Reporter’s Notebook: Rain or shine, the world had messages to share this Inauguration Day

By Carly Gist >>

On Jan. 19 and Jan. 20, 2025, thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world gathered in Washington, D.C. for President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Some were there in celebration and others in opposition, but they had one thing in common: expression through symbols. 

Worries of inclement weather moved Trump’s inaugural celebrations indoors, but the Daily Egyptian staff remained outside, carrying only the necessities — cameras, notebooks and protective equipment and clothing — working through rain, hail and snow.

On Sunday, Trump’s supporters lined up outside the Capital One Arena, hoping to enter his Make America Great Again Victory Rally before its 20,000 persons capacity was reached. We approached people in the crowd, and I was surprised to find that it wasn’t just Americans celebrating — I saw a group of men carrying around a British flag and spoke to two Canadians who traveled from Alberta for the occasion. 

I followed Scott and Lori Earl for a few minutes as the line began to move. Scott was carrying a half-American, half-Canadian flag, and he said the message he was trying to get across was simple — he’s Canadian and supports the U.S. While they’ve visited the country before, it was their first time coming to a presidential inauguration. When I asked if they decided to come because of the candidate, Lori said, “We would’ve come last time if they didn’t steal it.” With a laugh, she added, “It got stolen so we stayed home.” 

Scott said it was worth coming to witness history. As the rain started to pour, he told me, “It’s all been great so far. We’ve met so many great Americans and it’s been wonderful. What a great experience. Even if we don’t get in to see him, it was well worth standing out in line with these people. This is amazing.” 

After speaking with a few other people, we began to hear yelling and followed the voice. At this point, it was starting to hail. An LGBTQ+ activist dressed head to toe in rainbow colors stood near the road, speaking to the line of Trump supporters, and she was met with backlash. Behind her, a man with a Trump flag draped over his shoulders blasted a speech from Trump over a wireless speaker.

As I was observing the people in D.C., I kept thinking of a quote from one of the HEFAT instructors: As journalists, we do not have the luxury of an opinion. When I heard SIU was looking to send student journalists to the inauguration early in the semester, I told myself that no matter which candidate won the election, I was going to apply. This was a chance to gain hands-on experience covering history. And as a reporter, my job is to cover what is happening without letting my personal opinions interfere. 

In D.C., I witnessed both sides of the coin. 

On Inauguration Day, I spoke to those who were celebrating a different holiday — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Photographer Dominique Martinez-Powell, Videographer Will Elliott and I walked to King’s memorial in icy winds around 8 in the morning. We worked on a story about how people were celebrating the holiday throughout D.C., and how they felt about the two events overlapping. 

Throughout his election campaign, Trump expressed his opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs — organizational policies that aim to promote representation of different groups and create environments free of discrimination. In December, giving remarks at Turning Point USA”s “AmericaFest” in Phoenix, Arizona, Trump said, “I’ll end all of the marxist diversity, equity and inclusion policies across the entire federal government immediately.” 

To many activists, this is the opposite of what King stood for. 

We saw approximately five people brave the cold and interviewed a couple of them. One person I talked to was adamant about giving their name because of the organization they worked for, so I refrained from asking for their thoughts on the inauguration. Later that afternoon, we attended National Action Network’s MLK Day Rally at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, where the organization’s founder, the Rev. Al Sharpton, was very vocal. I recorded an audio of his sermon while writing timestamps in my reporter’s notebooks of the words that stood out to me. When he addressed Trump directly, he was greeted with a thunderous applause.

“How are you, Mr. Trump, on Martin Luther King Day, gonna pardon folks that beat up police officers?” he said, referring to Trump’s decision to pardon participants of the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol. “How are you, Mr. Trump, on the birth day — on the federal holiday — of a prince of peace and nonviolence gonna excuse those that caused death of Capitol police in the nation’s capital? How dare you, Mr. Trump. How dare you on King Day talk about making heroes out of haters…If everybody else is scared of you, I wasn’t scared of you in 1990 and I’m not scared of you now.” 

After the rally, Justin Blake stood outside, waving the African American flag. Speaking with Blake, I learned he is the uncle of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed after a white police officer shot him seven times in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2024. He said he came to the rally to support Sharpton and hear his agenda. 

“MLK would have wanted us to be together and support like we did today,” he said. 

On the way back to our apartment that evening, we passed a “We Fight Back” protest in DuPont Circle. At the protest, participants advocated for social and political issues, standing in support of Palestine, transgender rights, the working class, the Malaya Movement and more. Their messages were portrayed through flags, signs and chants. 

Both days ended the same for me — filing in the apartment. But each journey brought different groups of people with different beliefs and a different cause they were fighting for. 

Rain or shine, expression remained prevalent throughout the inaugural celebrations.  

Carly Gist is the news editor at the Daily Egyptian at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Gist can be reached by email at cgist@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @gistofthestory.

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