Louisiana GOP Celebrates Inauguration of Donald Trump | News

WASHINGTON – Louisiana Republicans saw the inauguration of Donald Trump as president for a second term as a “new day” for the state and the nation.

Governor Jeff Landry, who attended the event before immediately flying back to deal with an upcoming winter storm, said: “Louisiana is going to prosper under Donald Trump. We know he’s serious about energy. We know he’s serious around domestic manufacturing. His America First agenda fits Louisiana and the new industrial South like a glove.”

He predicted Trump would lead Louisiana and the nation into “a renaissance.”

Landry issued a proclamation last week asking Louisiana residents to fly the United States flag and “Make America Great Again.” And he ordered the governor’s mansion to do the same.

“The American people mandated change,” Landry said. “President Trump will be a president for all Americans, and in Louisiana we are celebrating his historic election victory and inauguration.”

Rep. Julia Letlow, a Start Republican whose district also includes much of the Baton Rouge region, attended the ceremony.

“We want a president who respects our state’s key industries and is committed to growing the economy, standing up for American industry and manufacturing, investing in our farmers and agricultural producers, securing the border and increasing American energy production.”

Strong support in Louisiana

Trump won a bitter election on November 5 by a margin of about 2 million votes out of 156 million cast. He received the overwhelming majority, 312, of the Electoral College votes.

Trump has won Louisiana decisively in all three presidential elections since 2016. And in each contest, he piled up a historic 1.2 million votes in Louisiana — nearly 60%.

Only U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, has come close to Trump as he won re-election in 2020 with a total of 1.2 million votes, or 59% of the votes cast.

As the 47th president, Trump will preside over the Republican majority in Congress for the first time since 2019. His first words in his second term were “the golden age of America begins right now.”

“We in Louisiana will benefit”

The vast majority of Trump’s policies are national in scope but would benefit Louisiana, said Woody Jenkins, chairman of the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Party.

“This includes closing the border and returning illegal immigrants to their home countries, controlling the size and cost of government, building a strong defense while staying out of unnecessary wars, and increasing energy production,” he said. “We in Louisiana will benefit from this. from all these policies.”

Jenkins put energy production as a primary benefit for Louisiana.

Oil and natural gas exploration, production and refining account for about $73 billion, or about a quarter of Louisiana’s gross domestic product, and about 250,000 jobs, according to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association.

Although the United States has produced more fossil fuels over the past four years than at any other time in history, the industry chafed under orders and restrictions imposed by outgoing President Joe Biden to deal with climate change. Trump vowed to revoke Biden’s orders and “drill, baby, drill.”

“It’s a new day, a day of freedom and prosperity,” Jenkins said.

State Treasurer John Fleming, who served in the White House during Trump’s first administration, said Trump will roll back government regulations that have hampered industrial growth and improved the economy.

“He has promised to make us prosperous again,” Fleming said.

Weather changes inauguration plans

Moments after finishing his inaugural address, Trump adjourned to a room on the Senate side of the Capitol to sign Cabinet nominations and other documents. He then sat down to the traditional lunch.

Because of the cold temperatures in Washington, Trump had moved the ceremony indoors under the Capitol dome. He and Vice President JD Vance took the oath of office and gave an acceptance speech.

In addition to spectators waiting in the cold, Trump said he was concerned about law enforcement — most of whom would have to stand outdoors.

Nevertheless, Union Station, the train station and Reagan National Airport were packed with arrivals on Sunday.

Due to the move to the Capitol Rotunda, there was only room for a few hundred spectators, including members of Congress, Trump’s cabinet nominees, some world leaders, former presidents and billionaire supporters such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

Other dignitaries sat in the Capitol’s underground visitor center.

Thousands of regular Trumps supporters who had acquired tickets were allowed to watch the proceedings at the Capital One Arena, where Washington’s professional basketball and hockey teams play. Many broke into the song “Lock her up” when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on the big screens with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Many of the ticket holders who were unable to enter the arena were told that their tickets were now souvenirs.

Only a small number of supporters gathered along Pennsylvania Avenue to watch the president come and go between the White House and the Capitol. The traditional inauguration parade, which would have followed the same route, was cancelled.

House Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said a few hundred people from Louisiana requested and received tickets. But his office was unsure how many actually came.

“With Donald Trump, a new golden age can be realized,” Johnson wrote in an op-ed published Monday morning. “He will restore America’s energy dominance by ending Biden’s war on American energy. And working with Congress, he will prevent the largest tax increase in American history. Our economy will grow, businesses will thrive, and workers will have more money in their pockets.”

Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, preceded Trump’s entrance into the Capitol Rotunda.

“Republicans will work closely with President Trump to deliver the America First Agenda,” Scalise said Monday in a statement. “As we begin this new chapter in our national history, we move forward with confidence and renewed hope that America’s best days are ahead.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend.

But the entire eight-member Louisiana delegation, including both Democratic representatives, was present.

“This event is the most important part of a peaceful transfer of power, and regardless of party, I feel it is my responsibility as a member of Congress to attend and show my support for our democracy and the American people,” said Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans.

Rep.-elect Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, had returned to Louisiana to attend to some work in her district over the weekend. But he braved a blizzard on Sunday to fly back and attend the inauguration.

“It’s part of my duty as a member,” Fields said.

Biden’s White House staff included about a dozen aides from Louisiana. But the Trumps want few.

However, the top two leaders in the U.S. House, Johnson and Scalise, are from Louisiana, as is the chairman of the powerful Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge.