Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 | 1:35 p.m.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., secured more than 200 tickets for Nevadans to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday, but the longtime congresswoman opted to skip the ceremony.
Trump, a Republican, was sworn into office as the 47th president, saying he would sign more than 100 executive orders to “begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”
Those orders — touching on immigration, LGBTQ rights, climate policy, diversity initiatives and more — fulfill campaign promises to “completely and totally reverse” the past four years under former President Joe Biden, Trump said in his inauguration address.
“I went to Mr. Trump’s first inauguration out of institutional respect, and no one really cared. Certainly not Trump who boycotted his own successor’s inauguration four years later,” Titus said in a statement. “I’m not protesting his inauguration — in fact, I gave out over 200 tickets to Republican friends and constituents. I just didn’t see any point in joining someone who trashed everything I believe in and support.”
The inauguration was attended by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, both Nevada Democrats, as well as Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., was scheduled to be there, but once the event moved indoors to the smaller U.S. Capitol Rotunda because of weather, he opted to stay in Nevada for Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities, his office said.
Rep. Mark Amodei of Northern Nevada, the lone Republican in the state’s federal delegation, doesn’t attend presidential swearing-in ceremonies, saying he prefers to keep away from crowds because of his small-town upbringing.
“Today, we witnessed yet another peaceful transfer of power,” Rosen posted on social media. “I’m always willing to work across the aisle, including with the Trump-Vance Administration, to lower costs and deliver for Nevada families. But I’ll also push back on any extreme actions that would hurt our nation.”
Trump’s path back to power included overcoming criminal indictments, impeachments and a pair of assassination attempts. He wound up winning the election in all seven swing states, including Nevada, and also captured the popular vote.
“I stand before you now as proof that you should never believe that something is impossible to do in America,” Trump said after he was sworn in. “The impossible is what we do best.”
Nevada was a critical part of Trump’s win against then-Vice President Kamala Harris, with the president introducing a key component of his platform, “no tax on tips,” at a rally in service-industry dominant Las Vegas in June. He became the first Republican to win Nevada in 20 years.
“People have lived through four years of Joe Biden and four years of Trump, and they’ve decided that President Trump is much better for the country, and that really galvanized and energized everybody in the state of Nevada,” said Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, a Republican who was in Washington for the inauguration.
Anthony, who often joined Trump at campaign stops in Nevada, came to Washington to attend his first inauguration ceremony. Prior to Monday’s festivities, he spent the weekend at events related to the Silver State, like a “Best of the West” reception and an event with members of the Asian community sponsored by the Nevada Republican Club.
The club’s president, Pauline Ng Lee, was also watching a presidential transition live for the first time. For her, party lines were irrelevant.
“I went to the Best of the West party with a group of Nevadans, and it was great seeing Susie Lee, our congresswoman there,” Lee said. “We saw a lot of our Nevada friends, on both sides of the aisle, which was great.”
Amodei foresees Trump returning to office as the beginning of “a new sheriff in town,” meaning a plethora of executive orders, a Republican-led congressional majority — with razor-thin margins in the House — and a little over 50 days to find a federal funding solution.
“With that said, you can’t sit there and wring your wrists and cross your fingers,” Amodei said. “You’ve got to get to work.”
Dana White arrives the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Trump’s attendee list had a broad range of supporters he accumulated from his campaign — featuring online personalities, tech executives and world leaders. It also had a heavy Las Vegas flair with megadonor Miriam Adelson, the Las Vegas Sands majority owner; Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin; and UFC President Dana White.
As Trump walked in for the ceremony, viewers in the Capitol’s overflow room jumped up, chanting “USA!”
“The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump said in his speech, met with applause after every few sentences. Vice President JD Vance was sworn-in first, taking the oath read by Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
As Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swore Trump in, diners at a cafe outside the Capital One arena, decked in “Make America Great Again” hats among other Trump attire and watching from their phones, clapped and one cheered, “Comeback!”
Trump’s speech hit similar points as his 2017 address, describing what he saw as failings of the current functioning government on education, work and public safety. This time, however, it was accompanied by an even darker portrayal and his highly awaited Day 1 proposals.
“It fails to protect our magnificent law-abiding American citizens, but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world,” Trump said.
The ceremony was a window into Trump’s plans for the next four years, with the president beginning his anticipated promises on undocumented immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion policies through executive orders.
The first orders he announced included the declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, sending troops and ending a process known as “catch and release,” and designating certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The night prior, at an inaugural-eve ball hosted by conservative group Turning Point USA, incoming “border czar” Tom Homan told the Sun his priority for Nevada is improving public safety through moving “criminal aliens.” Last year, violent crime was down around 15% when compared with the previous year, according to Nevada Uniform Crime Statistics.
On Monday, CBP One, the mobile app that grants access to services provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, stopped its functions for undocumented individuals to submit information in advance and schedule appointments at eight southwest border points; previously scheduled appointments were also canceled.
Trump also said it will be the official policy of the U.S. government “that there are only two genders, male and female.” Trump is no stranger to legal challenges from civil rights advocates, spending much of his previous administration defending his early executive orders.
“During his first term in the White House, we witnessed a concerted effort to undermine and eliminate protections for LGBTQ+ people across the federal government,” said Silver State Equality director André Wade in a statement. “Based on his own campaign promises — and his nomination of extremists to key Cabinet positions — we expect the second Trump administration to continue its attacks against LGBTQ+ Americans.”
Wade added that his organization is collaborating with other local organizations and working with pro-equality legislators in Carson City and in Washington “to further protect our rights and ensure that Nevada remains a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people across the country.”
They’ll have an advocate in Democrats like Titus, who said Trump’s executive orders infringe upon the causes she values.
“He wants to tear families apart through mass deportations. He wants to make life more difficult for average Nevada and American families by imposing tariffs that will drive up consumer prices,” Titus said. “This marks the beginning of a presidency that makes me fear for the future of our nation.”
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