to join the millions of others across the country who are making their voices heard too,” Murray wrote on her Facebook page.
