History is immortal. History was created in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20 when a new president was sworn in.  Sixty-four Trinity students witnessed the inauguration and had the time of their lives.

The inauguration of any president is a big piece if history, and the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president was on an even more unique level. Like him or not, Trump is one of the most polarizing figures in recent memory.  

Sophomore Cian Callahan said, “The inauguration is an amazing time to celebrate our new president. This inauguration was special in a way, though, because of the crazy election, and we had an even more insane outcome.”

Trinity teacher Mr. Chad Waggoner, who coordinated the Jan. 19-23 trip that included faculty/parent chaperones, said, “This inauguration would be historic no matter who won. There would be either the first president with no political or military experience, or it would be the first woman president. I was in eyewitness to two events that will be in textbooks one day, and I will be able to say I was there, maybe even teach it to students if I’m around long enough.”

The trip also included the viewing of historical sites and  monuments, including Ford’s Theater, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Holocaust Museum.

Sophomore Grant Brown said, “The holocaust museum enlightened me on how brutal and unjust the Nazis treated the Jews and many other groups.”

During the weekend people around the world reacted to the inauguration. More than 3.1 million people took part in the Women’s March across the United States, including Washington.

Sophomore Ben Mattingly said, “I saw a very wide variety of political views and a wide variety of people. While some of the Trinity students did not agree with the protests, they all found it inspiring as they saw the First Amendment in action.”

Regardless of how many people were at the actual inauguration, it was still a great sight to see. Trump’s speech included big promises and many in the crowd expressed their belief in him.

“While being packed in tightly next to hundreds of strangers, it felt surreal when Donald Trump was giving his speech,” sophomore Ryan Lenahan said. “It had everyone mesmerized. It was like the last seconds of a sporting event –everyone’s eyes were locked on him. His speech will stick with me just because of this moment and how the crowd was so energized when he gave it.”

The students witnessed a wide variety of views and some extreme behavior.

While waiting to enter the inauguration, a group of people calling themselves The Bible Believers were holding signs saying “BLM Rent a Riot” and “Every Muslim is a Jihadist!”

Waggoner overheard an interview with one of the group members. Waggoner said the man “was a smart, uneducated person.” He said it was sad to see these intelligent people display a lack of education. One of the bible believers was even spat on.

The Trinity group won’t forget this trip any time soon.

Brown said, “It was one of the best experiences I have ever had, with the combination of  witnessing history. Being a part of history really captured me.  I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”