Washington, DC, the capital of the elites so reviled by Donald Trump's supporters, surrendered to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement without resistance on Sunday, January 19. In a barricaded and fenced-off downtown, in the rain and then snow, a large crowd converged on Capitol One Arena, a venue accustomed to sporting events, for a Trump rally. Hardly daunted by the idea of staying outside, the president-elect's supporters wanted to send a message by their mere presence. The rally was out of the ordinary, on the eve of the inauguration of their idol, the 45th president of the US about to become the 47th. "Daddy's home," read one of the T-shirts for sale on the dozens of stalls, set up along the line. Beneath the slogan was an image of Trump, arms outstretched, in front of the White House.
The crowd awaited the president-elect's intervention while backstage, in an incredible display of improvisation, advisers continued to review the exact script for Monday's weather-disrupted day. Trump was preceded on stage by familiar figures from the MAGA world: actor Jon Voight; his political adviser Stephen Miller, about to become deputy chief of staff; and singer Kid Rock. At the end of a weekend of balls and festivities in the capital, the president-elect took the stage at around 5 pm, taking great pleasure in this evening, resembling both a campaign rally and the night before a big day, that of inauguration.
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