The current President of The United States, Joe Biden, had his Presidential inauguration on Wednesday, January 20. In preparation for the inauguration, all AirBnB and hotel services in the Washington area were cancelled due to the threat of possible riots taking place during the celebration. The inauguration was a success in terms of its safety as the celebration was heavily guarded. However, former President Donald Trump became the first president since the 1800s to skip the inauguration of his successor.

Trump’s decision raises questions about both the ethics and significance of skipping the inauguration. “It really exemplifies and symbolizes the last four years of his presidency. It shows why he was not a good choice for the Republican party, and he never should’ve been a nominee,” Upper School History teacher Andrew Bigelow said. “He created a divide and split which showed a distorted version of the Republican party that strays from the truth and is quite xenophobic. It really scares me because he prompted an unbelievable outrage which happened on the 6th. If he accepted the election results like his Republican associates, it would’ve been avoided.”

It is unclear whether the storming of the Capitol on January 6 had any long lasting impacts on the inauguration. “The fact that there were 25,000 military troops showed a visual impact,”  Upper School History teacher Kevin Conlon said. “But specifically sitting and watching the inauguration on TV with my son asking me all types of questions about safety really had me on edge. I knew that the ragtag bunch which invaded the capital wasn’t organized and chances of a return would be slim, however I was still on edge because I didn’t want my son to be exposed to what could’ve happened.”

Nevertheless, many students are ecstatic about the transition of power. “It was what our country needed during these desperate times. I’m very glad it turned out peaceful and very glad that Trump’s reign is over,” sophomore Evan Sato said. Sato is displeased with the idea that bipartisanship doesn’t exist between our current and former president.“The fact that both presidents couldn’t shake each other’s hand and show some sort of sportsmanship is kind of sad and immature,” Sato said.