Inauguration Day 2025: Happy New Year!

You’ll have to excuse me, I’m pretty excited.

It seems like a long time since I was excited about Inauguration Day. Let me correct that. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been excited about it. Sure, I was around for Ronald Reagan’s presidential run and I loved him, but this time it’s different. It’s personal.

We spent the past four years watching our country crumble under inflation, higher costs of everything everywhere, weaponized government departments, intimidation, BLM, towns burning down, DEI, our kids being sterilized and mutilated in the name of gender ideology, government coordinated censorship, open borders with illegal immigrants disappearing across the states, the pronoun police, and attacks on parental rights. I could go on, but you get the picture. 

We are constantly being warned about the spread of misinformation. How funny it is to be lectured about it by the very people who are running the country in Biden’s name. The same people who are impersonating him with every speech he angrily or incoherently delivers. They are someone else’s words using a convenient mouthpiece. 

For the first time, I have been excited as I watch Senate confirmation hearings. These are not the usual hearings with the usual suspects who patiently wait to answer questions that the interrogator doesn’t really want to hear. No, the Senators with their prewritten questions and prewritten statements with their already written decisions only want to hear themselves speak. 

For far too long, the transfer of power was merely a change in personnel. Many of these nominees are outsiders. All of them disruptors. 

When Donald Trump assumed the mantle of U.S. President 45, he was a Washington outsider. He didn’t know who to pick or how Washington worked.  This time it’s different. This time it’s personal. President 47 is an executive’s executive with the experience and knowledge of how the establishment works.  He has designed a team that is there to expose and remove the rot that has corrupted our beloved country. With the wisdom of his first term and an assembled team that shares a common goal, Trump has set his sights on rebuilding the America that we love. A country where citizens are the priority. No more man behind the curtain tugging on the levers of power.

I am excited to see a shift. As in every election, our yard was adorned with the yard signs of candidates who earned our support. The moment our Trump 2024 banner went up, we received a complaint from a neighbor who informed us that the mere display of his name was “extraordinarily stressful” to live with.  We were told that, “we have seen no one in this community or area with a display like that” and that it should be removed. In 2024, many people told us how bold we were and how they were fearful of demonstrating support of Trump. No signs, no hats, no shirts, no conversations because they didn’t want neighbors, friends, and family to hate them. Now it’s different. Now it’s personal.

Neighbors who hid their politics from us are wearing Trump hats. Others are telling us they took pictures of our yard to secretly share with friends. In all parts of this state, fear is being replaced with boldness as we see 45-47 sported everywhere, followed up with excited conversations about making citizens, health, and the economy a priority.  

Much like the transition from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan, the mood has shifted. Under Carter, Americans suffered with high interest rates, gas shortages that saw long lines at gas stations, and the Iran hostage crisis which saw Americans held captive for 444 days. Americans were demoralized. Perhaps history is kind as I believe Carter meant well, but he was feckless and as a result, Americans suffered due to his ineptitude.  

With Biden, we have witnessed a coordinated, intentional effort in going after Donald Trump and his supporters. Peaceful abortion protestors have been jailed.  We watched America-last policies being enacted and rather than feeling demoralized, Americans felt neglected and attacked. If Trump can accomplish much of what he wants, he will go down as one of the great presidents of our time.

It’s different this time and I am excited.