• Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president at midday Monday
• Michiganders who’d traveled to Washington cheered in a downtown restaurant
• Michigan Trump supporters listed the border and the economy as their biggest hopes for improvement  

WASHINGTON — Chants of “USA, USA” rocked a posh restaurant near the nation’s Capitol Monday as Michigan Republicans cheered the return of Donald Trump to the nation’ highest office.

Trump was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president on Monday, making him the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, 132 years after Grover Cleveland.

Trump loyalists scrambled to salvage their celebration after the inauguration was moved indoors because of temperatures in the 20s. Jumbotrons along the National Mall were disassembled, leaving hundreds of thousands who crowded into downtown Washington unsure how they could see the swearing in.

Donald Trump on Monday was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president, becoming just the second to serve non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was the other. (Screenshot from Trump’s YouTube channel)

The change-of-plans prompted Scott Greenlee, a state chair candidate for the Michigan Republican Party, to host an impromptu watch party at a restaurant. Word quickly spread, and the two-story structure was jammed with red hats and $11 beers an hour before the inauguration began.

“I’m 56, and I’ve never shed tears over a president being elected,” said Andrea Runions, of Muskegon County, festooned in red, white and blue. “I have to pinch myself to believe I’m actually here.”

Lance Elliott Griffin of Grand Rapids served as a presidential elector for Trump. He said he’s looking forward to a crackdown on illegal immigration.

Related:

• On MAGA bus from Michigan, redemption, celebration for Trump inauguration
• 100 promises Donald Trump made to Michigan
• Donald Trump promised a ‘Michigan miracle.’ Now, the hard part: following through

“If you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country,” Griffin said. “So I’m looking forward to a border that is better secured.

Attendees at an inauguration watch party record the television screen showing the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 47th president. The restaurant, secured by Scott Greenlee, a state chair candidate for the Michigan Republican Party, became a hotspot for Michiganders after the weather forced the ceremony inside the Capitol. (Asha Lewis/Bridge Michigan)

Watching Fox News on a massive screen, the Michigan crowd cheered every image of Trump, his family, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk. They booed every shot of a Democrat, as well as Republican former president George W. Bush.

Trump began his speech with the line, “The golden age of America begins now,” to roars from the Michigan crowd.

“The nightmare of Biden is over,” said Linda Koza of West Bloomfield.

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As Trump sworn in, Michigan loyalists cheer in DC: ‘I have to pinch myself’

by Ron French, Bridge Michigan
January 20, 2025

<h1>As Trump sworn in, Michigan loyalists cheer in DC: ‘I have to pinch myself’</h1> <p class="byline">by Ron French, Bridge Michigan <br />January 20, 2025</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong>Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president at midday Monday</strong></li> <li><strong>Michiganders who’d traveled to Washington cheered in a downtown restaurant</strong></li> <li><strong>Michigan Trump supporters listed the border and the economy as their biggest hopes for improvement  </strong></li> </ul> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <p>WASHINGTON — Chants of “USA, USA” rocked a posh restaurant near the nation’s Capitol Monday as Michigan Republicans cheered the return of Donald Trump to the nation’ highest office.</p> <p>Trump was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president on Monday, making him the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, 132 years after Grover Cleveland.</p> <p>Trump loyalists scrambled to salvage their celebration after the inauguration was moved indoors because of temperatures in the 20s. Jumbotrons along the National Mall were disassembled, leaving hundreds of thousands who crowded into downtown Washington unsure how they could see the swearing in.</p> <div class="dr-paragraph full-width-image dr-paragraph--full-width-image"> <div class="card card--bg dr-paragraph full-width-image dr-paragraph--full-width-image"> <div class="card__image"> <figure><img loading="lazy" src="https://bridgemi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Trump-speech.jpg" width="1300" height="867" alt="Donald Trump at the 2025 inauguration"></figure> <div> </div> </div> <div class="card__content"> Donald Trump on Monday was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president, becoming just the second to serve non-consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was the other. (Screenshot from Trump’s YouTube channel) </div> </div> </div> <p>The change-of-plans prompted <a href="https://www.greenlee4migopchair.com/">Scott Greenlee</a>, a state chair candidate for the Michigan Republican Party, to host an impromptu watch party at a restaurant. Word quickly spread, and the two-story structure was jammed with red hats and $11 beers an hour before the inauguration began.</p> <p>“I’m 56, and I’ve never shed tears over a president being elected,” said Andrea Runions, of Muskegon County, festooned in red, white and blue. “I have to pinch myself to believe I’m actually here.”</p> </p> <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul> <p>Lance Elliott Griffin of Grand Rapids served as a<a href="https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/electors"> presidential elector</a> for Trump. He said he’s looking forward to a crackdown on illegal immigration.</p> <p><strong>Related:</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong><a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/maga-bus-michigan-redemption-celebration-trump-inauguration">On MAGA bus from Michigan, redemption, celebration for Trump inauguration</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/100-promises-donald-trump-made-michigan">100 promises Donald Trump made to Michigan</a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/fact-check-trump-promised-michigan-miracle-now-comes-hard-part">Donald Trump promised a ‘Michigan miracle.’ Now, the hard part: following through</a></strong></li> </ul> <p>“If you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country,” Griffin said. “So I’m looking forward to a border that is better secured.</p> <div class="dr-paragraph full-width-image dr-paragraph--full-width-image"> <div class="card card--bg dr-paragraph full-width-image dr-paragraph--full-width-image"> <div class="card__image"> <figure><img loading="lazy" src="https://bridgemi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_6291.jpg" width="1300" height="867" alt="People inside a theater watching Donald Trump being sworn in "></figure> <div> </div> </div> <div class="card__content"> Attendees at an inauguration watch party record the television screen showing the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 47th president. The restaurant, secured by Scott Greenlee, a state chair candidate for the Michigan Republican Party, became a hotspot for Michiganders after the weather forced the ceremony inside the Capitol. (Asha Lewis/Bridge Michigan) </div> </div> </div> <p><span style="font-size: calc(1.125rem)">Watching Fox News on a massive screen, the Michigan crowd cheered every image of Trump, his family, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk. They booed every shot of a Democrat, as well as Republican former president George W. Bush.</span></p> <p>Trump began his speech with the line, “The golden age of America begins now,” to roars from the Michigan crowd.</p> <p>“The nightmare of Biden is over,” said Linda Koza of West Bloomfield.</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/trump-sworn-michigan-loyalists-cheer-dc-i-have-pinch-myself/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://bridgemi.com&quot;&gt;Bridge Michigan&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/bridgemi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cropped-android-chrome-192x192-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://bridgemi.com/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=431&amp;amp;ga4=G-1E2G9MSHX5&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/trump-sworn-michigan-loyalists-cheer-dc-i-have-pinch-myself/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/bridgemi.com/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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