As most of the world watched Donald Trump become the 45th President of the United States on a screen, William Higgins, District Attorney of Bedford County, was there to see it all in person.
“Incredible. It was incredible. The chants of ‘USA, USA’ and ‘Make America Great Again.’ People were just so enthusiastic and happy to be there. Just felt like a great day to be an American,” said Higgins.
Higgins said he’s attended five presidential inaugurations, but feels this one was extra-special.
“Going from the time he announced, him going wire-to-wire pretty much the whole time, to being there when he took that oath of office– it was just a fantastic experience and a memory I’ll never forget,” Higgins said.
More than 200 protesters were arrested Friday in the Capital. Higgins said he and his family were prepared for the chaos.
“We just talked to our kids about that. We told them if we see anything we’re probably going to cross the street and get away from it as best we can,” Higgins said. “The little bit of protests we did see were fairly peaceful.”
Johnstown native Justin Capouellez also attended the inauguration. He first called his local congressman’s office for tickets to the inauguration the day after the general election.
He said he could feel the energy among supporters.
“It’s so powerful being there in person, being able to experience the people on the ground and what their thoughts and opinions are,” Capouellez said.
The exact size of the inauguration crowd has been challenged. Trump’s press secretary said this was the biggest inauguration ever, beating out Obama in 2013. However, the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority reported nearly 571,000 trips on public transportation this year, compared to 782,000 in 2013.
Regardless of the numbers, Capouellez said he hopes that Trump can directly improve the lives of people in the area.
“Trump’s speech was all about the forgotten people: about bringing jobs back, strengthening the economy, getting rid of drugs. I think that’s something our area needs,” Capouellez said.