Some Republicans from Wisconsin are excited that they will get to witness Donald Trump being sworn-in today as the nation’s 45th president. We caught up with several local GOP activists who have arrived in Washington.
It’s not the first presidential Inauguration for Mary Buestrin of Mequon. In fact, she’s travelled to Washington for three others.
“It’s a big piece of history that every American ought to experience. To go to an Inauguration and see the passing of one president to another without a shot heard is really an amazing thing to me. It gives me goose bumps to think about it because it doesn’t happen in a lot of places in this world and it’s quite unique to the United States,” Buestrin says.
Buestrin says she’s excited about the incoming Trump administration, and wants the new president to keep promises he made during the campaign.
“Start doing things that will help our country, spending money on infrastructure and taking care of the people in the United States that need help,” Buestrin says.
Buestrin believes Trump’s business experience will keep him focused on the economy. Sri Vasudevan holds similar hopes that Trump will jump start the economy and boost the middle class. Vasudevan has been active in Republican politics since 1979, when he moved here from India and became an American citizen. He decided it’s time to personally witness an Inauguration.
“Some of the people here said it’s a once in a lifetime experience and if you can, you should,” Vasudevan says.
Vasudevan says, after the big day, he wants Trump to start checking-off his campaign pledges. One is to stem the flow of illegal immigration.
“As a legal immigrant, I find this a land of opportunity for immigrants and it should be, but in a more legal way, not in an undocumented manner so whether it be building the wall, whether it be structural in the literal sense, it’s very important to get the immigration under control,” Vasudevan says.
Another thing Vasudevan hopes the new administration gets under control is health care costs. He says, as a retired physician, he saw his patients’ ability to afford health care, decline. Van Mobley wants a more affordable health care system and more jobs. Mobley has traveled to the nation’s capital from Thiensville.
“The jobs issue, it’s great that he’s getting some of these manufacturing plants to stay here in the United States or come home. I think that’s important and will help unify people. I think success in improving Obamacare, repealing and replacing it but keeping the elements that are good,” Mobley says.
Mobley says he knows the country is divided in many issues, but he thinks Americans will eventually unite. He notes that even former Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders has expressed an interest in working with Trump.
